Specialist Speech and Language Specialist
Outskirts of Royston
£48,000 - £54,500
Local independent special school which provides a highly specialist learning environment for students aged 6 to 19 who have a range of MLD and SLD needs is seeking a Specialist Speech and Language Specialist to join their team.
This role will be assisting children and young adults with autism spectrum disorders, ADHD and associated difficulties, who require an individualised, specialist approach.
Many of the students have complex medical needs and sensory/ physical impairments. The students are supported to manage sensory overload, anxiety, low self-esteem, low confidence, and difficulty with transitions which is often demonstrative through their behaviours.
This role is a challenging, but exciting! It will require you to be versatile in your approach to providing individualised communication and dysphagia support to the specialist population. The post will combine clinical, administrative and supervisory duties. You will work as part of an interdisciplinary team under the supervision of senior leadership but will be expected to autonomously manage your caseload including assessment, direct and indirect therapy programmes and line managing a speech and language therapy assistant.
You will provide speech and language therapy services prioritising needs identified by the assessment process as stated in the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or via the MDT assessments of need.
Specifically you will be responsible for:
... - Managing and prioritising a caseload including communication and dysphagia needs
- Carrying out comprehensive communication, swallowing, eating and drinking assessments
- Providing advice on suitability and therapy needs of prospective students
- Provideing individual aims for communication and eating and drinking as part of the MDT for Individual Education Plans
- Providing individual programmes for communication, assistive technology, swallowing and feeding
- Delivering speech and language interventions to individuals, small groups or within the classroom as required
- Maintaining concise clinical recording in accordance with professional guidelines
- Monitoring eating and drinking support practice and providing training as required
- Promoting Total Communication practice across the service
- Working with staff and family members to ensure consistent, joined up communication support
- Attending and contributing to reviews, providing written reports where required
- Making onward referrals for specialist assessment or advice in respect of AAC or dysphagia
- Providing induction and individualised training as required
- Supervising and line managing speech and language therapy assistant(s)
- Working within professional boundaries and seeking guidance where required
To be successful in your application, you will have:
- Speech and Language Therapy degree at graduate or masters level
- Certificate to practise Speech and Language Therapy
- Registered member of RCSLT and HCPC
- Post-graduate dysphagia training
- Competencies at Level C of RCSLT Eating, Drinking and Swallowing Competency Framework (EDSCF)
- Requirement to undertake relevant learning, continued professional development and clinical supervision as required by RCSLT and HCPC
- Willingness to maintain clinical links with relevant clinical groups to develop specialist expertise and knowledge relating to the role (such as dysphagia and AAC groups)
You will have:
- Person-centred approaches to support
- Legislation relating to consent and restrictive practice within the Mental Capacity Act
- Positive behaviour support planning and interventions
- AAC systems and approaches
- IDDSI, dysphagia interventions and feeding issues relating to this caseload
Your experience will include:
- Working with children and young people with SEND, PMLD and ASD
- Working with children and young people with complex communication, swallowing and feeding needs
- Working with hi and lo-tech AAC systems
- Delivering provision through EHCP process
- Working in early years, school, college or residential settings
- Working with a dysphagia caseload
- Working within a multi-disciplinary team
You will be offered:
- Opportunities for meaningful career development
- Fully funded training and qualifications
- Life assurance
- Enhanced pension scheme
- Perk Box- offering high street discounts
- Employee assistance programme
- Bike to work scheme
- Car lease scheme
Successful applicants will be subject to pre-employment safeguarding checks including an enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check.
If you are interested in this role, please apply today!
