Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, Band 7, School
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to join our School Therapy Team. This role will require the successful candidate to provide specialist speech and language therapy and clinical leadership to children, young people and families accessing the Childrens Trust School and residential services.
Staff benefits include London weighting, shuttle bus, and more Read more below
Main duties of the job
Role Requirements
You will provide high quality, evidence-based speech and language therapy assessment and intervention to children and young people with neurodisabilities and neurodevelopmental concerns, within a multidisciplinary and multi-agency setting.
Our service delivery aims to promote outcome focussed interventions, safe care, function and participation of children and young people accessing home, school, and community life. You will support children and young people with communication needs, speech, and language difficulties, eating and drinking and tracheostomy care at a highly specialist level, working within a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency setting
With experience of working in a complex environment, across a large and diverse workforce, you will be exceptionally organised with a high-level of attention to detail. You will naturally possess excellent inter-personal skills, and an ability to consult and positively engage with key stakeholders across the organisation.
Interview Date: To be confirmed.
About us
About Us
The Childrens Trust isthe UKs leading charity for children with acquired brain injury, providingexpert rehabilitation, education, therapy, and care at our national specialistcentre in Tadworth, and to children and their families across the UK, via ourBrain Injury Community Service.
Boasting a beautiful 24-acre site in Surrey, weare located just outside of London, close to the M25 (accessible via Junction8, A217 to Tadworth) and easily accessible via National Rail, by way of:Clapham Junction, Sutton, and Epsom.
The work we do ishighly rewarding, and in addition to an attractive salary, we offer a valuablerange of benefits, including, adoption pay, time off for fertility treatment,enhanced paternity leave, paid carers leave, time out days for thoseexperiencing menopause symptoms, time off for gender reassignment.
We also offeradditional annual leave days for those with long service, with entitlementsranging from 35 to 41 days (including bank holidays) depending on your lengthof service.
Other benefits includefree on-site parking; a staff shuttle service from Epsom and Sutton trainstations to Tadworth Court, subsidised cafeteria, on-site staff accommodation(subject to availability), the ability to retain your NHS pension (whereapplicable) or the opportunity to join an alternative scheme, and theopportunity to develop your career in a supportive and collaborativeenvironment.
Job responsibilities
ClinicalSkills and Responsibilities:
Provide high quality, evidence based and equitable speech and languagetherapyinterventionsfor children and young people attending The Childrens Trust.
Lead the provision of high quality, evidencebased speech and language therapy provision for children and young peopleattending The Childrens Trust School in partnership with other members of theMultidisciplinary Team and Education services.
Support the Multidisciplinary Team regarding the impact oftracheostomies, on speaking and swallowing following assessment of laryngealintegrity, secretion management and swallow.
Undertake specialist speech and language therapyassessments of children with highly complex needs e.g. multiple co-morbidities,neurodisabilities and chronic conditions, through standardised andnon-standardised assessments and clinical observations.
Devise suitable, individual, speech and languagetherapy plan that fit within the childs daily routine, whether to be carriedout by parents or members of the Multidisciplinary team; these should bemonitored, evaluated, and adjusted appropriately according to the needs of thechild.
Be an autonomous practitioner with responsibility for assessment, treatment,and planning for an allocated caseload of children/young people.
Be a key point of support and advice for the speechand language therapy team and Multidisciplinary team.
Work closely with all members of theMultidisciplinary team, as well as the child and family, to provide a fullyintegrated approach to the overall management of the child. This will includeany home/school visits, professional child related meetings and / orappointments, as required.
Liaise with all appropriate medical staff,whether employed by The Childrens Trust, visiting consultants or at off-siteclinics, and attend clinics with the child as required.
Contribute to the assessment and discussion ofnew referrals to The Childrens Trust, carrying out off site referralassessments around the United Kingdom, as required.
Contribute to child related reports, includinglooked after children and annual review reports as required, and assist withthe collation of these as and when required, in a timely manner and in linewith organisational targets.
Utilise patient reported and standardised outcome measures for eachallocated child/young person and complete in a timely manner.
Assess, evaluate, and recommend discharge/transition plans forchildren/young people within the multidisciplinary team framework.
Provide assessment and management guidelines foryoung people with assistive technology needs, sharing information with theassistive technology team, and referring to national hubs where appropriate.
Provide assessment and intervention in theclinical area of alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) for school,teaching and integrating skills with members of the Multidisciplinary andeducational teams.
Support the Multidisciplinary and Education teamwith measuring short term targets through using the IMpacts curriculum, therapyoutcome measurement tools e.g. Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS).
Teach, integrate, and monitor speech andlanguage therapy interventions in the childs environment, whether it iscarried out by parents, school staff, therapy staff, nursing and care staff orvolunteers.
Assess, and organise the provision of necessaryspeech and language therapy / eating and drinking equipment.
Keep appropriate and accurate interventionrecords, fulfilling legal, professional and all other requirements of TheChildrens Trust.
Contribute to child related reports, includinglooked after children and annual review reports as required, and assist withthe collation of these as required, in a timely manner in line withorganisational targets.
Escalate any concerns arounddysphagia to our specialist providers and medical teams, where appropriate.
Lead and deliver a tiered model approach forspeech and language therapy at The Childrens Trust School, providing regularintegrated time to classes and houses.
Provide leadership within the context of MDTs inSpecial Schools internally and externally.
Work closely with all members of themultidisciplinary team and the child and family to provide a fully integratedapproach to the overall management of the child. This will include anyhome/school visits, professional child related meetings and appointments asrequired.
Assess, evaluate, and recommend discharge/transition plans forchildren/young people within the multidisciplinary team framework.
Provide clinicalcover across the service during episodes of staff shortage/heavy workload, inorder to ensure effective service delivery.
Workflexibly in terms of hours, in order to meet the needs of the service,including an early evening (weekly) and one weekend day, per calendar month.
Representthe Therapy Team and The Childrens Trust when appropriate, deputising for theHeads of Therapy as required.
Actively participate in and support the running of relevant meetings andgroups.
Communication
Facilitates effective communication with families and members of themultidisciplinary team, supporting others to embed the advice regardingmanagement of needs around communication and eating and drinking andtracheostomy care.
Recognises barriers to communication and be able to reduce these asappropriate.
Communicates regularly and effectively with the Heads of Therapy.
Maintains clear and concise documents and records, in accordance with TheChildrens Trust Policy.
Ensures documents are managed confidentially at all times.
Involve children and families in areas of servicedevelopment.
Use a range of advanced communication skills, to sharespecialised information and discussions with a range of audiences, withdifferent levels of knowledge and expertise.
Attend, contribute and chair Multidisciplinary Teammeetings, to discuss individual children/ young people.
Develop and promote relationships with external networks,including professionals, stakeholders, and specialist centres, in order toensure excellence of care, whilst representing the organisation and reflectingThe Childrens Trust core values.
Manage informal complaints, in line with The ChildrensTrust polices and contribute to the resolution of written complaints and asthey occur, taking immediate action where necessary.
Managementof Self and Others
Working alongside the School Leadership Team and Headof Therapy, lead on identified and agreed areas of service developmentand quality improvement within a defined clinical area, including designing,implementing and reviewing these.
Participate in the overall day-to-day management anddevelopment of the speech and Language Therapy Service, to ensure an efficientand safe service for all.
Provide day-to-day leadership, support andsupervision for junior staff, technicians, volunteers, and students, withinarea of responsibility, providing direction, motivation, and support to achievekey objectives.
Represent the Therapy Team on behalf of the Headof Therapies for Rehabilitation/School, when requested.
Take on the role of Lead Professional or CoordinatingTherapist, following team discussion or as requested by the Head of Therapy, in accordance with the current profiledescription.
Participate in theannual Performance Development Review and monthly supervision sessions, asrequired by The Childrens Trust, both as Appraiser and Appraise.
Advise the Head of Therapy, regarding resourcesand equipment needs, including shortfalls.
Manage time effectively, prioritising anddelegating work, as required.
Assessneeds, decide priorities, and organise, monitor, and evaluate the provision ofan efficient and effective Therapy service, in liaison with the Head ofTherapy.
Governance
Read and implementsall policies, procedures, and risk assessments, pertinent to working practiceand keeps up to date with policy changes as they occur.
Critically evaluate new intervention methods andimplement where appropriate.
Critically evaluate practice through clinical auditsand by appraisal of the information gained, in combination with currentknowledge of evidence-based practice; identify opportunities for serviceimprovement and development.
Recognise andcritically appraise situations where the effectiveness, efficiency and qualityof the service are compromised and take appropriate action to resolve thesituation.
Criticallyreflect on own performance and that of other staff; use this evaluation toenhance the effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of future practice.
Activelyparticipates in local clinical governance activities.
Undergo TheChildrens Trust Risk Assessor training, to ensure that all activities are riskassessed and documented in the most appropriate format. Ensure that detailedrisk assessments are completed, as required.
Career Long Learning, Education and Research
Undertake allmandatory training, in line with The Childrens Trust policies.
Independentlyadvance personal knowledge, understanding and skills, in line with identifiedlearning needs, by making appropriate use of a variety of learning anddevelopment resources and opportunities, e.g. by attending courses/ lectures,contact and involvement with relevant special interest groups, and/ or visitingother departments.
Develop and deliverexternal training courses in area of specialism, where potential demand isidentified.
Disseminate and ensure the embedding of relevant newpractice, through attendance at and contributing to in-service education,Literature Reviews, mentoring and shared sessions.
Record outcomes of learning activities, in a formatthat reflects personal preferences and professional requirement, in line with the RCSLT competencies for dysphagiaand tracheostomies.
Take an activepart in the training of junior colleagues and lead the development ofReflective Practice in others.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* RCSLT recognised degree or postgraduate diploma in Speech and Language Therapy.
* HCPC registration.
* Member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy.
* Dysphagia competency to Level C (RCSLT Competencies).
* Recent relevant training with respect to Augmentative and Alternative.
* Willing to participate in any relevant training identified to develop skills required to carry out duties including extended role activities.
* Maintains a portfolio of CPD in line with regulatory body standards.
* Post graduate Diploma or Masters or currently enrolled in Masters.
* Communication (AAC) and understanding of a wide range of AAC relevant to service users with complex communication needs.
* Tracheostomy Competency trained or willing to train to meet Core Competencies and Paediatric competencies (RCSLT).
Skills & Abilities
* Knowledge of a wide ranges of speech and language therapy management for neurodisability supported by advanced clinical reasoning.
* Knowledge of a wide range of approaches and application of techniques for the management of complex children with disabilities.
* Highly specialised observation and treatment skills relevant to the assessment of respiratory needs.
* Ability to meet the physical demands of a speech and language therapy.
* Professional integrity, particularly in clinical governance.
* Commitment to working flexibly to meet the needs of the service.
* Advanced written and verbal communication skills.
* Analytical and creative problem solving skills in unpredictable situations, synthesising a variety of evidence, and presenting this in a relevant format e.g. report; presentation.
* Workload management including delegation of tasks and day-to-day team leadership.
* Competent IT skills in order to collect and interpret data, present reports, and compile presentations in a range of contexts.
* Advanced verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills including communicating complex or potentially distressing information to parents/carers and managing conflict when appropriate.
* Reflective practice skills able to give clear and effective feedback and support others to develop.
* Develop and lead clinical audit within specialist clinical area.
Personal Qualities
* Commitment to the vision and values of The Childrens Trust.
* Flexible and can do attitude to competing commitments in workload.
* Highly motivated and reliable.
* Ability to cope working in a demanding environment.
Knowledge
* Knowledge of dysphagia assessment and management.
* Competent skills in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel.
* Understanding of physical, communication, behavioural and emotional changes after acquired brain injury (ABI).
* Knowledge of current research, clinical audit, and service evaluation methods.
* Clinical assessment and intervention skills relevant to children and/or adults people with neuro-disability.
* Clinical reasoning skills in predictable situations, analysing a variety of evidence and presenting this in a relevant format e.g. report; presentation.
* Knowledge and understanding of safeguarding children and young people with complex disabilities.
* Understanding of physical, communication, behavioural and emotional changes after acquired brain injury (ABI).
* Commitment to the vision and values of The Childrens Trust:
* Flexible and can do attitude to competing commitments in workload. Highly motivated and reliable.
* Knowledge of tracheostomy impact on speaking; secretions and swallowing; and knowledge of management of tracheostomy care and weaning.
Experience
* Minimum of five years clinical experience post basic qualification:
* Minimum clinical experience of two years working in Dysphagia:
* Minimum clinical experience of three years working in Paediatrics or neurodisability.
* Worked within a multidisciplinary team and a specialist school setting.
* Worked with children and families.
* Experience of service development and quality improvement.
* Experience of SEND legislation and SENDist tribunals.
* Minimum clinical experience of two years working in tracheostomy care.
* Experience of leading a team and change management.
* Experience undertaking a research study or audit.
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.
£51,883 to £58,544 a yeardependent on experience and inclusive of London weighting
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