Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Job description

Job summary

Camden Language and Communication Service (CLCS) are excited to be able to advertise for a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to join our unique jointly commissioned team of speech and language therapists and specialist language and communication teachers. This post is a full-time position, but we are interested in applications from people interested in a part-time role. We are particularly interested in hearing from candidates who are interested in working at an additional resource base within a mainstream school.

All maintained Camden Primary schools have access to this team who provide support at universal, targeted and specialist levels. Speech and language therapists are sited with their educational colleagues to enable continuity and coordinated support. CLCS is dedicated to developing a sustainable and effective service model that puts effectiveness and impact as the focus for client contact. We support children with Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs), Exceptional Needs Grants (ENGs) and also those without additional funding.

Feedback from staff has included: "supportive and open culture from management and the service", "friendly colleagues", "well-being is prioritised and supported", "emphasis on reflective practice and innovative ideas", "inclusive culture", "staff collaborating and working together within SLT and the wider multi-professional teams

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be based within Camden Speech and Language Therapy Service with a focus on supporting mainstream school environments at primary level. The majority of the work is based within Camden Language and Communication Service which is a specialist multi-agency service for pupils with a range of spoken language and communication difficulties attending over 40 mainstream primary schools, and a primary Language Resource Base, in Camden. The post holder will work in a multi-agency team comprising of Speech and Language Therapists and Specialist Language and Communication Advisory Teachers. The service provided consists of assessment, diagnosis and intervention for individual children as well as providing a whole school support service to schools themselves.

Many of the children that attend Camden schools arrive with low levels of language and literacy for a host of reasons including EAL, social, emotional and mental health factors, as well as a significant clinical population of children with developmental language disorders, ADHD, Autistic Spectrum Disorders and learning difficulties. We support children with and without Education and Health Care Plans and with a range of SLCN and additional needs.

About us

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical

1. To demonstrate an ability to implement interventions and staff development at a whole school level including joint target setting and outcome monitoring.

2. To demonstrate specialist clinical expertise in the assessment, treatment and management of language and communication problems in young children and school aged children up to 11 years, providing appropriate specialist assessment and intervention and evaluating outcomes.

3. To demonstrate specialist knowledge in this clinical area underpinned by current evidence based practice and outcome measures

1. To make appropriate differential diagnoses and specialist clinical decisions on evidence from assessment of complex cases

1. To use / apply specialist knowledge to inform sound clinical judgements/decision making for case management, developing clear care plans based on best practice

1. To demonstrate an understanding of how to develop and differentiate and develop communication friendly schemes of work.

1. To work with the Camden Early Years Service and Camden Service for Young People to support effective transition of children into and out of this service provision.

1. To provide advice to others regarding the management and care of children with a wide range of SLCN, and ASD.

1. To work closely with children, carers and families, in order to agree plan of management.

1. To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible

1. To employ excellent communication skills.

1. To demonstrate skills in motivating children and /or carers to engage in the interventions, targets and outcomes.

1. To employ counselling skills with parents/carers of children on the caseload.

1. To maintain sensitivity at all times to the emotional needs of children in particular when imparting potentially distressing information regarding the nature of the children difficulties and implications of the same.

1. To demonstrate the ability to manage children with challenging behaviours including the application of appropriate management strategies as designated by the commissioning provisions.

1. To monitor and review the progress of children against the targets set and agreed, and to modify targets as appropriate.

1. To reflect on clinical practice both individually and with peers identifying strengths and needs and providing evidence of sound clinical judgements, based on research and evidence based practice.

1. To demonstrate knowledge of current policies and practice in education and incorporate these into the model of working as appropriate e.g. the local offer.

1. To manage and prioritise a specialist caseload under supervision, advising line manager on issues of service delivery including shortfall, service pressures etc

1. To contribute to multi-agency assessment procedures as required, including Educational, Health and Social Care Plans.

1. To demonstrate good negotiation skills across a range of issues and situations, recognising and resolving potential breakdown and conflict when it occurs

1. To ensure that children are referred on to other services as appropriate.

1. To contribute to Whittington Healths systems of clinical governance, developing innovations in areas of risk management, quality standards setting and clinical effectiveness in collaboration with others

1. To be accountable for professional action and recognising professional boundaries, and working within defined departmental and national protocols/policies and professional code of conduct

Liaison and Teamwork:

1. To contribute to the function of clinical teams both multi disciplinary and uni disciplinary by discussing own and others input around childrens needs ensuring a well co-ordinated care plan.

2. To liaise and share information with health, educational and other professionals as appropriate, observing data protection guidelines

3. To contribute to meetings, annual reviews, case conferences and multi-agency team meetings, as appropriate, contributing to inter-agency / multi-agency team building and policy development where appropriate, e.g. education, social services and the voluntary sector.

4. To provide clinical placements for under graduate, post graduate and MSc Speech and Language Therapy students as required.

5. To undertake any other duties as required by the Head of Speech and Language Therapy, which may include a change in workplace.

ADMINISTRATION

1. To carry out administrative duties including activity data collection, updating this accurately and regularly, ensuring the provision of such information promptly within local Trust guidelines

2. To be responsible for the security, care and maintenance of equipment ensuring standards of infection control and safety are maintained including equipment loaned to clients

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

1. To participate in annual appraisal ensuring that the objectives set reflect the Service, School and organisational plans.

1. To attend specialist short courses and advanced training in order to maintain and develop skills and knowledge required of a specialist SLT working in this field and maintain up to date HPC and RCSLT registration

3. To contribute to team meetings and participate in in-service training as required.

Job description
Job responsibilities

Clinical

1. To demonstrate an ability to implement interventions and staff development at a whole school level including joint target setting and outcome monitoring.

2. To demonstrate specialist clinical expertise in the assessment, treatment and management of language and communication problems in young children and school aged children up to 11 years, providing appropriate specialist assessment and intervention and evaluating outcomes.

3. To demonstrate specialist knowledge in this clinical area underpinned by current evidence based practice and outcome measures

1. To make appropriate differential diagnoses and specialist clinical decisions on evidence from assessment of complex cases

1. To use / apply specialist knowledge to inform sound clinical judgements/decision making for case management, developing clear care plans based on best practice

1. To demonstrate an understanding of how to develop and differentiate and develop communication friendly schemes of work.

1. To work with the Camden Early Years Service and Camden Service for Young People to support effective transition of children into and out of this service provision.

1. To provide advice to others regarding the management and care of children with a wide range of SLCN, and ASD.

1. To work closely with children, carers and families, in order to agree plan of management.

1. To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible

1. To employ excellent communication skills.

1. To demonstrate skills in motivating children and /or carers to engage in the interventions, targets and outcomes.

1. To employ counselling skills with parents/carers of children on the caseload.

1. To maintain sensitivity at all times to the emotional needs of children in particular when imparting potentially distressing information regarding the nature of the children difficulties and implications of the same.

1. To demonstrate the ability to manage children with challenging behaviours including the application of appropriate management strategies as designated by the commissioning provisions.

1. To monitor and review the progress of children against the targets set and agreed, and to modify targets as appropriate.

1. To reflect on clinical practice both individually and with peers identifying strengths and needs and providing evidence of sound clinical judgements, based on research and evidence based practice.

1. To demonstrate knowledge of current policies and practice in education and incorporate these into the model of working as appropriate e.g. the local offer.

1. To manage and prioritise a specialist caseload under supervision, advising line manager on issues of service delivery including shortfall, service pressures etc

1. To contribute to multi-agency assessment procedures as required, including Educational, Health and Social Care Plans.

1. To demonstrate good negotiation skills across a range of issues and situations, recognising and resolving potential breakdown and conflict when it occurs

1. To ensure that children are referred on to other services as appropriate.

1. To contribute to Whittington Healths systems of clinical governance, developing innovations in areas of risk management, quality standards setting and clinical effectiveness in collaboration with others

1. To be accountable for professional action and recognising professional boundaries, and working within defined departmental and national protocols/policies and professional code of conduct

Liaison and Teamwork:

1. To contribute to the function of clinical teams both multi disciplinary and uni disciplinary by discussing own and others input around childrens needs ensuring a well co-ordinated care plan.

2. To liaise and share information with health, educational and other professionals as appropriate, observing data protection guidelines

3. To contribute to meetings, annual reviews, case conferences and multi-agency team meetings, as appropriate, contributing to inter-agency / multi-agency team building and policy development where appropriate, e.g. education, social services and the voluntary sector.

4. To provide clinical placements for under graduate, post graduate and MSc Speech and Language Therapy students as required.

5. To undertake any other duties as required by the Head of Speech and Language Therapy, which may include a change in workplace.

ADMINISTRATION

1. To carry out administrative duties including activity data collection, updating this accurately and regularly, ensuring the provision of such information promptly within local Trust guidelines

2. To be responsible for the security, care and maintenance of equipment ensuring standards of infection control and safety are maintained including equipment loaned to clients

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

1. To participate in annual appraisal ensuring that the objectives set reflect the Service, School and organisational plans.

1. To attend specialist short courses and advanced training in order to maintain and develop skills and knowledge required of a specialist SLT working in this field and maintain up to date HPC and RCSLT registration

3. To contribute to team meetings and participate in in-service training as required.

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential

• Postgraduate Diploma, BSc or MSc in Speech and Language Therapy
• HCPC licence to practise, and Registered member of RCSLT

Previous Experience

Essential

• Relevant to communication and specific speech and language disorders, post registration
• Of working at a specialist level with clients with a range of speech, language and communication needs of different ages

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Clinical skills and post graduate experience in the assessment and differential diagnosis of children in mainstream schools who present with a range of speech, language and communication difficulties
• Communicate complex, sensitive information
• Skills in delivering presentations and training, including basic adaptations to presentation / training style for a range of audiences

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Flexibility
• Ability to reflect on practice

Knowledge

Essential

• Of a specialist range of assessment tools and procedures to evaluate communication, speech & language skills relevant to communication and specific speech and language disorders
• Of the key characteristics leading to a specialist differential diagnosis between DLD/SCD/Autism etc

Person Specification
Education/Qualifications

Essential

• Postgraduate Diploma, BSc or MSc in Speech and Language Therapy
• HCPC licence to practise, and Registered member of RCSLT

Previous Experience

Essential

• Relevant to communication and specific speech and language disorders, post registration
• Of working at a specialist level with clients with a range of speech, language and communication needs of different ages

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Clinical skills and post graduate experience in the assessment and differential diagnosis of children in mainstream schools who present with a range of speech, language and communication difficulties
• Communicate complex, sensitive information
• Skills in delivering presentations and training, including basic adaptations to presentation / training style for a range of audiences

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Flexibility
• Ability to reflect on practice

Knowledge

Essential

• Of a specialist range of assessment tools and procedures to evaluate communication, speech & language skills relevant to communication and specific speech and language disorders
• Of the key characteristics leading to a specialist differential diagnosis between DLD/SCD/Autism etc

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 .

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. .
UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

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.
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 .

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. .
UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

Employer details

Employer name

Whittington Hospital NHS Trust
Address

5 Pancras Square

London

N1C 4AG

United Kingdom

Employer's website