Speech and Language Therapist, Band 5- The Children's Trust School

Job responsibilities

Clinical Skills and Responsibilities

• Provide high quality, evidence-based speech and language therapy provision for children and young people attending The Childrens Trust School, in partnership with other members of the Multidisciplinary Team and education services.
• Undertake speech and language therapy assessments of children with complex needs e.g. multiple co-morbidities, neurodisabilities and chronic conditions, through standardised and non-standardised assessments and clinical observations.
• Devise suitable, individualised, speech and language therapy programmes/strategies that fit within the childs daily routine, whether to be carried out by parents or members of the Multidisciplinary Team; these should be monitored, evaluated, and adjusted appropriately according to the needs of the child.
• Develop therapy goals, in collaboration with the child and family/carers, as well as the multidisciplinary and education teams, other health professionals and agencies, to facilitate the participation of the child in their life skills.
• Set outcomes as part of the child or young persons annual review and Education, Health and Care Plans.
• Support the multidisciplinary and education teams with measuring short term targets, through using the IMpacts curriculum, therapy outcome measurement tools e.g. Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS).
• Keep appropriate and accurate intervention records, fulfilling legal, professional and all other requirements of The Childrens Trust.
• Contribute to child related reports, including looked after children and annual review reports as required, and assist with the collation of these as required, in a timely manner in line with organisational targets.
• Support the delivery of a tiered model approach to speech and language therapy at The Childrens Trust School, providing regular integrated time to classes and Houses.
• Work closely with all members of the Multidisciplinary Team, as well as the child and family, to provide a fully integrated approach to the overall management of the child. This will include any home/school visits, professional child related meetings and/ or appointments, as required.
• Provide clinical cover across the service during episodes of staff shortage/heavy workload, in order to ensure effective service delivery.
• Work flexibly in terms of hours, including the ability to work an early evening (weekly) and one weekend day, per calendar month.

Communication

• Develop effective communication strategies with children/young people (applying the principles of total communication).
• Facilitate effective communication with families and members of the Multidisciplinary Team.
• Maintain clear and concise documents and records, in accordance with The Childrens Trust policies.
• Ensure documents are managed confidentially at all times.
• Attend regular meetings with the multidisciplinary team, to discuss individual children/ young people and service in general, as required e.g. reviews, case conferences, parents evenings, clinics.

Management of Self and Others

• To provide support and supervision for volunteers and students within area of responsibility, providing motivation and support to achieve key objectives.
• To participate in the annual Performance Development Review and monthly supervision sessions as required by The Childrens Trust, both as appraiser and appraise.
• To manage time effectively, ensuring they prioritise their workload appropriately and delegate work as required.
• To work closely with specialist and highly specialist & specialist therapists and multi-disciplinary technicians, seeking advice, supervision and support as needed.

Governance

• Read and implement all policies, procedures, and risk assessments pertinent to working practice and keep up to date with policy changes as they occur.
• Critically evaluate practice (with support) through clinical audit findings, combined with knowledge of evidence-based practice and identify opportunities for service improvement and development.
• Critically reflect on own performance and that of other staff, and use this evaluation to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of future practice.
• Support clinical governance activities.

Career Long Learning, Education and Research

• Undertake all mandatory training, in line with The Childrens Trust policy.
• Prepare appropriately for Performance Development Reviews, identifying learning objectives and setting targets; identify opportunities for professional development in order to meet continuing professional development requirements.
• Actively seek personal educational developmental opportunities, through attending off-site courses and events, in-house training sessions, contact and involvement with relevant special interest groups and external organisations, and updating knowledge through Literature Reviews.
• Participate in in-service competency training programmes and teaching sessions, as appropriate.

Limits of Authority and Problem Solving

• In addition to The Childrens Trust policies, the Speech and Language Therapist is governed by, and should adhere to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Standards of Proficiency for speech and language therapists and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists Quality Assurance Standards.
• Day to day decisions regarding caseload.
• Co-working clinical cases with Specialist or Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
• Support the Speech and Language Therapy Team in delivery of an effective service.
• Responsible for day-to-day time management and prioritisation of workload taking into account the needs of the whole service.
• Monthly formal supervision.
• Any other duties as required.

Professionalism

• Meet current HCPC and Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists standards with respect to professionalism and to keep up to date with any changes.
• Be responsible for maintaining registration with HCPC and other Professional Bodies.
• Adhere to the policies and procedures of The Childrens Trust.

Health and Safety

• Adheres to all Health and Safety guidelines, principles, and regulations to perform your role and comply with The Childrens Trust policies and procedures.
• Provide evidence of a valid NHS Covid Pass or acceptable proof of Covid vaccination or medical exemption and all vaccinations (or medical exemption) required for the post.
• Adhere to manual handling procedures and complete mandatory manual handling training.
• Promotes the health and safety of others.
• Uses the incident reporting and risk assessment system (IRAR), to identify and report risks and incidents/actions if directed.
• Responsible for identifying and mitigating risk within the work environment.

Wellbeing and Emotional Resilience

• Maintains a positive approach and outlook when dealing with change and overcoming challenges and problems.
• Recognises own limitations, develops realistic goals, and uses support network resource when or if necessary.
• Treats challenges and problems as a learning experience.
• Remains organised and focused when under pressure.
• Responds appropriately and effectively to all constructive feedback.
• Motivates self and others.

Qualifications

Essential

• RCSLT recognised degree or postgraduate diploma in Speech and Language Therapy
• HCPC registration
• HCPC registration
• Maintains a portfolio of Continuous Professional Development, in line with regulatory body standards

Desirable

• Member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy
• Member of specialist interest group or forum

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working with children and families

Desirable

• Experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Experience of working with children/young people and/or adults with acquired brain injury or neurodisability

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Clinical reasoning skills in predictable situations, analysing a variety of evidence and presenting this in a relevant format e.g., report; presentation.
• Evidence of working towards observation and treatment skills relevant to the assessment and management.
• Workload management including delegation of tasks.
• Competent IT skills, in order to collect and interpret data, present reports and compile presentations.
• Reflective practice skills: able to give clear and effective feedback and support others to develop.
• Ability to meet the physical demands of a school therapy role.
• Ability to work flexibly, in order to meet the needs of the service and the children, including an early evening (weekly) and one weekend day, per calendar month (N.B. there is no On Call service required).

Desirable

• Clinical assessment and intervention skills relevant to children and young people with neuro-disability.

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Physically fit and able to comply with organisational manual handling guidelines. Able to carry out moderate - intense physical effort throughout the working day and carry out concurrent activities.
• Ability to cope with working in a demanding environment.
• Flexible and can do attitude to competing workloads and commitments.
• Highly motivated and reliable.
• Commitment to the vision and values of The Childrens Trust.

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge and understanding of safeguarding children and young people with complex disabilities.
• Competent skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

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).