Advanced Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Job overview

We are looking for an Advanced Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to work with children with learning difficulties and associated speech, language, communication, and swallowing needs.  The post holder will hold a caseload of children fitting this profile who may attend special schools, specialist resource provisions, and mainstream settings, and be part of a team doing similar.  The post also has a leadership role, to be a line manager for small number of therapist and assistants who work within the same sub-team, and to support the team leader with strategic needs.

The post-holder should have significant relevant experience of assessing and treating communication needs of children with  SEND who have cooccurring diagnoses, particularly children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.  It is also desirable if the post-holder has competencies in practice of paediatric dysphagia, and if not, willingness to do develop will be essential.

We are a supportive team and service overall, therefore clinical and leadership supervision will provided, and CPD opportunities are plentiful.  The post will require clinical location of Rugby/North area(s) of Warwickshire, with possible leadership of staff who are located in other areas of Warwickshire.  If you are seeking part time hours, applying is still encouraged and please make your availability known.

Main duties of the job

To independently assess and manage the speech language and communication/dysphagia needs of children who attend the named special school(s) you are lead Speech and Language Therapist for.

In conjunction with the team leader for speech and language therapy in special schools, lead and manage a school team serving the communication needs of special school children

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Responsibility for supporting the team lead in managing and coordinating the service.

Responsibility for providing supervision to other Speech and Language Therapists working in your school(s) and for the wider team

Liaising with other agencies and professionals working with special school children to provide effective and efficient coordinated support

Work with other special school leads and the team lead to develop the strategy for service improvement

Provision of training for other professionals and carers

CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

To use highly developed interpersonal skills to:

Facilitate communication so that the needs of the young person are central to the process

Play a pivotal role in ensuring effective joint working for young people with communication difficulties.

To prioritise own work and manage own complex workload efficiently and effectively

To assess and analyse the communication environments within schools and use clinical knowledge to provide appropriate advice and training to school staff.

To assess and analyse speech, language, and communication disorders in children with a range of needs who attend the special school using specialist knowledge to select appropriate formal and/or informal assessments, including standardised psychometric tests and skilled observations.

To use specialist knowledge to assess, analyse and diagnose dysphagia needs seeking supervision as determined by the clinician’s established dysphagia competency level.

To negotiate with parents/carers and education staff to agree appropriate management for students which may include any combination of the following:

Therapeutic intervention with children either individually or in groups

Groups run jointly with Teachers and Teaching Assistants (TA’s)

Programmes jointly planned and implemented with Teaching staff

Directing and supporting others in carrying out individual programmes (e.g. Parents, TA’s, Speech & Language Therapy Assistants (SALTA) where appropriate)

Providing advice on curriculum differentiation through liaison with Teachers

Providing advice on specific strategies to employ in the classroom

Advising referral to other professionals where indicated.

To recognise potential breakdown or conflict in the above process and use sensitivity and problem-solving skills to reach agreement.

To be flexible and responsive to students, who may be challenging or have complex difficulties, and motivate them to achieve positive communication outcomes.

To communicate complex and specialist information to others through face to face discussion, written reports (contributing to the Education, Health, and Care Plan process) and programmes, adapting communication style and content to the needs of the situation and the recipient.

To liaise with other professionals and teams in a consultative capacity in relation to the management of groups of students or individuals.

To attend or otherwise contribute to meetings involving families and other professional, e.g. case conferences.

To form productive and sensitive relationships with families, particularly where:

They may be in a state of emotional flux

Difficult or potentially unwelcome news needs to be given

There are potential barriers to communication.

SPECIALIST/SPECIFIC CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

To act as second opinion and advise other Speech & Language Therapists and other professionals about the communication needs of children with potential learning difficulties/medical diagnosis.

To apply a knowledge of the curriculum in assessment and advice

To negotiate with parents/carers and education staff to agree additional appropriate specialist management for the individual.

To have knowledge of and take account of a wide range of complex medical conditions and syndromes in order to manage a child’s co-occurring speech, language, communication and swallowing difficulties.

To assess the need for Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC).

To assess eating, drinking and swallowing skills and formulate a detailed individual management plan.

To negotiation with parents / carers and education staff to agree additional appropriate specialist management for the individual which may include any combination of the following:

Advising on ‘Total Communication’ strategies to support a ‘Total Communication Environment’

Supporting school staff to implement specific communication schemes, such as ‘Talkabout’

Advising on and implementing the use of appropriate electronic and paper-based AAC approaches including:

Makaton Signs and Symbols

PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System)

Intensive Interaction

TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autism and related      Communication Handicapped Children)

VOCA’s (Voice Output Communication Aids)

Symbol software

Standard and personalised Communication Books (utilising symbols and photos)

Objects of Reference and sensory cues

Compilation of communication passports

To be responsible on a day-to-day basis for VOCA’s and other communication aids used, including those loaned to classes and individual pupils.

To develop links with Speech and Language Therapists for Adults with Learning Disabilities and other professionals involved in the Transition of students from special schools to the adult service.

SCHOOL LEAD RESPONSIBILITIES

In conjunction with the team leader for the special schools team:

To provide effective clinical leadership, enabling the team to deliver the highest possible care standards, ensuring that evidence based practice is used. To act as an excellent role model and exercise good leadership

Participate in appraisal of staff in the named school(s)

Participate in the recruitment of new staff

Participate in induction of new staff

Participate in monitoring of sickness absence

Participate in audit and data collection to support service development

In conjunction with the team lead for special schools, work with other special school lead SLTs on the special school team’s objectives.

Act as the first line contact for queries, complaints and incidents in the named school(s).

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

To work with the Team Lead for special schools, the lead for Paediatric Dysphagia, and therapists in the wider team to achieve seamless and co-ordinated service provision, to design and provide training packages, and to develop and undertake project work.

To motivate staff in the special school team to support safe and effective care

To work with other SLTs and Team Leads to continually review service goals, and plan and deliver improvement

To consult with highly specialist SLT’s in Dysphagia, Autistic Spectrum Disorders, AAC and Dysfluency etc., as appropriate and to jointly manage individual cases.

To work collaboratively with a range of multi-disciplinary and multi-agency professionals to provide high quality SLT services for special school children.

Within the Trust

GP’s

Consultants

Clinical Psychologists

Physiotherapists

Occupational Therapists

Dietitians

School Health Adviser

Community Children’s Nurses

Community Learning Disability Team

Wheelchair services

External

Education professionals:

Head Teachers and Deputy Head Teachers

Teachers

Teaching Assistants, Mentors, Welfare Assistants and mid-day supervisors

Specialist Teachers

Educational Psychologist

LEA officers

School Cook and catering staff

Social services, including respite care staff

Access to Communication Technology

Connexions

Specialist SLT advisers from other districts

Independent Speech & Language Therapists

Parents and Carers

SERVICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH

To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the team, children’s services and department’s operational policies, including caseload prioritisation systems and care pathways

To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice

To provide statistical information on own workload, including activity and clinical effectiveness measures

To participate in clinical governance and audit activities in the team, the wider Speech & Language Therapy service and within multi-disciplinary teams

To participate in research/Fieldwork in the team, wider Speech & Language Therapy service and within multi-disciplinary teams if required, under the supervision of a lead researcher

To participate in developing innovations in clinical intervention and quality standards setting in this specialist area

To participate in the development of relevant policies

To monitor service delivery needs and collaborate with the Team Lead and head of service in implementing these.

TEACHING/TRAINING/SUPPORT

To contribute to the department’s development and provision of training packages and information materials for parents, education staff and other professionals

To develop training packages and information materials specific to communication in schools

To train school staff in communication approaches for children with a range of communication needs

To provide ‘dysphagia awareness’ training to school staff

To provide training in communication and Speech & Language development, to a range of other professional organisations in both public and voluntary sectors

To provide professional and clinical teaching for SLT students

To support junior colleagues, undergraduate Speech & Language Therapy students and assistants as part of their training, professional development and emotional support

To promote the role of SLT’s and the importance of communication to visitors, students and volunteers

To support the training of other professionals’ groups as appropriate

PROFESSIONAL

To maintain clinical and non-clinical standards, and to work within the policy frameworks laid down by various government and professional bodies e.g. NHS, SWFT, SLT Department, Health Professionals Council (HPCP), Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists (RCSLT), and relevant government policies, such as the National Service Framework