Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

This role has a competitive starting salary of £39,325 per annum based on 36 hours per week across 42 weeks a year (equivalent Band 6 NHS post) pro-rata to £42,446 full-time equivalent.

Are you an enthusiastic, qualified Therapist with over 2 years' experience looking to develop your skills in working with school aged children?

We can offer great opportunities to join our skilled, supportive and solution-focused team where you will develop the speech, language and communication skills of children with a range of clinical diagnosis. We are an expanding service with exciting career opportunities where posts can be mixed based on interests, including mainstream schools and colleges, specialist schools as well as developing a specialism in deafness or dysphagia.

We have posts available across Surrey.

Rewards and Benefits

• 42-week contract, term-time and an additional, flexible 15 days for CPD, project work and supervision activities as well as 10 weeks holiday in non-term time
• A team of students, therapists and assistants led by a Therapies Manager who is an SLT
• Comprehensive clinical supervision programme including a buddy, 1:1 extensive in house and external training programme, clinical effectiveness groups, case study groups, enhanced probation support, termly whole-team study days, encouragement to join and attend CEN's relating to practice
• Opportunities to develop management skills. Training and support is provided
• Paid RCSLT membership and HCPC fees
• Extensive Employee Assistance Programme to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependants leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year

About the Team

We aim to deliver the right support at the right time, through assessment and intervention; equipping families and professionals with the skills and resources to work together to support children with SLCN. We offer universal, targeted and specialist support for children, families, and the school workforce; working with young people with EHCPs and those at SEN support following Surrey's Graduated Response. We also have a specialist dysphagia service and specialist deaf service.

The Specialist Service for deaf children

A team of Specialist SLTs provide an innovative service for school-aged deaf children and young people in mainstream schools and 5 Specialist Resource Bases. The team is also commissioned to support preschool deaf children who meet criteria. We have locally defined specialist competencies in relation to deafness with in-house clinical supervision, team meetings and shadowing to share knowledge and expertise of working in this field. Team members are encouraged to be part of service wide initiatives and to contribute to ongoing research and publications. Recent examples include:

• The multi-disciplinary development of Surrey's BSL offer; contributing to a BATOD article reflecting on the training of Deaf Co-workers in Dot Deaf Therapy
• Implementation of training for mainstream Link SLTs and newly qualified TODs
• Instigating approaches to capture Pupil Voice and providing support for Surrey's new Preschool Group for deaf children

About the Role

Your main duties in the role will include:

• Clinical decision making in conjunction with school/college staff around the level of support needed to achieve the best possible outcomes
• Working with assistants, setting targets for the children and young people they are supporting, and monitoring of the delivery and outcomes of their work
• Assessment, advice and intervention for children with a range of speech, language and communication needs
• Supporting junior members of the team, line managing others and taking on students

You will work in partnership with other colleagues to ensure a holistic and child centred approach to identifying and meeting children and young people's needs. Some examples are:

• Working in the community in close partnership with Advisory Teachers of the Deaf and the wider Physical and Sensory Support team to deliver a service to preschool deaf children and their families in their homes and in nursery settings
• Working with occupational therapists in our feeding pathways and MDT working in Specialist schools
• Joint assessments with educational psychologists
• Supporting the development and delivery of the annual service plan linked to the organisational aims and strategies

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

• SLT degree and a minimum of 2 years' experience working as an SLT (slightly less with signed off completion of NQP competencies)
• Registration with the HCPC and RCSLT, and permission to work in the UK
• An understanding of the English education system including the National Curriculum and SEND code of practice
• Experience of leading and supporting others including newly qualified therapists, assistants, students etc
• Experience of a range of evidence-based interventions
• For consideration for working in our specialist deaf service you will need experience of working with deaf children and a keen interest in extending your clinical expertise in this field
• For consideration for working in our specialist dysphagia service you will need experience of working with children with eating and swallowing disorders and a keen interest in extending your clinical expertise in this field
• For consideration for working in our school based/college service with children needing support with speech, language and communication within a range of diagnoses you will need experience of working within school/college environments and age groups and a keen interest in extending their clinical expertise in this field

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 01.05.2024 with interviews planned for the following week.