Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

Job overview

Are you a newly qualified or experienced speech and language therapist with a passion and drive to develop work around early intervention for children with speech language and communication difficulties and their families? The Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy Service have an exciting vacancy for a Speech and Language Therapist/ Specialist Speech and Language Therapist in Central Bedfordshire. This post will be offered as band 5 or band 6 dependant on experience until 31st March 2026.

The post holder will support families to access early advice for SLCN and work in partnership with both Health and Education colleagues to enhance the provision and knowledge for early identification of SLCN including delivery of training. Candidates should be skilled in working compassionately and effectively with families.

As a Service we provide:

Full Trust and service induction.

Formal and informal training for the role, including shadowing opportunities.

Regular clinical supervision and a mentoring system.

Excellent Continued Professional Development opportunities including in house training and external courses.

Reflective clinical forums and buddying systems.

Regular whole service and locality team meetings.

'If we receive a high number of applications we reserve the right to close this vacancy at any point after 24.04.2025'

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work with the Early Communication Support Team within the field of preventative practice and early identification.

They will support the delivery of SLT into Children’s Centres and will have day to day responsibility for promoting universal and targeted speech and language activities across Central Bedfordshire.

They will hold a caseload of pre-school children and their families providing support in community settings/groups and home visits.

They will be involved in the promotion of early years workforce development and in data collection around the impact of early identification and intervention of SLCN.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To manage and prioritise a defined caseload and work with an appropriate degree of autonomy and independence, with regular support/supervision, with children in designated Children’s Centre’s in Central Bedfordshire.

To provide early advice, assessment and support for children within the SLT service pre school pathway, including virtual assessment and advice sessions.

To promote early identification and appropriate treatment, of children with speech and language difficulties.

To work in partnership with health and education colleagues to deliver an integrated support pathway for children in Central Bedfordshire

To deliver training to enhance the skills of the wider workforce around Speech, Language and Communication

To identify training needs, to develop packages/workshops around SLCN to deliver the training independently.

To identify, assess and diagnose and treat communication impairments and select appropriate patients and type of therapy for effective treatment

To develop clinical skills and professional knowledge through experience, training and supervision.

Independently take students on placements for clinical teaching and supervision, including exam placement.

Be responsible for the supervision of SLT unqualified staff and volunteers.