Speech & Language Therapist in Chichester

The Children's Speech and Language Therapy service has a vacancy at Band 5 for a therapist seeking their first post, or an opportunity to extend their experience and skills further at this level. We can offer a 4 day 30 hours per week part time position (although there might be flexibility to make this full time or a minimum of 22.5 hours per week) based from our team hubs in Chichester and covering the areas to the south and west of West Sussex. Our current vacancy offers the opportunity to gain a broad range of experience in Early Years Community Clinics and Mainstream Schools. This is an ideal post to help you transition from student to therapist and develop a wide range of therapeutic skills to carry forward into your career. During your preceptorship year, clinical time will be reduced to allow a regular session for B5 development activities.

Please note: Due to recent changes in UK immigration and visa rules, this role may not be eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants who do not currently have the right to work in the UK may not be considered. Candidates requiring sponsorship should review the eligibility criteria on the gov.uk website before applying to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship for this role.

Main duties of the job

• Assess children's speech language and communication needs (SLCN) and the functional impact of these.
• Advise families and settings on how they can help reduce this impact and facilitate communication skills.
• Provide individual or group therapy, demonstrating to parents/carers and setting staff how they can use strategies and techniques.
• Train parents/carers and setting staff so that they are empowered to identify and manage their child's communication needs.
• Write Reports and Intervention Plans, sharing information and setting targets with parents/carers and setting staff.
• Measure the success of your actions and report your outcomes.
• Maintain your clinical and professional development to be the best therapist you can be and progress in your career.
• Be part of clinical networks to ensure practice is evidence based and current.

About us

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays. Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?

• Positive 2023 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing.
• Varied environments: community hospitals, patients' homes, and bases across Sussex.
• Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retirement.
• Excellent training, development, and research opportunities.
• Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton.
• Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief network.
• Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust.
• Beautiful Sussex location near the South Downs and coast.

Our values--Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence--guide everything we do. We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment. This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.

Job responsibilities

• To assess and provide therapeutic input to children and young people with communication and/or eating and drinking difficulties.
• To manage a caseload independently and to manage service priorities and client needs.
• To assist in the organisation of caseloads within the scope of the post with support from other speech and language therapists and/or relevant Clinical Lead, advising SLT Operational Team Lead of shortfalls and difficulties as they arise.
• Manage clinical risk within own caseload, and generate strategies for caseload management.
• Adapt practice to meet the individual circumstances, having regard to cultural and linguistic differences.
• Ensure that the child/young person and parent/carers are involved in planning and decision making relevant to therapy intervention.
• To provide accurate and timely statistics as required by Speech and Language Therapy and Sussex Community Foundation Trust.
• To provide all clinical practice in line with HCPC Standards of Proficiency and RCSLT clinical guidelines, ratified local policies and with due regard to evidence based practice.
• Any other duties in line with the band and scope of the post.

Person Specification

• Qualifications: Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree, HCPC registration applied for, RCSLT membership.
• Experience: Ability to communicate well with people with communication difficulties, relevant experience at undergraduate/post graduate level, experience of using assessment tools relevant to client group.
• Skills and Knowledge: Knowledge of a range of appropriate therapeutic interventions relevant to children with speech/language and communication difficulties, experience of evaluating research material to identify efficacy of therapeutic methods, demonstrates good analytical and reflection skills, good presentation skills, both written and verbal, good organisational skills.
• Other requirements: Car owner/driver or suitable alternative, 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.

£31,049 to £37,796 a year per annum / pro rata.