Specialist Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist in Tadworth

Specialist Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist

Band 6

Main area: Speech and Language Therapist, Grade Band 6. Contract: Permanent. Hours: Part time; Term time hours; 30 hours per week. Job ref: 343-7845843-AG-D. Site: Perseid School, Morden. Salary: £45,953 - £54,254 (Term time).

Job overview

The post holder will provide a highly specialist speech and language therapy service for children and young people with severe and complex learning difficulties in Perseid special schools, in accordance with the Service Level Agreement for Sutton Health and Care Alliance. They will contribute to the development of the special schools speech and language therapy service. They will plan and provide highly specialist speech and language therapy assessment, advice and treatment to a defined caseload of children and young people with severe and complex needs. They will work in partnership with the children and young people, their families and with other professions and agencies, including school staff and the wider health team, to reduce the impact of these difficulties on the children\'s and young people\'s social and emotional development, their learning and their ability to participate in daily life. They will work autonomously and without direct supervision and be accountable for their own actions.

Main duties of the job

General Duties

• Be responsible for a clinical caseload of children and young people attending Perseid special schools as identified by the service specification, managing a defined caseload independently and prioritising own workload to ensure effective service provision
• Manage the needs of children and young people presenting with eating and drinking difficulties, including assessment, diagnosis and treatment as appropriate
• Provide support and training to families and school staff to enable eating and drinking programmes to be implemented as part of clients’ therapy packages
• To assess, diagnose, treat and manage a defined caseload of Early years children with complex communication needs within the school including the use of AAC devices where identified
• Provide training to enable speech and language communication programmes to be implemented as part of the client’s therapy package
• Be involved in planning the development of the speech and language service in liaison with the school management team, Therapy lead, and Service Manager for Children’s Specialist Nursing and Therapies
• Act as a resource to the SHC Alliance speech and language service and other agencies.

Working for our organisation

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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached supporting job description and person specification for more information where applicable. Shortlisting will be based on these criteria.

Person specification

Education/Qualification

• Degree/Diploma in Speech and Language Therapy
• Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council
• Postgraduate dysphagia training at foundation level and working towards Proficient level
• Evidence of attendance at short courses to develop specialist skills
• Evidence of additional training in use of high tech AAC
• Registration with the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

Experience

• Specialist knowledge/experience in paediatric SLT including dysphagia, communication for under 5 and high tech AAC
• Experience of working with children and young people with eating and drinking difficulties, complex needs and those requiring an AAC approach
• Knowledge/experience in the use of evidence based assessment and treatment approaches and practices; evidence of effective multi-agency work
• Evidence of use of prioritisation, clinical risk assessments and outcome measures
• Experience in setting up new projects/initiatives

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

• Good knowledge of AAC devices appropriate for this population
• Specialist knowledge and understanding of dysphagia to enable appropriate clinical decision making and management of risk
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills including observation, listening and empathy
• Good organisation/time management skills

Other Relevant Requirements

• Ability to work autonomously
• Ability to work as a team member and promote collaborative multidisciplinary and multiagency approach
• Evidence of own self development through appraisal, CPD and portfolio
• Ability to support and develop other team members
• Membership of relevant specialist groups

Your recruitment team
The NHS South West London Recruitment Hub is your dedicated recruitment team; for queries please contact us: E: krft.askrecruitment@nhs.net

Your application
Please ensure your supporting statement clearly reflects the job description and person specification; shortlisting will be based on these criteria.

Please refer to the latest UKVI guidance and ensure you have the appropriate right to work before applying for this role.

Use of Artificial Intelligence
We kindly ask that you avoid using AI tools to draft your application. We value authentic, individual responses that reflect your own experience and communication style.

References
Please provide a minimum of 3 years’ employment and/or education history, including professional email addresses (not personal accounts such as Hotmail or Gmail). If you cannot provide these, please inform the interview panel to avoid delays in pre-employment checks.

Closing date
Some vacancies may close early once we have reached the maximum number of applications.

Shortlisting
If shortlisted, you will be contacted by email or SMS from the South West London Recruitment Hub. Please check your TRAC email regularly.

Safeguarding and DBS Checks
We are committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. For roles with direct access to these groups, an Enhanced DBS check will be required. All staff are expected to uphold safeguarding responsibilities.