Job overview
Children’s Speech and Language Manager – Eating/Drinking Lead
Are you passionate about shaping outstanding services for children and young people with complex needs? Do you want the opportunity to combine specialist clinical expertise with service leadership and innovation? If so, this could be the perfect next step in your career.
We are seeking an experienced and motivated Speech and Language Therapist to take on a newly established leadership role as our Eating, Drinking and Complex Needs Lead. This is a unique opportunity to influence the future direction of specialist service provision, developing and embedding pathways that support excellent outcomes for children and families. As a brand-new post, you will have the freedom to help design, develop and shape this specialist area of practice.
Our Children's Speech and Language Therapy Service is a close-knit, welcoming team of skilled clinicians providing health-funded support to children and young people across home, clinic and community environments. We pride ourselves on delivering high-quality, family-centred care and fostering a culture that values collaboration, professional curiosity and clinical excellence.
The post is based within our purpose-built Child Development Centre, where you will work alongside an experienced multidisciplinary team committed to improving outcomes for children and families. The location offers excellent transport links and easy access to both Surrey and central London.
INTERVIEW DATE TBC
Main duties of the job
Croydon’s Children’s Speech and language Therapy team has two Band 8A Management posts. Each post leads on different areas of clinical specialism with joint responsibility for the overall management of the SLT service.
- You will take overall responsibility to developing the service provision in the following clinical specialisms: Eating and Drinking, Complex Needs and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) service.
- You will be jointly responsible for the day to day running of the Children's speech and language Therapy team alongside the SLT Therapy Manager responsible for the Early Years, Stammering & Deaf Service.
- You will be responsible for jointly delivering the teams KPIs and performance targets with support from the Head of Children’s Therapies.
- You will provide clinical support, supervision and line management of the speech and language therapy team in your designated areas of specialism
- You will be responsible for ensuring high quality, evidence-based therapy pathways are in place with appropriate outcome measures in your designated areas of specialism.
- You will be jointly responsible for ensuring that clinical audit, staff development and quality improvement becomes truly embedded within the service and part of daily clinical practice.
- You will provide high quality assessment and treatment to CYP within a defined clinical caseload.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
***PLEASE SEE JOB DESCRIPTION AND PERSON SPECIFICATION FOR FURTHER DETAILS REGARDING THIS POST*********
Person specification
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of a range of evidence-based intervention approaches and outcome measures with a paediatric caseload
- Knowledge of frameworks for delivering speech and language therapy training to others
- A good understanding of the current evidence-based intervention within children's SLT and best practice outcome measures
- In-depth knowledge of national policies, legislation and procedures in relation to children, young people and families
- A good understanding of clinical governance and measuring effectiveness
- A good understanding of Complex Needs assessment tools for babies and children
- A good understanding of bilingualism and multicultural issues
- Knowledge of AAC systems and assessment tools
Desirable
- Knowledge of change management theory
Experience & Skills
Essential
- Experience of managing a paediatric caseload to a clinically competent standard
- Significant, relevant post-qualification experience of managing children with dysphagia needs
- Significant, relevant post-qualification experience of assessing and treatment of children with complex special needs and AAC needs
- Working with parents/carers/teachers in different settings and using a range of approaches
- Multi-disciplinary working and skill-sharing
- Autonomously managing a caseload
- Experience of clinical supervision and appraisals
- Experience of high-quality service development initiatives and clinical audits
- Excellent interpersonal skills, including observation, listening and empathy skills
- Excellent time and workload management skills
- Excellent presentation skills, both written and verbal
- Excellence leadership and team player skills
- Ability to be assertive, adaptable and use initiative
- Ability to successfully manage change
- Able to work on team core day
Desirable
- Experience of developing clinical pathways and protocols
- Managing staff, including performance management and change management
- Broad clinical experience in paediatric settings
- Experience of Interagency working
Education & qualifications
Essential
- Recognised Speech and Language Therapy qualification
- Master’s or equivalent level of training or relevant work experience
- HCPC SLT Registration
- Postgraduate training to support infants with eating and drinking difficulties under the age of one
- Evidence of successful completion of specialist SLT short courses
Desirable
- Training in word processing, databases and computer presentation packages
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Children’s Speech and Language Manager – Eating/Drinking Lead with Croydon Health Services NHS Trust in Thornton Heath, London, England. It is listed as a Band 8 Manager and corporate role. The advertised salary is £63,665 - £70,887 .. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 28 Jul 2026.
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