Speech and Language Therapist- Education Lead

Job overview

We are delighted to be able to offer this fixed term  Band 7 opportunity within our Children and Young Peoples (CYP) Therapies service which has become available due to internal promotion.

Are you looking to extend your leadership skills, as well as continuing to develop your specialist clinical skills? If so, this opportunity could be just right for you. Our Education Lead roles offer the best support for children/young people with SLCN in mainstream education settings and to support the Hertfordshire Professional Promise.

We are currently looking to recruit to a fulltime highly specialist SLT, fixed term for 10 months. The postholder will join our friendly team of therapists, assistants and Education Leads. The post will be based in Hertford, with the postholder predominantly covering the Hertford, Waltham Cross and Bishop Stortford areas.

You will be joining an innovative and agile CYP Therapies service committed to delivering high quality care and transforming lives. Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust provides Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Services for families across the county. Our service is jointly commissioned by health and education, allowing us to provide a seamless pathway of care from early years through to schools, specialist provisions and further education settings.

Main duties of the job

As a mainstream Education Lead your specialist role will involve:

• Partnership working with other leads across the County, developing and shaping the service
• Working collaboratively with mainstream education settings, developing relationships with ‘clusters’ of schools (within Hertfordshire DSPL areas), and developing an understanding of their needs
• Being a point of contact to clusters of schools and providing leadership support to the therapy teams working within these clusters
• Working with therapy teams and settings to provide training and specialist advice and support
• Seeking regular feedback from schools and being responsive/ making changes to service provision that will benefit the wider Hertfordshire system
• Setting up/planning training packages relevant to the schools and providing support to others

There will be opportunities for you to facilitate professional supervision groups and provide Managerial Supervision to less experienced colleagues.

We offer:

• Half termly group supervision and peer support
• Regular managerial supervision and a well-established appraisal system
• CPD opportunities such as bitesize tutorials, peer review
• A 2 week induction period where you will have the opportunity to observe and shadow your team
• Access to a named buddy

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see Job Description attached, which details the responsibilities within this post.  Also attached is the Person Specification.

Successful candidates will be enthusiastic and motivated. Advanced communication, clinical reasoning and organisational skills are essential. You must be a team player but be able to work autonomously and have the ability to champion the needs of children and young people.

Interviews will be on Wednesday 27th May in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire.

Applications for full time and part time work will be considered. A full valid driving licence and access to a car to use regularly for business purposes is essential (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

In addition to the basic salary, this post attracts a High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of basic salary subject to a maximum payment of £1,915 per annum (pro rata where applicable and dependent on base location)

“I love working in CYPT/HCT - everyone in the team is super dedicated.  There is strong management support, but also space for being flexible and creative to meet children’s needs; innovation & good practice is valued and encouraged.  I enjoy & appreciate the robust supervision structures, training in supervision & coaching, and the many opportunities for personal development and learning, including for example in-house training days and tutorials.  I have worked in many teams across Hertfordshire, all without exception friendly and welcoming.  There is an ethos of peer support and encouragement & sharing learning; everyone works hard but there is a sense of belonging and always time for a quick chat… and plenty of laughs.  I feel valued here and I value my lovely colleagues and the fabulous children & young people we work with.”

Whilst it is not a legal requirement, Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust encourages and supports all staff to be vaccinated as this remains the best line of defence against COVID-19

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