Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to make a positive impact within The Inclusion Bases within the London Borough of Islington. This newly created post will support a caseload of Primary Aged Children with complex learning needs, the majority of whom have a diagnosis of Autism.

The post holder is an autonomous practitioner and is responsible for organising and managing a defined caseload of children and young people (CYP). They are responsible for delivering a comprehensive and highly specialist service to CYP who have special and complex needs that may include autism, down’s syndrome, complex learning difficulties and social and emotional behaviour difficulties. Some of these CYP will require support around developing access to AAC systems.

Intervention includes assessment, differential diagnosis and therapy for individual children or groups of children and working with the MDT to provide support to parents and professionals. The post holder will devise and provide individualised care plans that are evaluated via outcome measures. They will employ specialist communication strategies used with the client group as appropriate.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will take a lead on a clinical speciality within the team. They will provide clinical supervision and support to less experienced colleagues both within the team and the wider service; this will include the provision of second opinions and advice / support around AAC.

They will represent the Speech and Language Therapy Service at multi-disciplinary / multi-agency meetings as necessary.

The post holder will have excellent communication skills and the ability to empathise in order to support and counsel parents to accept the implications of their child’s special needs. They will be able to communicate complex information effectively taking into account the barriers to communication presented by the diverse caseload. They will be skilled in working in and liaising within a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency environment. The clinician’s level of high level of expertise in the field will ensure that they can reassure and instil confidence in clients, carers and other professionals. They will demonstrate good negotiation skills in working with other team members, parents/carers or other professionals. They will contribute to policy development and the development of clinical protocols.

The post holder will be involved in developing and delivering training for school staff and parents. They will provide clinical education for more junior staff in within IANDS.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

CLINICAL

• To demonstrate highly specialist clinical expertise in the assessment, treatment and management of, language and communication problems in children and young people providing appropriate specialist intervention and evaluating outcomes.
• Where the post holder is dysphagia qualified: to demonstrate highly specialist clinical expertise in the assessment, treatment and management of children with eating, drinking & swallowing disorders, within the remit of own clinical competencies.
• To demonstrate highly specialist knowledge in these clinical areas underpinned by current evidence-based practice and outcome measures.
• To take a clinical lead in this specialised area for the paediatric special and complex needs service area.
• To demonstrate highly developed auditory and perceptual skills in the assessment diagnosis and treatment of patients/clients.
• To make appropriate diagnoses and highly specialist clinical decisions on evidence from assessment of complex cases, including differential diagnoses.
• To demonstrate specialist expertise in managing children with the highly complex special needs who present with one or more of the following: learning difficulties, mental health problems, autism, sensory needs and behaviour that challenges.
• To use / apply specialist knowledge to inform sound clinical judgements / decision making for case management, developing clear care plans based on best practice.
• To demonstrate clinical effectiveness reflecting on evidence-based practice and outcome measures.
• To provide advice to others regarding the management and care of children with communication difficulties.
• To communicate complex condition related information from assessment to carers, families and members of the multi-disciplinary team/other professions, demonstrating empathy and ensuring that effective communication is achieved, particularly where barriers to understanding exist.
• To work closely with clients, carers and families, in order to agree plan of management.
• To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible
• To form productive relationships with others who may be under stress and/or have challenging communication difficulties.
• To demonstrate excellent communication skills.
• To demonstrate skills in motivating clients and /or carers to engage in the therapeutic process.
• To employ counselling skills with children, carers/families with highly complex needs.
• To maintain sensitivity at all times to the emotional needs of children with special and complex needs and their carers, in particular when imparting potentially distressing information regarding the nature of the client’s difficulties and implications of the same.
• To demonstrate the ability to manage children with challenging behaviours including the application of appropriate management strategies.
• To monitor and review the progress of children and young people against the targets set and agreed, and to modify targets as appropriate.
• To adapt practice to meet individual patient/client circumstances.
• To reflect on clinical practice both individually and with peers identifying strengths and needs and providing evidence of sound clinical judgements, based on research and evidence-based practice.
• To develop the ability to reflect on auditory, visual and kinaesthetic aspects of client’s communication and to identify appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance communicative effectiveness.
• To be aware of legal requirements relating to the provision of a speech and language therapy service.
• To maintain up to date and accurate case notes and write reports reflecting highly specialist knowledge, ensuring that they meet departmental standards and are in line with local Trust Policy, and RCSLT professional standards.
• To demonstrate knowledge of current policies and practice in education and incorporate these into the model of working as appropriate.
• To manage and prioritise a complex and specialist caseload independently, advising line manager on issues of service delivery including shortfall, service pressures etc.
• To demonstrate skills in dealing with complex issues to generate appropriate strategies for caseload management.
• To contribute to multi-agency assessment procedures as required, including statutory educational assessment.
• To demonstrate good negotiation skills across a range of issues and situations, recognising and resolving potential breakdown and conflict when it occurs.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.