Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

This role has a competitive starting salary of£40,761 per annum, based on 36 hours per week across 42 weeks a year (equivalent to a Band 6 NHS post) pro-rata to £43,996.

Are you an enthusiastic, qualified Speech and Language Therapist with over 2 years' experience looking to develop your skills in working with school aged children?

If so, we can offer great opportunities to join our skilled, supportive and solution-focused team where you will develop the speech, language and communication skills of children with a range of clinical diagnosis e.g. developmental language disorder, severe and complex learning difficulties, dysphagia, autism.

We are an expanding service with exciting career opportunities where posts can be mixed based on interests, including mainstream schools and colleges, specialist schools as well as developing a specialism in deafness (which could also include an early years caseload) or dysphagia.

We have posts in:

• North West Surrey (Woking, Runnymede, Surrey Heath)
• North East Surrey (Weybridge, Epsom & Ewell, Spelthorne, and Elmbridge)
• South West Surrey (Guildford and Waverley)
• South East Surrey (Reigate & Banstead and Tandridge)

Rewards and Benefits

• 42-week contract, working across term-time and an additional, flexible 15 days for CPD, project work and supervision activities as well as 10 weeks holiday in non-term time
• Comprehensive clinical supervision programme including a buddy, 1:1 meetings with line manager, extensive in house and external training opportunities, access to clinical effectiveness groups, case study groups and enhanced probation support, termly whole-team study days
• Opportunities to develop management skills
• Paid RCSLT membership and HCPC fees
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependants leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• 3 paid volunteering days per year
• Learning and development hub

About the Team

The Surrey SLT service is a large team of both qualified therapists and non-qualified assistants working in mainstream and specialist provisions through primary, secondary and colleges, with some opportunities for a preschool caseload.

We have excellent supervision and CPD models plus a rolling in-house training programme; we are committed to continuous learning and development.

The Speech and Language Therapy Service is part of Surrey County Council's local offer to support the special educational needs and disabilities of children and young people. This Service is part of the Inclusion & Additional Needs Team in Surrey's Children, Families and Lifelong Learning Directorate, and as such works collaboratively with other teams such as Educational Psychology, Specialist Teachers and SEN teams.

We aim to deliver the right support at the right time, through assessment and intervention; equipping families and professionals with the skills and resources to work together to support children with SLCN. We offer universal, targeted and specialist support for children, families, and the school workforce; working with children and young people with EHCPs and those at SEN support following Surrey's Graduated Response. We also have a specialist dysphagia service and specialist deaf service.

About the Role

Your main duties in the role of Specialist Speech and Language Therapist will include:

• Clinical decision making in conjunction with school/college staff around the level of support needed to achieve the best possible outcome for the children and young people
• Working with assistants, setting targets for the children and young people they are supporting, and monitoring of the delivery and outcomes of their work
• Assessment, advice and intervention for children with a range of speech, language and communication needs within your caseload.
• Supporting junior members of the team, line managing others and taking on students

You will work in partnership with other colleagues to ensure a holistic and child centred approach to identifying and meeting children and young people's needs.

Some examples are:

• Working in the community in close partnership with Advisory Teachers of the Deaf and the wider Physical and Sensory Support team to deliver a service to preschool deaf children and their families in their homes and in nursery settings
• Working with occupational therapists in our feeding pathways and MDT working in Specialist schools
• Joint assessments with educational psychologists
• Supporting the development and delivery of the annual service plan linked to the organisational aims and strategies

Shortlisting Criteria

• Degree in Speech and Language Therapy and a minimum of 2 years' experience working as an SLT (slightly less with signed off completion of NQP competencies may be considered)
• Registration with the HCPC and RCSLT, and permission to work in the UK
• Understanding of the English education system including the National Curriculum and SEND code of practice
• Experience of leading and supporting others
• A range of evidence-based interventions used to support children and young people
• For consideration for working in our specialist dysphagia service you will need experience of working with children with eating and swallowing disorders
• For consideration for working in our school based/college service with children needing support with speech, language and communication within a range of diagnoses you will need experience of working within school/college environments and age groups

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and Therapists will be expected to have a valid driving licence to drive in the UK and access to a vehicle and be willing to travel across a wide geographical area.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 21.01.2025 with interviews to follow.