Job summary
This is an ideal opportunity for those who want to develop their skills and experience in working in complex needs with children and young people with a wide range of disabilities across both primary and secondary special schools for children with severe learning disabilities. You will work alongside other Speech & Language therapists and wider MDT: providing support to children and young people with complex needs, their families and school staff; offering assessment, advice, therapy support and training in the areas of both communication and eating and drinking difficulties.
If you are committed to working in partnership with education staff and parents, enjoy working with children with complex needs (aged 4-19), while extending your specialist clinical skills and we'd love to hear from you!
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust comprise of acute and community health services for the local population. The speech and language therapy team (part of Children and Young People Therapies service) is well established with a range of therapists, support staff and administrators and has a good supervision structure and an on-going programme of in-service training.
For further information contact: Alice Gallimore Principal Speech & Language Therapist (Special Schools) 07775222737
Main duties of the job
1. Accountable to Therapies Manager
2. To contribute to the Special School over 5s aged team in developing, testing out and implementing new ways of working.
3. To ensure that the service provided is integrated (within the relevant multi/uni disciplinary care pathways), evidence based and delivered in accordance with care pathways/protocols and responsive to the needs of the local population.
4. To assess, diagnose, manage and evaluate outcomes for children and young people presenting with a range of speech, language, communication and eating and drinking difficulties some of which may be highly complex.
5. The post holder will hold an area of special interest within the profile of the clinical caseload.
6. To develop, implement and evaluate specialist teaching packages within the clinical caseload.
About us
Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:
- Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
- Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
- Improving the experience of staff with disability
- Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
- Making equalities mainstream
Job description
Job responsibilities
To contribute to the School Age care pathway in collaboration with the Early Years Speech and Language Therapy Team. Ensuring that the service provided is integrated, based on evidence/best practice, equitable, responsive to the needs of the local population and delivered in accordance with service care pathways/protocols.
To deliver speech and language therapy services to children and young people seen by the School Age Team, managing caseloads and ensuring a cohesive approach to working in schools.
To contribute to the development of service plans, team objectives, care pathways and projects, taking into account the evidence base/best practice, local and national priorities, guidelines and policies; ensuring that these remain updated.
To support the negotiation with all stakeholders, including service users, around service development and implementation especially where these may impact on other service providers/provision.
To take responsibility for problem solving and resolution of conflict/informal complaints that may arise in the course of routine service delivery with regard to own caseload and support the resolution of formal complaints in line with Trust policy and procedure.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To contribute to the School Age care pathway in collaboration with the Early Years Speech and Language Therapy Team. Ensuring that the service provided is integrated, based on evidence/best practice, equitable, responsive to the needs of the local population and delivered in accordance with service care pathways/protocols.
To deliver speech and language therapy services to children and young people seen by the School Age Team, managing caseloads and ensuring a cohesive approach to working in schools.
To contribute to the development of service plans, team objectives, care pathways and projects, taking into account the evidence base/best practice, local and national priorities, guidelines and policies; ensuring that these remain updated.
To support the negotiation with all stakeholders, including service users, around service development and implementation especially where these may impact on other service providers/provision.
To take responsibility for problem solving and resolution of conflict/informal complaints that may arise in the course of routine service delivery with regard to own caseload and support the resolution of formal complaints in line with Trust policy and procedure.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential
- Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent
- Health Professions Council - Licence to Practice
- Registration as a member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
- Experience of working with children with complex needs including severe learning disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, physical disabilities, sensory difficulties, profound and multiple complex needs.
Desirable
- Membership of relevant Special Interest Groups
- Post graduate study relevant to the field or equivalent specialist advanced short courses
- Post graduate training in the area of dysphagia.
Experience
Essential
- Able to demonstrate some post-qualification experience working with children with a wide range of speech, language and communication needs in the context of complex needs.
- Able to demonstrate experience of working with schools and engaging them in interventions such as Alternative and Augmentative Communication, lego therapy, use of visual support, intensive interaction
- Experience of collaborative working with education staff and parents.
- Experience of training others
Desirable
- Experience of using SCERTS framework with children with ASD
- Experience working with children with eating and drinking difficulties
Knowledge
Essential
- To have a working knowledge of local and national procedure and legal frameworks relevant to the service area such as The Children's and Families Bill 2014 and to demonstrate the ability to apply this knowledge to service delivery within specialist area
- Up to date knowledge of a range of assessments tools and intervention techniques relevant to children and young people with a variety of speech/language and communication difficulties in the context of children with complex needs and an ability to compare and contrast relative benefits using current evidence base
- Understanding of Equal Opportunities and the ability to reflect this in practice and interactions with others.
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Warm and empathetic. Flexible and adaptable to different work environments and modes of service delivery.
- Creative and innovative
- The ability to adapt communication style to suit the audience
Person Specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential
- Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent
- Health Professions Council - Licence to Practice
- Registration as a member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
- Experience of working with children with complex needs including severe learning disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, physical disabilities, sensory difficulties, profound and multiple complex needs.
Desirable
- Membership of relevant Special Interest Groups
- Post graduate study relevant to the field or equivalent specialist advanced short courses
- Post graduate training in the area of dysphagia.
Experience
Essential
- Able to demonstrate some post-qualification experience working with children with a wide range of speech, language and communication needs in the context of complex needs.
- Able to demonstrate experience of working with schools and engaging them in interventions such as Alternative and Augmentative Communication, lego therapy, use of visual support, intensive interaction
- Experience of collaborative working with education staff and parents.
- Experience of training others
Desirable
- Experience of using SCERTS framework with children with ASD
- Experience working with children with eating and drinking difficulties
Knowledge
Essential
- To have a working knowledge of local and national procedure and legal frameworks relevant to the service area such as The Children's and Families Bill 2014 and to demonstrate the ability to apply this knowledge to service delivery within specialist area
- Up to date knowledge of a range of assessments tools and intervention techniques relevant to children and young people with a variety of speech/language and communication difficulties in the context of children with complex needs and an ability to compare and contrast relative benefits using current evidence base
- Understanding of Equal Opportunities and the ability to reflect this in practice and interactions with others.
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Warm and empathetic. Flexible and adaptable to different work environments and modes of service delivery.
- Creative and innovative
- The ability to adapt communication style to suit the audience
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).
Additional information
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).
