Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

Job responsibilities

Key Result Areas/Principle responsibilities

Patient/client care:

To have knowledge, experience and understanding of the strengths and needs of children, young people and adults with a learning disability with a variety of communication disorders in order to support their developing skills within educational settings, and their adult lives.

To have knowledge and understanding of other areas of need that may impact on children, young people and adults with a learning disability with severe learning difficulties and/or ASC, such as physical disabilities, challenging behaviour and/or sensory needs and/or eating, drinking and swallowing needs (EDS), e.g. Dysphagia and/or Avoidant and Restrictive Food Intake Disorder - ARFID.

To have knowledge and experience in supporting children, young people and adults with a learning disability with EDS needs or an interest in further developing these skills, in the childs/ service users home, work and education environments.

To contribute to the development of specialist Speech and Language Therapy programmes and provision of appropriate evaluation of outcomes for the management of children, young people and adults with a learning disability and with complex needs.

To contribute to service development for children, young people and adults with a learning disability that reflects the needs of the people, their carers/parents and considers the needs of other professionals involved in their care.

To assess, interpret results and differentially diagnose the communication and the EDS needs of children, young people and adults with a learning disability on the caseload.

To demonstrate skills in motivating clients and/or their carers to engage in the therapeutic process.

To provide specialist advice and training to significant others e.g. family members, teaching staff and support staff as appropriate in the delivery of the service, in order that opportunities for communication and/or safe and enjoyable eating and drinking are identified, reinforced and carried over into everyday life.

To produce meaningful and useful reports, when required, that summarise the child/ service users needs and indicate a proposed plan and monitoring arrangements, including reports submitted to Education as formal advice as part of the Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process, formal reports required for the mental capacity process. To be competent in understanding the process and deliver Education, Health and Care Plans according to the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (Childrens Act 2014).

To work closely with our Multi-Disciplinary Colleagues (MDT) and carers/parents involved in the care of children, young people and adults with a learning disability ensuring that holistic approaches are used, therapy programmes are focused according to main areas of need and managed effectively and in a timely way to improve outcomes.

Setting and reviewing of individual outcomes collaboratively with members of the multi-disciplinary team, children, young people and adults with a learning disability and carers/parents to ensure outcomes have incorporated the children, young people and adults with a learning disability preferences and carers/parents preferences and that they are meaningful and functional.

To demonstrate a high level of clinical effectiveness by use of evidence-based practice, SLT plans and outcome measures, which involve monitoring and reviewing the children, young people and adults with a learning disability s progress against the Speech and Language Therapy plans and outcomes set.

To have knowledge and experience of using clinical interventions such as MAKATON, PECS, VERVE, Attention Autism, Intensive Interaction and Alternative and Augmentative Communication systems (AAC). To be able to support others to develop skills in these interventions, including devising and delivery training presentations/workshops.

To demonstrate empathy and adapt practice to meet individual clients circumstances. Ensuring that effective communication is achieved particularly where barriers to understanding exist, including due regard for cultural and linguistic differences.

To reflect on clinical practice both individually and with peers identifying strengths and needs and providing evidence of sound clinical judgements

To effectively work with a range of professionals and ensure work undertaken is suitable to their level of skills, knowledge and expertise and measuring effectiveness and quality through regular observation, supervision and appraisal.

To identify/coordinate and provide regular specialist training both for educational and care support staff groups, parents and the Speech and Language Therapy team on a range of topics that will support the development of the children and service users on the case load and SLT team members professional development.

To contribute to the induction of new members of the team.

To keep up to date with current clinical developments through reading, attendance at courses, meetings and Hubs and share this information with other colleagues.

Information resources:

To maintain childrens clinical notes in line with the organisations Standards and Policy.

To carry out administrative duties including data collection; managing appointments and maintaining general equipment.

To maintain up to date records of annual leave and other absence.

Research and development:

To contribute to audits and the design and interrogation of data in order to inform the evidence base for clinical effectiveness with this client group (complex needs population with SLCN and EDS, and adults with a learning disability).

To evaluate the effectiveness of the training provided.

Understand, plan, do and review the service that you are providing.

To contribute to action research design and outcome measurement in the area of SLT delivery to mainstream settings.

Freedom to act / decision making:

To manage a complex case load (with support from the Band 7 Speech and Language Therapist and Principal SALT (Nds), advising Team Leads of shortfalls or difficulties as they arise and identify initiatives / plans in order to manage these shortfalls or difficulties and contribute to decision making for future service developments.

To work flexibly and collaboratively in a special educational environment, in people homes, day services and work places in response to service demands and to contribute to interagency team building.

To be accountable for own professional action and recognise own professional boundaries through interpretation of clinical and professional policies.

Communication and working relationships:

To ensure effective links with Team Leads in order to maintain and develop service objectives/initiatives and to advise on issues of service delivery, including shortfalls, service pressures, etc.

To understand Your Healthcare objectives, ethos and aspirations for the future and to develop organisation wide working relationships.

To attend supervision sessions organised for speech and language therapists in order to receive support to ensure there is opportunity for reflective practice.

To attend meetings (i.e. team and clinically specific focused) and in-service training as required

To work effectively within multi and uni-disciplinary teams i.e. teaching staff

To work collaboratively with and to contribute to interagency team building where necessary e.g. Education and Social services and tertiary services.

To identify own training needs as part of Continuing Professional Development Plan in discussion with team lead and to participate in training as appropriate.

To participate in appraisal and ensure that the objectives set reflect the organisation and service plan and identify personal development objectives.

To demonstrate the ability to start negotiating and manage conflict when it occurs and given the specific challenges of working within an educational environment, generating potential solutions, seeking advice is necessary.

To share information and seek supervision, where necessary, with regard to safeguarding concerns

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Professional Manner
• Reliable time keeper
• Team Worker
• Committed and motivated
• Can do attitude
• Problem Solving Approach

Qualifications

Essential

• Recognised speech and language therapy qualification
• HCPC registration
• Makaton, PECS, Intensive Interaction, AAC, PODD
• Competent at RCSLT Eating, Drinking and Swallowing Competency Framework (EDSCF) level 4

Desirable

• Member of RCSLT
• SCERTS
• Early Bird
• ACI/Hanen PCI
• Colourful Semantics
• Sensory Stories
• Lis N Tell
• Attention Autism
• PROMPT
• TOMS
• Sensory feeding/ ARFID
• Development of easy read information
• Post Basic dysphagia training
• Competent at RCSLT Eating, Drinking and Swallowing Competency Framework (EDSCF) level 5

Experience

Essential

• Implementation of a range of communication programmes/ approaches listed above.
• Setting clear therapy plans and monitoring and evaluating/measuring outcomes.
• A minimum of 3 years post qualification experience in working with children/young people with SLCN and some professional experience of working with adults with a learning disability
• Managing a caseload of children or adults with a learning disability and with eating, drinking and swallowing needs (Dysphagia).
• Experience of working collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team and with parents/carers.
• Experience of working within a specialist and/or mainstream education setting or in a specialist community healthcare team
• Delivering training workshops to a range of professionals/parents/carers in order to ensure enskilling others in a range of therapy approaches/strategies/service delivery and capturing effectiveness of the training.
• Clinical supervision of SaLT students and SaLT Assistants.

Desirable

• Knowledge of risk management, quality standards and clinical effectiveness.
• Working collaboratively with our key partners, e.g., SEN team at Achieving for Children, SENCOs and Senior Leadership Teams in schools, GP Federation, voluntary sector, social care, residential service providers
• The Balanced System framework.
• Experience of using known therapeutic interventions with adults with a learning disability such as TEACCH, Pecs, objects of reference, sensory stories. social stories, informal AAC strategies

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Maintaining clinical expertise, keeping up to date with and sharing new techniques and developments, for the promotion and maintenance of good practice within the team.
• Of using SaLT plans and outcome measures to ensure children/young people or adults with a learning disabilitys communication skills are supported in a relevant, functional and measured way.
• Ability to manage a caseload of children/young people or adults with a learning disability with eating, drinking and swallowing needs (Dysphagia).
• Working with children and young people/ adults with a learning disability /parents/carer, educational colleagues/ residential care staff and other professionals to ensure collaborative outcome setting and focused therapy.
• Of relevant developments in Education, the National Curriculum and Code of Practice and competently understand the process and delivery of Education, Health and Care Plans.
• Working with a range of professionals and ensuring work undertaken is suitable to their level of skills, knowledge and expertise and using effective measurement.
• Of a wide range of assessments and approaches to support children with speech, language and social communication needs, including telehealth.
• Of outcome planning and monitoring for Education, Health and Care Plans and children at SEN.
• Of clinical governance, research and audit procedures/plans.
• Of applying visual systems to support communication in an educational context, e.g. TEACCH, PECS, AAC, Makaton signs and symbols.
• Knowledge of a Total Communication approach.
• Information Technology skills.
• Good organisational skills.
• Excellent communication & interpersonal skills.
• Good presentation skills.
• Reflective practitioner.
• Problem solving skills.
• Negotiation skills and resolution of conflict

Desirable

• Sensory impairment.
• IT software (e.g. widgit/boardmaker/MS Teams/webinars).
• Awareness and understanding of principles of neurodiversity and consideration of this in practice.
• Experience of being exposed to a diverse range of people/cultures/ways of doing things.
• Partnership working practices, e.g., SEN Panels, Council for Disabled Children (CDC), ISCD at Moor Lane, social care team, primary care teams, residential service providers
• Providing audiology care to people with learning disabilities
• Good practice in the development of meaningful easy read material

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).