Speech and Language Therapist Band 5

Job overview

If you’re passionate about shaping children’s communication in schools and thrive in a dynamic environment, we have the perfect opportunity for you!

Join us in Islington as a Band 5 Mainstream Schools Speech and Language Therapist and help transform the educational experience for children with speech, language, and communication needs.

What you can expect:

• Supportive Caseloads: Manageable caseload with dedicated time for clinical and non-clinical duties, especially in your first year.
• Collaborative Environment: Work alongside a skilled multidisciplinary team, including school staff, outreach staff,  Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists.
• Development Opportunities: Ongoing clinical supervision and the chance to build skills and learn from highly experienced and talented therapists across primary and secondary schools.

Are you ready for a strong start to your career while making a difference in schools? We’d love for you to join us!

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be responsible for delivering a comprehensive service to children and young people attending mainstream schools, including assessment, diagnosis and intervention for individual children and young people as well as providing a support service to schools themselves. The post holder is an autonomous practitioner and is responsible for organising and managing their own caseload in up to 6 mainstream schools (primary and potentially secondary), working from a central base. They will work with children and young people with a wide range of speech, language and communication needs including Developmental Language Disorders, Selective Mutism, Speech difficulties and children with language disorders in association with conditions such as Autistic Spectrum Condition, Down's Syndrome and ADHD.

Find out what it is like to work in our friendly, supportive teams which span hospital and community settings across vibrant and diverse North Central London first hand, visit http://www.whittington.nhs.uk/CYPrecruitment (you may have to copy and paste this link into your browser) to hear from some of our current staff about why they chose to join and stay at Whittington Health.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To demonstrate basic clinical expertise in the assessment, treatment and management of language and communication difficulties in school aged children providing appropriate intervention and evaluating outcomes

To demonstrate clinical effectiveness drawing on evidence based practice and outcome measures

To demonstrate highly developed auditory and perceptual skills in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients/clients

To make basic differential diagnoses and clinical decisions based on evidence from assessment, seeking support and advice from a supervisor as appropriate

To develop knowledge and skills in a range of language and communication difficulties in school aged children with training, support and supervision from clinical supervisor as appropriate.

To develop clear care plans based on best practice

To provide advice to others regarding the management and care of children with language and communication difficulties

To communicate complex condition related information from assessment to clients, 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 plans 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 employ excellent communication skills

To develop skills in motivating clients and /or carers to engage in the therapeutic process

To maintain sensitivity at all times to the emotional needs of clients and their carers in particular when imparting potentially distressing information regarding the nature of the client’s difficulties and implications of the same

To develop the ability to manage children with challenging behaviours employing appropriate management strategies

To monitor and review the progress of clients against the targets set and agreed, seeking support from clinical supervisor as appropriate.

To demonstrate the ability to reflect on practice with peers/clinical supervisor 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 specialist speech and language therapy service, seeking support and advice as appropriate.

To maintain up to date and accurate case notes and write reports that meet departmental standards and are in line with local trust policy, and RCSLT professional standards, with support as appropriate

To develop an awareness of current policies and practice in education

To manage and prioritise a defined caseload and workload independently

To contribute to multi-agency assessments, including the statutory educational assessment procedure, as required, seeking support and supervision as required

To negotiate with carers, clients and others around individual case management

To develop negotiation skills in the management of conflict across a range of situations, recognising potential breakdown and conflict when it occurs, seeking advice and support to resolve

To ensure that clients are referred to other services as appropriate, in consultation with manager or supervisor

To develop a working knowledge of the principles of Clinical Governance and their application to professional practice. This will include compliance with / adherence to service and team plans and policies, National and Local Guidelines and RCSLT Professional and Clinical guidelines.

To develop a working knowledge of relevant procedures including: Safeguarding Children, SEN procedures, Working with Vulnerable Adults and other legal frameworks.

To be accountable for own professional action, recognising professional boundaries and working within defined departmental and national protocols/policies and professional code of conduct, seeking advice as appropriate

To work independently accessing appraisal within an Individual Performance Framework at pre-determined intervals