Speech & Language Therapy Assistant Practitioner

NHS; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working opportunities

Lease car scheme and Home Electronics

Job summary

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Speech and Language Therapy Assistant Practitioner to join the Community Speech and Language Therapy Service in the Sefton locality, with potential to cover the Liverpool locality if required.

You will support childrens therapists delivering speech, language and communication support in nurseries, schools, homes and community clinics, under supervision, to empower families and develop therapy resources.

Qualifications

• NNEB / BTEC / NVQ level 3 in Speech and Language Therapy support or equivalent qualification in paediatric care.
• Experience working as a Speech and Language Therapy Assistant.
• Relevant prior experience in working with/supporting children with communication difficulties.
• Training on specific communication strategies.
• Short courses relevant to clinical area.

Responsibilities

• Carry out routine therapy activities following programmes set by the Speech and Language Therapist, working independently with clients with a range of conditions.
• Work independently with clients both individually and in small groups across settings, with supervision as required.
• Provide ongoing input to identified clients, adjusting intervention levels and notifying the SLT of changes.
• Access supervision from a Speech and Language Therapist as required.
• Develop therapy activities to meet defined intervention needs.
• Provide clinical administrative support and produce resources for the team.

Skills

SLT knowledge

Communication skills

IT literacy

Time management

Teamwork

Adaptability

Education

SLT support qualification (NNEB / BTEC / NVQ3)

Experience as SLTA

Paediatric care background

Training on communication strategies

Clinical courses

Job description

Main area Speech & Language Grade Band 4 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Mon - Fri) Job ref 411-DIA-26-8247067

Employer Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Blossom House Town Waterloo Salary £28,392 - £31,157 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 21/09/2026 23:59

Speech & Language Therapy Assistant Practitioner

Band 4

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is a provider of specialist health care and has a presence in community outreach sites and, in collaboration with other providers, our clinicians help deliver care closer to patients’ homes by holding local clinics at locations from Cumbria to Shropshire, in Wales and the Isle of Man. The Trust also provides inpatient care for children with complex mental health needs at our Sunflower House building newly relocated, and opened on the hospital site.

We currently have more than 4,000 staff working across our community and hospital sites. We’re also a teaching and training hospital providing education and training to around 540 medical and over 500 nursing and allied health professional students each year.

As black and minority ethnic (BME) employees are currently under-represented in this area, we particularly welcome applications from members of our BME communities. All appointments will be made on merit.

You can expect a warm welcome at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, our staff are friendly and welcoming. We listen to each other and work together to embed our Trusts values and behaviours. At Alder Hey we appreciate our staff and reward them with an outstanding benefits package including:

• Great flexible working opportunities
• Lease car scheme and Home Electronics Scheme
• Generous annual leave and pension scheme
• Extensive staff health and well-being programmes

Job overview

The Alder Hey Community Speech and Language Therapy Service have a vacancy in the Sefton locality for a Speech and Language Therapy Assistant practitioner (SLTAs). There is an expectation to also cover the Liverpool locality if required.

As an SLTA, you will support the children's community speech and language therapists with their work to provide on-going speech, language and communication support and interaction with children and families. This includes working alongside SLTs to deliver workshops and groups, working under supervision in nurseries, schools, patients homes and community clinics to provide support to the parents / carers to empower them, and preparing resources.

If you have an interest and passion to improve the life chances of our children and young people by supporting them and their families to develop their speech, language and communication skills, this is an exciting opportunity to join this vibrant team.

Main duties of the job

• Work with clients with communication difficulties/complex disabilities and health needs across a range of settings, within the CommunityChildren’s Speech and Language Therapy Service.
• Carry out routine interventions as devised by the supervising Speech and Language Therapist.
• Provide on-going input to identified clients, modifying levels of intervention or treatment programmes when appropriate and notifying the Speech and Language Therapist of these changes.
• Access the supervision of a Speech and Language Therapist as required.
• Develop therapy activities to meet defined intervention needs.
• Provide some clinical administrative support to Speech and Language Therapists as required.
• Produce resources to support own clinical work and that of the Speech and Language Therapy team.

Working for our organisation

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is a provider of specialist health care to over 275,000 children and young people each year. In addition to the hospital site located in the West Derby area of Liverpool, Alder Hey has a presence in community outreach sites and, in collaboration with other providers, our clinicians help deliver care closer to patients’ homes by holding local clinics at locations from Cumbria to Shropshire, in Wales and the Isle of Man. The Trust also provides inpatient care for children with complex mental health needs.

We currently have more than 4,000 staff working across our community and hospital sites. We’re also a teaching and training hospital providing education and training to around 540 medical and over 500 nursing and allied health professional students each year.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Carry out routine therapy activities following programmes set by the Speech and Language Therapist, working independently with clients with a range of complex disabilities and health needs

Work independently with clients both individually and in small groups, in a range of settings, accessing support from the Speech and Language Therapist as required

Person specification

Education, training and experience

• NNEB / BTEC /NVQ level 3 in Speech and Language Therapy support or equivalent qualification in Paediatric care.
• Experience working as a Speech and Language Therapy Assistant.
• Relevant prior experience in working with/supporting children with communication difficulties.
• Training on specific communication strategies
• Short courses relevant to clinical area

Knowledge and skills

• Demonstrates knowledge of a wide range of Speech and Language Therapy programmes.
• Ability to use, with appropriate training, alternative communication strategies e.g. Signing, AAC (as relevant to client group).
• Good written and verbal skills.
• Ability to organise workload and manage time.
• Demonstrates a willingness and ability to learn new techniques and procedures for use in therapy, following training and support.
• Ability to use IT skills to support the development of therapy resources.
• Has an awareness of roles of other professionals (relevant to client group)
• Demonstrates ability to be a good team member
• Ability to manage emotional consequences of working with patients with a range of communication / complex health needs or disability.

Personal Attributes

• Willingness to learn and develop, and ability to identify own strengths and needs.
• Ability to travel between a range of clinical locations.

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We are committed to creating a well-managed, flexible working environment that supports staff and promotes their welfare and development. We actively promote equality and diversity and operate a Zero Tolerance policy to aggression, violence, bullying and harassment.

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.