Job summary Are you looking for an opportunity to advance your career in children's therapies? Do you relish building partnershipswithin and across organisations in order to deliver the very best to children and young people and their families? We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Children's Lead Speech and Language Therapist to join our integrated therapy service. The role is up to full time with flexible working patterns considered. We are located on the beautiful EastSussex coast with hubs in Hastings, Polegate and Crowborough. This post is suited to hybrid working. Although based in East Sussex, we are employed by KCHFT which is an outstanding trust. We have a strong commitment to training and development with robust supervision and shadowing opportunities available. Contact Sally Pullen, Head ofService on sally.pullennhs.net if you would like to know more about the role and what we can offer you. Main duties of the job The postholder will be responsible for the delivery of safe, high quality and effective care for the servicealongside our Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy leads, through service and quality improvement, continuousimprovement in SEND processes, assuring a skilled and competent workforce, and building strong internal and externalpartnerships.You will engage effectively with stakeholders and have the relationship skills to work in conjunction with parents, SENDpartners, commissioners, health provider and education settings across the County. This includes liaison with tertiaryservices and representing the service in partnership meetings.A key element of the role is to link with the Local Authority on statutory processes and timeframes including overseeingEducation, Health and Care Needs Assessment requirements, undertaking sensitive annual reviews and advising onworking documents and witness statements for appeals.This role also supports the wider professional agenda for AHPs in the organisation and the post-holder will continue tocarry some direct clinical work in their chosen specialist area.You will be responsible for the vision for training and development, completing training needs analysis, and linking withuniversities.You will have the confidence to challenge ways of working and persuade, motivate, and influence stakeholders in order todrive the three areas of universal, targeted and specialist delivery delivered by competent and appropriate practitioners. About us Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we've got a passion for delivering high standards of patient care and excellent services to improve the health of our communities. To do this we need outstanding people who share our values compassionate Aspirational Responsive Excellent We know a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion leads to better patient care and a happier workforce. We pride ourselves in being diverse and welcome applications from people with varied backgrounds, perspectives and experiences We ask for information about your protected characteristics on our application forms. This isn't visible to anyone involved with shortlisting or interviewing you, except when you choose to be considered under the guaranteed interview scheme due to disability. Short listers will see two ticks alongside your application to ensure they apply the principles of the scheme to your submission The data we collect helps us to ensure we are attracting diversity in our applicants, that all our colleagues have equitable access to career opportunities and supports us on our journey to being a Great Place to Work As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want you to be able to work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Talk to us about a flexible working arrangement that won't involve sacrificing time for personal interests or family commitments. We'll support you to work flexibly in a way that will suits us both See where you can go with KCHFTcareer pathways Date posted 17 March 2025 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 8a Salary £53,755 to £60,504 a year per annum pro rata Contract Permanent Working pattern Full-time Reference number 846-7072409-UJ Job locations East Sussex Polegate BN26 6QH Job description Job responsibilities The job description and person specification gives you all the information you need about this role. Please look carefully at the criteria in the person specification and tell us what you have done that shows you meet this in your application. If you need an application form in an alternative format please let our recruitment team know. All information you supply on your application should, to the best of your knowledge, be true and accurate. Still have questions? The recruiting manager would love to hear from you, their contact details can be found in the job advert. We can get a lot of applications for some roles so to be in with the best chance of being shortlisted please make sure you apply as soon as possible. A vacancy may close early if there is a lot of interest in the job. Although vaccination against COVID-19 is not mandatory, we are strongly encouraging colleagues in clinical and non-clinical roles who have direct or social contact with patients to be fully vaccinated. In this way we will be doing all we can to ensure your safety and that of your colleagues and the patients we serve. Find out more about the community differencehere. Good luck We cant wait to meet you and welcome you to teamKCHFT, cometocommunity. Job description Job responsibilities The job description and person specification gives you all the information you need about this role. Please look carefully at the criteria in the person specification and tell us what you have done that shows you meet this in your application. If you need an application form in an alternative format please let our recruitment team know. All information you supply on your application should, to the best of your knowledge, be true and accurate. Still have questions? The recruiting manager would love to hear from you, their contact details can be found in the job advert. We can get a lot of applications for some roles so to be in with the best chance of being shortlisted please make sure you apply as soon as possible. A vacancy may close early if there is a lot of interest in the job. Although vaccination against COVID-19 is not mandatory, we are strongly encouraging colleagues in clinical and non-clinical roles who have direct or social contact with patients to be fully vaccinated. In this way we will be doing all we can to ensure your safety and that of your colleagues and the patients we serve. Find out more about the community differencehere. Good luck We cant wait to meet you and welcome you to teamKCHFT, cometocommunity. Person Specification Qualifications Essential Educated to, or actively working towards, Master's level in relevant field, or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area. Evidence of post qualifying continuing professional development HCPC Registered health care professional in the relevant professional field with degree level qualifications Desirable Mentorship / Coaching qualification. Experience Essential Significant experience within the NHS, Local Authority or other statutory sector organisation. Experience of managing high level projects. Ability to apply performance management skill to assess progress within service delivery. Experience in managing highly complex, sensitive information to include analysis of data. Experience of line management. Experience of delivering training/education. Able to demonstrate delivering interventions that impact individuals, teams and processes. Previous experience of training others Good experience of multi-agency partnership working. Desirable Experience of conducting formal project evaluation and or research. Knowledge Essential Excellent knowledge of specialist area and services Knowledge of clinical governance, risk management, clinical effectiveness and service user involvement. Proven specialist knowledge of assessment against organisational standards. Implementation of strategies and project management. Knowledge of relevant national, regional and local professional and clinical strategies and agendas Desirable Knowledge and application of theories of behaviour Skills & abilities Essential Able to engage with a wide variety of health and social care professionals. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate well and professionally with colleagues and service users Ability to deploy a variety of negotiation and influencing strategies. Able to prioritise and delegate appropriately and clearly. Ability to manage time effectively. Ability to work effectively both independently and as a member of a team. Ability to be flexible according to the needs of the post and service, working across organisational boundaries where required. Personal attributes Essential An ability to work at both strategic and operational levels. A strategic thinker and effective problem solver who always has an eye on the bigger picture. A self-starter who can work from their own initiative, Capacity to handle conflict and remain calm under pressure. A flexible approach to working arrangements including remote access and significant travel Ability to lead & manage Essential Ability to manage and lead change and inspire and develop forward thinking. Ability to lead in a complex matrix environment. Ability to motivate and organise others to ensure best practice. Able to support the implementation of local and national agendas. Ability to prioritise care delivery in a professional manner, taking into account Trust strategic objectives, policies and procedures. Ability to manage own time effectively Person Specification Qualifications Essential Educated to, or actively working towards, Master's level in relevant field, or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area. Evidence of post qualifying continuing professional development HCPC Registered health care professional in the relevant professional field with degree level qualifications Desirable Mentorship / Coaching qualification. Experience Essential Significant experience within the NHS, Local Authority or other statutory sector organisation. Experience of managing high level projects. Ability to apply performance management skill to assess progress within service delivery. Experience in managing highly complex, sensitive information to include analysis of data. Experience of line management. Experience of delivering training/education. Able to demonstrate delivering interventions that impact individuals, teams and processes. Previous experience of training others Good experience of multi-agency partnership working. Desirable Experience of conducting formal project evaluation and or research. Knowledge Essential Excellent knowledge of specialist area and services Knowledge of clinical governance, risk management, clinical effectiveness and service user involvement. Proven specialist knowledge of assessment against organisational standards. Implementation of strategies and project management. Knowledge of relevant national, regional and local professional and clinical strategies and agendas Desirable Knowledge and application of theories of behaviour Skills & abilities Essential Able to engage with a wide variety of health and social care professionals. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate well and professionally with colleagues and service users Ability to deploy a variety of negotiation and influencing strategies. Able to prioritise and delegate appropriately and clearly. Ability to manage time effectively. Ability to work effectively both independently and as a member of a team. Ability to be flexible according to the needs of the post and service, working across organisational boundaries where required. Personal attributes Essential An ability to work at both strategic and operational levels. A strategic thinker and effective problem solver who always has an eye on the bigger picture. A self-starter who can work from their own initiative, Capacity to handle conflict and remain calm under pressure. A flexible approach to working arrangements including remote access and significant travel Ability to lead & manage Essential Ability to manage and lead change and inspire and develop forward thinking. Ability to lead in a complex matrix environment. Ability to motivate and organise others to ensure best practice. Able to support the implementation of local and national agendas. Ability to prioritise care delivery in a professional manner, taking into account Trust strategic objectives, policies and procedures. Ability to manage own time effectively Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab). UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window). Additional information Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab). UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window). Employer details Employer name Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust Address East Sussex Polegate BN26 6QH Employer's website https://www.kentcht.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)