Band 6 Speech and Language Therapist, 1.0 WTE (37.5 hours weekly - 0.6WTE Complex Needs Team and 0.4WTE Camden Service for Young People, on a permanent contract)
This exciting opportunity is for a full-time therapist to work a split post; 3 days a week within our Complex Needs Service based at Swiss Cottage Special School and 2 days within our Speech and Language Therapy Service for Young People (aged 11-19+ years) and may work within Camden mainstream secondary schools and/or post-16 college settings.
We are looking for a dynamic and highly motivated speech and language therapist to work in our complex needs and secondary mainstream school teams. You must be able to work sensitively with children and young people with a range of communication and learning needs. You will need to work collaboratively with families and our colleagues in health, education and social care.
The Camden Complex Needs Speech and Language Therapy Team work within specialist provisions in the borough of Camden. You will be responsible for delivering a therapy service to children and young people with complex needs in Camden. Swiss Cottage School is an OFSTED rated ‘Outstanding’ school for children and young people with complex needs aged 2-19 years. You will be a valued member of a multidisciplinary team based at the school which consists of speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, dieticians, school nurses, health care assistants, psychologists, teachers, teaching assistants and paediatricians.
The Camden Speech and Language Therapy Service for Young People is a highly regarded therapy team working with young people (11-19 years) with a wide range of spoken language and communication difficulties. We provide services into mainstream secondary schools, as well as specialist resources for young people with ASD, and SEMH (social emotional and mental health needs). Increasingly local provisions (schools/colleges) are choosing our therapists to deliver clinical targeted work as part of their ‘local offer’. These contracts are based on-site at local colleges/schools and are in addition to the core NHS service to this age group that we may also provide within this setting.
Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.
1. To demonstrate clinical expertise in the assessment, treatment and management of language and communication difficulties in children and young people aged 2-19 years (+), providing appropriate specialist assessment and intervention and evaluating outcomes.
2. To carry a personal caseload and/or contribute to MDT therapy packages such as group therapy sessions or parent education sessions, maintaining a high level of professional competence and demonstrating clinical expertise in the assessment, treatment and management of speech, language and communication problems associated with complex needs.
3. To make appropriate differential diagnoses and specialist clinical decisions on evidence from assessment of complex cases.
4. To discuss diagnosis and potential outcomes with parents/carers and work collaboratively in decision making regarding referral on and intervention.
5. To contribute to multi-agency assessment procedures as required, including statutory educational assessment.
6. To demonstrate an ability to implement interventions and staff development at a whole school level including joint target setting and outcome monitoring.
7. To use / apply specialist knowledge to inform sound clinical judgements/decision making for case management, developing clear care plans based on best practice
8. To demonstrate an understanding of how to develop and differentiate the curriculum and develop communication friendly schemes of work.
9. To monitor and review the progress of children on the caseload and facilitate the development or modification of packages of care/targets as appropriate using evaluation/outcome measurement tools.
10. To manage and prioritise a caseload under supervision, advising line manager on issues of service delivery including shortfall, service pressures etc.
11. To work effectively as part of the MDT with clients, parents and/ or carers, and colleagues around individual case management; providing specialist advice, guidance and support as necessary and involving them in the planning and prioritisation of care wherever possible.
12. To demonstrate excellent communication skills and to maintain sensitivity at all times to the emotional needs of others, particularly when imparting potentially distressing information regarding the nature of a child or young person’s difficulties and implications of the same.
13. To reflect on clinical practice; adequately identifying strengths & needs of clients, reviewing their response to therapy and providing evidence of clinical judgement including in cases which are complex and challenging.
14. To have an awareness of the needs of children and young people with dysphagia and assessment/ treatment approaches.
15. To be able to analyse conflicting information and provide clear guidance and detailed reports on children seen.
16. To promote awareness about speech and language therapy in Camden.
17. To facilitate and support education staff and families in providing appropriate communication environments to develop children and young people’s language and interaction skills.
18. To demonstrate knowledge and clinical effectiveness underpinned by current evidence based practice and outcome measures.
19. To work closely with clients, carers and families, with empathy, tact, reassurance and active listening to fully discuss assessment results, treatment options, and agree a plan of management.
20. To communicate complex information to carers, families and members of the multi-disciplinary team/other professions, ensuring that effective communication is achieved, particularly where barriers to understanding exist.
21. 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.
22. To undertake home visits, as necessary, in compliance with Home Visiting/ Lone Working Safety Policy.
23. To contribute to clinical teams by discussing own and others input, ensuring a well-co-ordinated care plan that reflects the holistic needs of the child and their parents/carers.
24. To demonstrate good negotiation skills across a range of issues and situations, including sensitively managing initial complaints, and recognising and resolving potential breakdown or conflict when it occurs.
25. To demonstrate skills in motivating clients and /or carers to engage in therapy interventions, targets and outcomes.
26. To employ counselling skills with children, carers/families with highly complex needs.
27. To demonstrate the ability to manage children with behaviours that concern, including the application of appropriate management strategies as designated by the schools/settings.
28. To liaise regularly with Senior Management within the Complex Needs and Camden Service for Young People Teams, and also with the MDT team to agree and review effective service delivery to children and young people with complex needs.
29. To be aware of legal requirements relating to the provision of a speech and language therapy service.
30. To maintain up to date and accurate case notes and write reports reflecting specialist knowledge, ensuring that they meet departmental standards and are in line with local Trust Policy, and RCSLT professional standards.
31. To demonstrate knowledge of current policies and practice in the education and health sector and incorporate these into the model of working as appropriate.
32. To attend further training as necessary to maintain and further develop the skill and knowledge required of a SLT.
33. To keep up to date with current clinical developments through reading, attendance at courses, meetings and Clinical Excellence Networks (CENs).
34. To demonstrate understanding of the issues associated with clinical governance and their application to professional practice. This will include compliance with / adherence to, and implementation of service and service area and Trust policies, National and Local guidelines and RCSLT Professional and Clinical and Guidelines.
35. To develop a working knowledge of relevant procedures including: Safeguarding Children, SEN procedures, Working with Vulnerable Adults and other legal frameworks.
36. To contribute to the local Trust’s systems of clinical governance, developing innovations in areas of risk management, quality standards setting and clinical effectiveness in collaboration with others.
37. To be accountable for professional action and recognising professional boundaries, and working within defined departmental and national protocols/policies and professional code of conduct.
38. To work participate in annual appraisal within a Professional Development Plan (PDP) at pre-determined intervals.
39. To have due regard for personal safety and that of children /carers, adhering to moving and handling regulations, restraining policies and ensure the safe positioning of self and others.
40. To reflect and adhere to infection control and health and safety guidelines in order to deal with specific issues related to client contact: for example exposure to body fluids, infectious conditions, encountered on a daily basis.
41. To assume delegated tasks as requested by line manager, including participation in working groups, policy development groups etc.
42. To contribute to Whittington Health’s systems of clinical governance, responding to innovations in areas of risk management, quality standards setting and clinical effectiveness in collaboration with others
43. To be accountable for professional action and recognising professional boundaries, and working within defined departmental and national protocols/policies and professional code of conduct (e.g, attending team meetings, participating in in-service training, attending mandatory training, carrying out appropriate administrative duties etc).
44. To be able to be flexible within the service for Whittington Children’s Speech and Language Service and as required by the Speech and Language Therapy Services Manager, this may include a change in workplace.
