Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

Job responsibilities

As a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist you will provide assessment, diagnosis and treatment for children with complex communication disorders. This includes children across a range of settings (e.g., mainstream schools, special schools, designated provisions), but particularly pre-school age children known to our Child Development Centre (CDC).

Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical Skills

To assess and diagnose children with communication disorders, including those with special needs. May be required to take a lead role in the day to day running of a community caseload and/or mainstream schools and support a Highly Specialist SLT working with children with complex needs at the Child Development Centre.

To develop and implement Speech and Language Therapy programmes for school staff and parents to implement and to evaluate outcomes for children with communication difficulties.

To take clinical responsibility for a varied paediatric caseload of differing complexities and to organise this effectively regarding clinical priorities and use of time.

To ensure that clients are involved in the planning and prioritisation of their treatment plans wherever possible.

To provide advice and coaching to others regarding the management and care of clients with communication difficulties

To provide advice and coaching to others regarding the management and care of clients with communication difficulties through case discussions, joint intervention and assessment and therapy programmes as appropriate

To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence-based practice and outcome measures

To produce reports regarding clients needs and summarising proposed treatment plans

To contribute to legal documents such as Education Health & Care Plans, Individual Education Plans and Annual Reviews

To adapt practice to meet individual clients circumstances, including due regard for cultural and linguistic differences

To maintain up to date and accurate case notes in line with RCSLT professional standards and local trust policies

To share information with clients, carers and other professionals, observing data protection guidelines

To contribute to multi and uni-disciplinary teams to ensure a client focused approach to treatment

To communicate complex information from assessment and treatment to clients, carers and other professionals

To communicate effectively with the child or young person and their carers to maximise treatment potential and ensure understanding of their condition. Addressing physical, psychological and emotional barriers to effective communication will be regularly required.

To work closely with clients, carers and other professionals to negotiate and agree client management

To demonstrate empathy with clients, carers and colleagues, ensuring that effective communication is achieved, particularly where significant barriers to understanding exist

To respond sensitively at all times particularly when imparting potentially distressing information regarding the nature of the clinical difficulties and their implications

To demonstrate skills in motivating clients, carers and other professionals to engage in the therapeutic process

To demonstrate negotiation skills in the management of conflict across a range of situations

To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible, in line with North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust policy

To foster productive relationships with others who have challenging communication difficulties and may be under stress

To employ excellent communication skills

To identify appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance the effectiveness of communication, both verbal, non- verbal and environmental

To assess and advise on optimising the clients communicative environment, taking into consideration the communication skills of carers and other professionals

To assess the capacity of the child or young person to give valid, informed consent. To be able to work within a legal framework with children and parents for consent to treatment.

Teaching Skills

To participate in the development and delivery of training/coaching to others with and without support.

To demonstrate the ability to target training appropriately to the needs of course participants.

To demonstrate the ability to reflect on and evaluate training provided

Please see attached full Job Description and Person Specification.

Right to Work

Essential

• Do you currently have the unrestricted right to work in the UK?
• If appointed, will you require sponsorship under a UK work visa route (now or in the future)?
• Please note that sponsorship is not available for all roles. Sponsorship will only be considered where the post meets the relevant UK immigration requirements and where the organisation determines that sponsorship is appropriate for the role.

Relationships

Essential

• If you are related to a director or have a relationship with a director or employee of an appointing organisation, please state the relationship.

Qualifications

Essential

• Recognised Speech and Language
• Therapy Degree Qualification or
• Equivalent
• Health Care Professions Council registration.
• RCSLT Licence to Practice
• Postgraduate training in complex communication difficulties.
• Evidence of additional training / continuing professional development around specialist area e.g. AAC

Desirable

• Registered member
• of Royal College of
• Speech and
• Language
• Therapists
• Membership of
• relevant Clinical Excellence Networks

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• In depth knowledge of SEND Code of Practice and National Curriculum
• Knowledge of relevant NICE guidelines.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including
• observation, listening and empathy skills
• Negotiation and problem solving skills
• Demonstrates good analytical and reflection skills
• Well developed concentration skills
• Good presentation skills, both written and verbal
• Good organisational skills
• Prioritisation skills
• Good auditory skills and ability to transcribe speech phonetically
• Demonstrates ability to be a good team member
• Knowledge of assessment tools
• relevant to the client group
• Knowledge of national policies and
• procedures (relevant to the client group)
• Well established knowledge of a range
• of appropriate therapeutic interventions
• (relevant to the client group)
• Understanding of the roles of other
• professionals (relevant to the client group)
• Knowledge of standards of record keeping
• IT skills
• evidence of CPD

Desirable

• Understanding of the
• principles of clinical
• governance/audit
• previous experience of NHS IT systems

Job Specific Requirements

Essential

• The ability to travel independently across the Trust
• The ability to work flexibly in accordance with service needs, including on occasions evenings

Experience

Essential

• xperience of supporting young people with communication disorders & coexisting conditions such as Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, ASD, ADHD.
• Experience of independently managing a wide range of communication disorders including communication linked to ASD, DLD Fluency, Speech disorders, disorders existing alongside
• learning difficulties,
• Experience working in collaboration, sharing strategies and implementing programmes
• and advice and coaching staff in mainstream / special schools
• Experience in day to day running of a community / mainstream /special school caseload and supporting newly qualified staff and assistants
• Involvement in
• training/coaching other
• professionals / parents
• Experience in designing and providing training
• Significant relevant post graduate clinical experience

Desirable

• Experience of using a range of AAC including both electronic and paper-based
• Experience assessing social communication skills and contributing to a neurodevelopmental pathway assessment for ASD diagnosis.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

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