Job Overview Do you want to be part of a friendly and supportive SLT team? Do you want to be able to offer direct therapy to children in mainstream schools? Do you want to be part of an integrated therapy service? We are looking for a passionate speech and language therapist to work in the Hillingdon mainstream schools team supporting children and young people with speech, language and communication needs. Have a look on our Hillingdon Talks, Moves and Plays website to find out about our service What our staff say about the team: " It is great to be able to visit schools regularly to provide direct support to staff and children. Working closely with a variety of colleagues within the Children’s Integrated Therapy Service and within education is actively supported. Therapists are encouraged to find innovative ways of working and to develop their skills. Everyone gets involved with exciting service development projects. Caseloads are organised to allow protected time for administration, regular supervision and study opportunities. The team is organised in a way that provides a stable support structure and everyone is extremely friendly and helpful. Sarah -Band 6. Main duties of the job Band 6 – Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist –37.5 hours per week. You will be responsible for the assessment and therapy for children and young people with a range of SLCN needs in your schools - including DLD, speech sound disorders, social communication differences, stammering, selective mutism etc. You will work directly with children and young people with an LSA observing the sessions in order for school staff to carry out regular follow up work You will write EHC assessments and annual review reports You will offer training, advice and support to school staff which may be delivered face to face or remotely You will support parents and keep in regular touch with them via phone calls or meetings, as well as sending them copies of care plans and targets and any reports You will jointly set and review targets/ care plans with school staff /parents You will contribute to/lead on audits etc in order to provide evidence that the service being provided is being effective You will contribute to/lead on service improvement projects You will offer supervision to band 5 colleagues and will provide informal support to less experienced colleagues in the office The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings. Working for our organisation We can offer you: A buddy who will meet with you every week at first to help you settle in and who you can ask lots of questions Regular supervision meetings with a senior therapist every 6 weeks, alongside annual appraisal Termly peer supervision meetings where you can discuss difficult cases, read articles together and share your experiences A busy but manageable caseload across a range of schools Opportunities for remote working in school and at home at the end of the day once a week Frequent opportunities to come back to the office for informal support from the team Opportunities to develop your clinical skills and knowledge through termly study afternoons, shadowing more experienced therapists, membership of a CEN, training courses and opportunities to invite a senior therapist for a joint consultation We are proud to say that the service has: Excellent relationships with schools - 91% of SENCO’s report that they are happy or very happy with the service Good relationships with parents - 92.5% of parents report that they are happy or very happy with the service. A parent representative attends all of the mainstream schools meetings and parent feedback is sought for new developments An annual service improvement plan in order to ensure that the service is continually evolving and developing A strong track record on innovation and service development in order to provide a high quality service to children, schools and families Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities To provide a specialist speech and language therapy service to children in mainstream schools who have an identified speech, language, communication need. To be responsible for providing specialist assessment, diagnosis & therapy packages into allocated schools. To train and support school staff & parents, in order for them to implement therapy advice effectively. To support schools with the early identification of children with speech, language and communication needs. To prioritise the Safeguarding of Vulnerable Children at all times To support the service to achieve Key Performance Indicators and maintain Target Activity Levels To take part in/lead on audits and projects for the team/service To contribute to, and provide feedback about, possible developments in the team To provide buddying and informal support for less experienced staff To provide formal supervision for less experienced staff, as needed Person specification Qualifications Essential criteria Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree qualification or equivalent (minimum of 2:1 or equivalent) Further training courses relevant to the post Health and Care Professions Council licence to practice. Registered member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists Desirable criteria First class honours degree or equivalent Extensive training relevant to the post Member of relevant CEN Experience Essential criteria Experience of working in a mainstream/special school as a therapist Experience of delivering training Experience of supervising a student Experience of providing informal support to less experienced colleagues Experience of setting up groups for school staff to continue to run Desirable criteria Experience of leading on a project to improve/develop the service Experience of providing formal support to less experienced colleagues Experience of developing and delivering training Skills & Knowledge Essential criteria In-depth knowledge of assessment tools, and experience of using them relevant to school age children with SLCN. Knowledge of national policies and procedures relevant to school age children with SLCN Good knowledge of the SEND procedures In-depth knowledge of a range of appropriate therapy approaches, and experience in using them with school age children with SLCN particularly including: ASD, learning difficulties, language difficulties, speech difficulties, stammering, selective mutism Knowledge of the principles of clinical governance Experience of contributing to an audit Good knowledge of the roles of other professionals relevant to school age children with SLCN. Good knowledge of standards of record keeping. Desirable criteria Experience of leading a clinical audit Other Essential criteria Good IT skills Car driver and owner to travel during the day Desirable criteria Excellent IT skills