Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Worcester Park, Surrey
Surrey County Council

We are looking for a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to lead our SLT Team at Linden Bridge School for children and young people with complex social communication needs. If you are passionate about Autism, solution-focused and want to support classroom practice to improve communication and interaction skills, get in touch!

We can offer you:

• A starting salary of £39,014 per annum for working 36 hours per week, across 42 weeks of the year (pro-rata to £41,931 per annum)
• Flexible working options around school core hours
• Paid fees for RCSLT membership and HCPC
• Mobile and agile working solutions (laptop, iPhone, online resources and assessments)
• A team of students, therapists and assistants led by a Therapies Manager who is an SLT
• A generous local government pension scheme to provide you with a secure and guaranteed future income
• Access to a range of health and wellbeing tools to support your mental and emotional well-being, including our free confidential Employee Assistance Programme, a range of mental health apps and support for staff in crisis
• Lifestyle benefits: access to a huge range of discounted vouchers and memberships covering gym, retail, cinema and holidays

About Us

The School-Aged Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) Service is part of Surrey’s local offer to support the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities of children and young people within mainstream schools and specialist provision. The Service is part of the Inclusion and Additional Needs Team in Surrey’s Children, Families and Lifelong Learning directorate, working collaboratively with other teams such as Educational Psychology, Specialist Teachers, REMA and Behaviour Support.

We are a large team (over 150) of both qualified Therapists and non-qualified Therapy Assistants, with excellent supervision and CPD models. We work across the four geographical quadrants of Surrey, each managed by a Quadrant Lead. The teams in each quadrant are made up of Therapists and Assistants. There are a team of Specialist / Clinical Team Leads in each geographical area who work together to support the team and support service development.

Our aim is for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs to receive the right support at the right time. We do this through assessment and intervention, equipping families and professionals with the skills and resources to work together to help and support children with SLCN. We work with children and young people with EHCPs and those at SEN support.

About the Role

As a Specialist SLT, you will hold your own specialist clinical caseload at Linden Bridge School and cover a very small complex caseload in the community as well, working alongside other specialist agencies like Autism Outreach and A2E.

You will be supported by a Team Lead with a specialism in Autism and will work alongside a school-based therapy team including SLT Assistants. You will work closely with the school leadership team to meet training needs for staff and parents, and ensure that communication practice across the school is the best it can be.

You will be part of the North East Surrey SLT team, and access our office bases in Leatherhead and Weybridge. You will develop your leadership skills, supervising SLT assistants and students, and work alongside our ASD leads to ensure the wider team is informed of current research and evidence base, and that clinical practice is of high quality.

About You

To be considered for shortlisting for this position your application will clearly evidence:

• SLT background with at least 5 years post graduate experience, and specific experience and training within schools
• Experience of Autism and evidence of your specialist skills in this clinical area
• Knowledge of the National Curriculum and Code of Practice and experience of delivering a tiered-service model, including universal, targeted and specialist intervention
• Experience of working within an effective multidisciplinary team
• Flexibility to adapt both clinical approach and communication style to ensure that assessment, reports, therapy inputs and outcomes are functional and client centred
• Experience of training and positively influencing practice in large staff teams and line managing / supporting others
• A BSc (Hons) degree or equivalent in Speech and Language Therapy
• Registered membership of the Health and Care Professions Council and Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

Additional Information

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 14th July 2023, although we will be looking at applications as they come in and may shortlist in advance of closing date. We therefore encourage an early application.

An enhanced DBS ‘Disclosure and Barring Service’ check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children’s and Adults’ Barred List checks will be required for this role.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups. We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.