# Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist - Best Start in Life > NHS job listing from Job Clerk for Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust. ## Canonical URLs - **HTML:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/highly-specialist-speech-and-language-therapist-best-start-in-life/4e7efaa4-b2b7-4a4b-9d75-090f1c1d1b23 - **Markdown:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/highly-specialist-speech-and-language-therapist-best-start-in-life/4e7efaa4-b2b7-4a4b-9d75-090f1c1d1b23.md ## Summary - **Status:** Live - **Employer:** Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust - **Town:** London - **Region:** London - **Country:** England - **Profession:** Speech and Language Therapist - **Grade:** Band 7 - **Salary:** £55,524 - £62,652 Pro rata per annum incl. HCAS - **Contract type:** 12 months (Fixed Term) - **Employment type:** Part time, Flexible working, 0.4 sessions per week (Flexibility can be discussed on application) - **Closing date:** 2026-07-27T23:59:00.000Z - **Posted:** 2026-07-13T11:43:00.337Z - **Source information URL:** https://www.healthjobsuk.com/job/UK/London/London/Central_North_West_London_NHS_Foundation_Trust/Speech_Language_Therapy/Speech_Language_Therapy-v8118683 - **Application URL:** https://apps.trac.jobs/job-advert/8118683?ShowJobAdvert=&feedid=9002 - **Employer website:** https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk ## Job Content ### Job overview Thanks to new investment from Harrow Local Authority, we’re launching an exciting new Early Years Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) initiative as part of the Best Start in Life programme We are looking for an experienced and motivated Band 7 Speech and Language Therapist to lead an innovative pilot strengthen early identification and support for speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) in nursery aged children. Key Responsibilities - Lead the delivery of universal SLCN screening across participating nurseries - Analyse screening outcomes and contribute to evaluation reports - Train nursery staff to coach parents to develop language rich interactions and facilitate short, practical parent–child interaction sessions - Work collaboratively with early years partners, Family Hubs, and BSIL leads - Support the development of sustainable, long-term practice change in settings. We are looking for a clinician who is: - Experienced in Early Years and confident working with nursery-aged children - Skilled in coaching, modelling and workforce development - Passionate about early intervention and reducing inequalities - Able to build strong relationships with families and early years staff - Confident working independently and managing a small project workload Whether you’re an experienced therapist or someone keen to develop expertise in this area, we would love to hear from you. ### Main duties of the job - Lead the delivery of a highly specialist Speech and Language Therapy service within Best Start in Life, ensuring early identification of SLCN across participating early years settings. - Conduct universal SLCN screening for children in the eight pilot settings, analyse results, and identify children requiring targeted or specialist intervention. - Design, plan and deliver high‑quality, highly specialist training for early years practitioners and staff, embedding coaching approaches and supporting settings to create communication‑rich environments, with a focus on early identification, responsive interaction strategies and communication‑supportive practice across all aspects of speech, language and communication. - Lead the implementation of coaching approaches, enabling nursery staff to confidently support parents/carers in embedding communication‑rich routines - Lead on the collection, analysis and interpretation of screening data, staff questionnaires and parent/carer feedback at baseline and 6‑month review points. - Contribute to the alignment of the project with wider strategies, including Harrow’s SEND Strategy, Families First and national SEND reforms. - Promote a culture of early identification and prevention, reducing escalation to specialist pathways. - Produce high‑quality reports on outcomes, impact and learning, informing strategic planning and future commissioning. - Ensure all recommendations and service developments are grounded in evidence, data and best practice. ### Detailed job description and main responsibilities Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification on this advert for further info. MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES - To work collaboratively with the EY staff and parents to support children/young people (CYP) with SLCN t improve early communication outcomes for CYP. - To share information with others, observing confidentiality and data protection guidelines and governance, having due regard for local guidance on sharing information with colleagues in education, social care and voluntary sector. - To communicate highly complex patient related information effectively to ensure collaborative working with multidisciplinary team members across health, education and social care and the voluntary sector. This includes CYP specific information as well as training packages to other professionals around the management of speech, language and communication. - To have due regard for the cultural and linguistic differences of children/families concerned. - To work closely with CYP, carers and families, involving them in decision making regarding intervention approaches demonstrating and ensuring that effective communication is achieved, particularly where barriers to understanding exist (i.e. hearing loss, communication difficulties, bilingualism, learning difficulties and other differences). - To employ excellent communication skills such as persuasion, motivation and explanations to encourage/reassure clients and carers to undertake treatment programmes. - To demonstrate established negotiation skills in the management of conflict across a range of situations - To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible and report to senior staff. - To form productive relationships with others in particular parents/carers who may be under stress and/or have challenging communication difficulties. - To write clinical reports as per departmental standards reflecting highly specialist knowledge - Produce high‑quality reports on outcomes, impact and learning, informing strategic planning and future commissioning. ## Person Specification ### Experience **Essential** - Extensive post-qualification experience working with preschool CYP - Experience supporting early identification of SLCN in universal or targeted early years settings. - Experience delivering training, coaching or workshops to early years practitioners or parents. - Experience working collaboratively within multiagency early years systems (e.g., Health Visiting, Family Hubs, Early Help, SEND). - Assessment, treatment and management of CYP with speech, language and communication difficulties - Experience of clinical supervision of staff and students - Experience in interagency working - Experience working autonomously and managing a complex workload. **Desirable** - Experience implementing universal SLCN initiatives (e.g., communication rich environments, training workshops screening tools) - Experience working within Family Hubs, children’s centres or local authority early years teams ### Skills and knowledge **Essential** - Strong understanding of typical early language development and early indicators of SLCN. - Knowledge of universal, targeted and specialist early years pathways. - Skilled in using assessment tools relevant to preschool children. - Knowledge of evidence based early years interventions and communication‑supportive practice. - Understanding of the roles of early years practitioners, Health Visitors, SEND teams and other partners. - Excellent interpersonal, coaching and communication skills. - Ability to analyse data, reflect on practice and adapt approaches. - Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise in a dynamic environment. - Understanding of clinical governance and service quality frameworks. - Evidence of team working - Sound knowledge of the safeguarding responsibilities for the role **Desirable** - Ability to interpret local and national early years policy and support service development accordingly. - Knowledge of public health approaches to early language development. ### Education and Qualifications **Essential** - Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent - Registered Member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists - Health Professions Council registration - Evidence of post graduate short courses in parent coaching/adult child interaction, early language development and training the trainer - Further training courses relevant to the post **Desirable** - Membership of relevant CEN - Evidence of advanced training in clinical specialist area ## Documents - [cnwl values (pdf, 182.9kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=1162) - [cnwl staff charter (pdf, 684.7kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=2868) - [cnwl staff networks (pdf, 320.0kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=1160) - [cnwl reward and wellbeing handbook 2020 (pdf, 1.1mb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=1773) - [cnwl culture scarf behaviour framework (pdf, 710.2kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=2869) - [accommodation information for new starters (pdf, 120.6kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?ddoc=2438) - [ps band 7 highly specialist slt -best start in life (pdf, 198.8kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10439010) - [jd band 7 highly specialist slt - best start in life (pdf, 384.6kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10439009) ## Agent Notes - This Markdown page is generated from the same Job Clerk job record as the HTML job detail page. - 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