Speech and Language Therapy Associate Practitioner

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT); Peterborough; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

An exciting opportunity to join a dedicated team as a Speech and Language Therapy Associate Practitioner. You'll work with children facing communication challenges, providing essential support and therapy. The role requires strong communication skills and the ability to work flexibly within various teams. Opportunities for professional development are available.

Qualifications

• Experience of working with young children.
• Experience of working with children with special needs.

Responsibilities

• Support SLTs in managing care for children with SLCN.
• Carry out intervention programmes under SLT direction.

Skills

Communication

Teamwork

Problem Solving

Time Management

Education

5 GCSEs level A-C or equivalent

Elklan level 3 or NVQ level 3

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Speech and Language Therapy Associate Practitioner

Band 4

Main area Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy Grade Band 4 Contract Permanent Hours Term time hours - 30 hours per week Job ref 310-CYPF-7163439

Site City Care Centre, Town Peterborough Salary £26,530 - £29,114 per annum pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 21/05/2025 23:59

Job overview

We are delighted to offer an exciting opportunity to join our Community Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy team based within Peterborough.

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated person to join our friendly, dedicated, and supportive team. If you are someone with experience of working with children, strong communication and interpersonal skills and enjoy working flexibly within various teams, we would love to hear from you.

The Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy Service is a 0-19 service which assesses, supports, and provides therapy to children with speech, language, communication and feeding difficulties.

We are happy to consider part-time and flexible working patterns. There may be an option for some home working. For the right candidate we could also consider professional development through an Associate Practitioner Apprenticeship.

Please note for this role you will be required to travel independently around the county meeting strict time deadlines. You will need to hold a full UK driving licence* and have use of a vehicle. You cannot use public transport for this role as this is not a reliable form of transport and will not allow you to meet service needs. Please confirm in your application that you meet the specified criteria.

*DVLA have a number of reciprocal arrangements with overseas countries, for further information please visit the DVLA website

Main duties of the job

• To support the Paediatric Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) in the management & co-ordination of care for children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).
• To work in a variety of settings with children from pre-school to 18 years of age (19 if in a Special educational setting).

Working for our organisation

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high-quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting andempowering them to lead a fulfilling life.

Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community. These services include children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development.

To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high-calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.

Please be advised we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date should we receive sufficient applications.

Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately, your application form will be rejected from the process.

For further information on CPFT, please visit our website at www.cpft.nhs.uk

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities

1. To carry out intervention programmes with children under the direction of the SLT, including individual and group therapy and to make modifications as necessary for the child or circumstances.
2. To work, where necessary, without immediate access to a qualified SLT. To plan routine activities and give advice and information in line with service guidelines. This includes children of pre-school and school age on the community caseload, also special school and clinics as required.
3. To monitor the children’s progress and recognise when to discuss any changes with the SLT (apart from discussions already scheduled)
4. To make observations about children’s communication skills and responses to activities and to feed these back to the SLT in order to assist in assessment and therapy
5. To contribute to the training of staff and families in a variety of settings.
6. To support the therapists in specific pieces of work in order that interventions such as Alternative and Augmentative Communication strategies (AAC) are used at home.
7. To support qualified practitioners at drop-in clinics to give advice and identify next steps for parents or professionals concerned about children’s speech and language development.
8. To carry out clerical and administrative tasks supporting the delivery of clinical work. These may include arranging appointments, data collection and entry (manually and/or using IT), filing, photocopying, making resources and typing treatment plans
9. To ensure that agreed data is collected and entered onto the SLT database
10. To organise and prepare treatment materials, including communication aids
11. To use IT resources to support administrative tasks (e.g. e-mail, internet)

Person specification

Education / Qualifications

• 5 GCSEs level A-C or equivalent, including English
• Elklan level 3 or NVQ level 3 or equivalent relevant experience
• Standard keyboard skills and familiarity with Microsoft Office applications in particular, Word and Excel
• Ongoing professional development including relevant short courses or experience to diploma level

Experience

• Experience of working with young children
• Experience of working with children with special needs
• Experience of working as part of a team and evidence of being a good team player
• Understanding of the personal and social implications of speech, language and communication disorders
• Experience using coaching skills
• Experience working with the public, either face to face or by telephone
• Experience with using SystmOne or alternative electronic record keeping system
• Experience of writing progress notes
• Experience of working within the educational system
• Experience of working alongside a speech and language therapist or carrying out speech and language interventions / advice
• Experience working with an interpreter or working with someone with English as an additional language
• Experience carrying out or supporting an audit or an improvement project

Knowledge & Skills

• Good organisation, time management and prioritisation skills.
• Ability to use own initiative and to work independently
• Ability to work flexibly as part of a team.
• Ability to problem solve
• Knowledge of Makaton signing
• Understanding of the SALTAP role and how they work together with speech and language therapists
• Ability to adapt communication style / type to ensure that it is accessible for their communication partner

Personal Qualities

• Has a realistic knowledge of personal strengths and areas for development
• Can demonstrate flexibility of approach
• Shows respect for others’ feelings, views and circumstances
• Able to respond to constructive criticism
• Understands, promotes, and advocates for equality and diversity and demonstrates inclusion through interaction with individuals

Other

• Able to work on the floor or on small chairs with children
• Full driving license and would be able to travel independently around Peterborough

Here at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) we are dedicated to providing high quality care with compassion. We deliver many of the NHS services that are provided outside of hospital and in the community such as physical, mental health and specialist services.

We are a health and social care organisation, offering a wide range of services, including:

• Integrated physical and mental health services for adults and older people;
• Specialist mental health and learning disability services;
• Children’s community services in Peterborough;
• Ground-breaking research

We strongly encourage applications from all sections of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including disabled people and members of our ethnic minorities and LGBTQ+ communities. For further information about our positive equality, diversity and Inclusion work, please visit https://www.cpft.nhs.uk/equalityanddiversity .

CPFT is looking to build upon its pool of temporary workers with Temporary Staffing Services (TSS). You will be asked at interview if you would be willing to register with TSS. This is an excellent opportunity for those looking to take on additional hours that are flexible around your personal circumstances.

Please be advised that in line with the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List, 2020 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust currently are unable to accept applications from overseas candidates whose country of residence is classed as a ‘Red List’ country.

Applicants who require entry into the UK will be required to provide a valid police certificate from the relevant authority from each country (except the UK) where the applicant has been present for 12 months or more, 10 years before the date of visa application, while aged 18 or over.

If you are successful at interview you will be subject to pre-employment checks, including a DBS (if appropriate), references and Occupational Health. To ensure a smooth process please bring all identity documents to your interview. A list of required identity documents will be attached to your interview invitation.

All communications will be sent to you via TRAC Systems. By applying for this post you are agreeing to CPFT transferring the information contained in this application to TRAC. If you are made an offer, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name Seema Chauhan Job title Team Manager Email address [e-mail] Additional information

Anneka Otoo
Area Lead and Clinical Lead Specialist
[e-mail]

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