Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Job responsibilities

1. JOB TITLE: SPECIALIST SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPIST, NATIONAL STAR IN WALES

2. ORGANISATION RESPONSIBILITIES:

Reports to:

Speech and Language Therapy Manager

Speech and Language Therapy Deputy Manager

National Star in Wales Curriculum Manager

Head of Learning Programmes

Liaises with:

Students and their families / carers Multi-Disciplinary Teams Allied Health Professionals External Agencies

3. MAIN PURPOSE OF JOB:

To enable students to communicate successfully through the design, development, and delivery of specialist therapy programmes for learners with complex communication needs, including completing complex assessment. This will take place in a range of contexts and settings.

To provide supervision and support to SLTs and professional advice, training, and information to College staff.

4. PRIMARY TASKS:

To assess, plan, implement and evaluate therapy programmes for learners with complex communication needs, to support their development and learning.

To be responsible and accountable for the management of learners within a personal caseload.

To design, develop and monitor therapy programmes delivered by therapy assistants and other College staff and support SLTs with this process.

To promote the development of students communication skills across College, supporting wider learning, taking an active role in the development of new provisions where required.

To refer students to other agencies as appropriate.

To work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to meet the needs of students with complex physical and learning difficulties, communicating effectively withstudents, their careers, members of the multi-disciplinary team and outside agencies.

To complete complex assessments, pre College assessment and, if appropriately trained, Dysphagia assessments where required in accordance with the organisations Dysphagia Management Policy.

To demonstrate professional knowledge underpinned by current evidence based practice within your developing area of specialism.

To ensure that students understand what they are doing in therapy and why it is relevant to them. With students who lack capacity to understand, to work in their best interest.

To contribute to assessments of capacity where necessary, including joint working with other relevant professionals and attendance at Best Interest Meetings as required.

To accurately record all therapeutic interventions and ensure that yours and the SLTs you are supervising written and electronic documentation is completed in accordance with College and professional standards, protocols and guidelines.

To contribute to student specific meetings and Annual Review processes, including preparing reports and documentation to a high standard in complex cases.

To provide on-going supervision for Speech and Language Therapists and Speech and Language Therapy Assistants.

To contribute to training, coaching and mentoring of staff in developing best working practices across College and meet organisational goals.

To undertake relevant training to maintain and develop best practice and meet professional registration and student needs.

To work as an autonomous practitioner and provide clinical and statistical information including audits and outcome measures on a regular basis or as required.

To maintain student confidentiality, unless the consequences of disclosure are detrimental to students, staff and College.

To comply with all National Star College policies and procedures and the professional Codes of Practice as defined by the Royal College of Speech and Language and Health and Care Professionals Councils.

To participate in the College self-assessment processes and the review of College policies and procedures as required.

To promote a professional image and raise the profile and the role of the Speech and Language Therapy service both within the College and the wider community.

To be responsive to the unpredictable demands of the post, undertaking other duties that may be within the scope of the role function across various National Star sites.

Safeguarding

The college takes seriously its responsibility for safeguarding. It is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young adults and children and requires that all staff share this responsibility and act accordingly by applying organisational policy and procedure and attending annual safeguarding training.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Through personal example and clear action demonstrate commitment to equality and diversity ensuring equality of access and treatment in employment and service delivery to all.

Health & Safety

Promote the colleges Health and Safety at Work Policy and Procedure and ensure these are implemented effectively within the department.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• - Skill in selection of
• appropriate strategies for
• prioritisation and
• management of a
• complex caseload
• - Ability to identify own
• professional development
• needs and those of more
• junior staff, including
• providing Clinical
• Supervision
• - Ability to write concisely
• and summarise
• information
• - Excellent time
• management skills
• - Excellent assessment
• skills
• - Flexibility in regard to the
• demands of the
• environment, including
• unpredictable work
• patterns, deadlines and
• frequent interruptions

Desirable

• - Makaton,
• Signalong or BSL
• - Intensive
• Interaction, Total Communication,
• multisensory
• approaches
• - AAC programming
• Grid 3
• Boardmaker
• Communicate in
• Print Widgit Online

Qualifications

Essential

• Recognised Royal
• College of Speech and
• Language Therapists
• degree level qualification
• Membership of The
• Royal College of Speech
• and Language Therapists
• Health and Care
• Professions Council
• HCPC Licence to
• Practice
• Willingness to undertake
• relevant postgraduate
• Dysphagia training
• qualification as required

Desirable

• Other relevant level
• 5 qualifications
• Relevant
• postgraduate
• Dysphagia
• qualification

Other

Essential

• -IT skills, able to
• competently use
• Microsoft Office: Word,
• Excel and Powerpoint
• - Ability to meet the travel
• requirements of the post
• - Support the ethos of the
• College and be fit to work
• with vulnerable adults
• and children
• - Ability to travel between sites as required

Personal skills

Essential

• -Excellent interpersonal
• and communication skills
• - Negotiation skills
• - Good presentation skills
• - Innovative and creative
• - Adaptable and flexible

Desirable

• -Excellent
• presentation skills

Experience

Essential

• - Demonstration of
• professional knowledge,
• underpinned by current
• evidence-based practice
• - Knowledge of a broad
• range of professional
• formal and informal
• assessment methods and
• their interpretation
• - Caseload management
• - 2 years experience in
• relevant clinical field
• - Experience of MDT
• working
• - Experience of training
• others, e.g., key
• communication partners

Desirable

• - Experience of
• working in an
• educational setting
• - Experience of
• working in a
• residential setting
• - Experience of
• working across
• multiple locations
• - Experience of
• working within the
• field of PMLD /
• AAC / ASD / ABI
• - Experience of
• completing
• Dysphagia
• assessments
• - Experience of
• providing Support
• and Development
• - Membership of
• relevant CENs

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).