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Job summary

Main area
Therapies
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 6
Contract
Permanent: Can be offered as secondment if internal candidate successful
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (To be negotiated with B7 staff within Mon - Fri 9 - 5)
Job ref
388-7739943-CFHD
Employer
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
CFHD Evergreen House
Town
Exeter
Salary
£38,682 - £46,580 per annum pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
19/02/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust logo

Senior Speech and Language Therapist

NHS AfC: Band 6

Job overview

We are looking for a full time B6 Speech and Language Therapist with a special interest in working with young people who have complex needs. 

We are developing an innovative, integrated model of children’s community services and looking for enthusiastic individuals to join our friendly and dedicated locality and county-wide professional teams. This post will be working across the Exeter East and Mid Devon locality as well as the Torbay and South Devon locality but there is some flexibility in where it can be based.

The role will include speech and language assessment and intervention for children and young people with significant communication difficulties, often those with a complex medical history.  Support can be offered usually within the special school setting and include working with the young persons support network with a focus on developing a total communication approach to enhance receptive and expressive language skills. 

As a large community service, you will be joining a strong, enthusiastic and supportive group of professionals who will be your peers, your phone a friend network and your inspiring colleagues. This provides a real sense of professional collaboration at work, that will be an asset to your daily work, your career development and your support network.

Children and Family Health Devon (CFHD) is the place to be!

 

Main duties of the job

Manage a caseload of children and young people with complex Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN)  using evidenced based practice to assess, plan, formulate, implement and  evaluate interventions in a variety of settings (individually and/or in groups and as  part of a multidisciplinary team). 

Provide reports, feedback and statistics reflecting specialist knowledge.

Inform carers and other professionals on details from specialist assessments. 

Work with the wider team to co-ordinate visits, clinic appointments and oversee the day to day caseload management.

Participate in the provision of student placements and support rotation therapists at a lower banding across the county as needed.

Working within a CFHD pathway of care, provide clinical support for the complex needs specialism to  SLT’s across the other designated pathways/s of care (these can include but are not limited to; Speech, Language and Communication Pathway, Managing Neurodiversity Pathway, Community Children’s Nursing, Physical and Sensory pathway and Vulnerable Children’s Pathway).

Important Information Regarding Service Changes:
We are currently entering into a formal consultation process to move all Children and Family Health Devon (CFHD) staff to a single provider. As part of this process, staff currently employed by Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust will transfer to Devon Partnership NHS Trust on 1 April 2026. 

Working for our organisation

At Children and Family Health Devonwe are dedicated to improving the physical and mental health of children and young people across Devon and Torbay. We aim to create an environment where children and young people can thrive and are committed to reducing health inequalities and providing specialised support, empowering them to lead healthy, fulfilling lives. 

 

Who we are 

We are an alliance of NHS organisations led by Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with Devon Partnership Trust. We are a group of professionals including psychologists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, nurses and many other professions.  

Join us in beautiful Devon  

With access to moors, sea and citiesthere are plenty of opportunities to enjoy Devon. Whether you enjoy spending time in the cultural hub of Exeter, exploring the Jurassic coastline or discovering the world surfing reserve in North Devon – there really is something for everyone.  

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Communicate complex condition-related information from assessment to clients, carers, families and members of the multi-disciplinary team/other  professions in a way that is accessible and easily understood. This will include  facilitating strategies for people with communication disorders where barriers to understanding may exist.

Demonstrate specialist Speech and Language Therapy knowledge  across a range of therapeutic interventions.

Responsible for organising and planning own caseload to meet  service and patient priorities. Readjusting plans as situations change/arise.

Use routine outcome measures and goal-based approach,  collaboratively with service users, in ways that inform treatment and clinical  care.

Full Vacancy details can be found on the attached Job Description/Person Specification. Please refer to your suitability to the post in your supporting information from the role requirements or person specification.

Person specification

Qualifications and training

Essential criteria
  • • Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent
  • • Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent
  • • Registered Member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
  • • Membership of relevant Special Interest Groups
Desirable criteria
  • • Evidence of successful completion of specialist post graduate short courses relating to paediatric communication disorders including Learning Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorders

Knowledge and experience

Essential criteria
  • • Highly developed specialist knowledge (acquired through attending specialist short courses) to enable post holder to work autonomously
  • • Highly developed specialist knowledge of independent management of complex and highly specialised caseload and an ability to compare and contrast relative benefits
  • • In depth knowledge of children with special needs and associated conditions underpinned by current evidence-based practice
  • • Well established knowledge of a broad range of assessment and therapeutic tools relevant to working with children and an ability to compare and contrast relative benefits
  • • Ability to make a differential diagnosis, choose appropriate treatments from a range of options and provide specialist intervention and evaluate outcomes by use of evidence-based practice
  • • Ability to use specialist experience to inform sound clinical judgements/ decision making for case management
  • • Relevant experience at undergraduate/post graduate level
  • • Proven relevant experience post qualification in managing a complex varied caseload and in working autonomously in the community
Desirable criteria
  • • Competence in delivering language development training to both professional and untrained staff in the community
  • • Experience supervising speech and language therapy programme implementation by early years and mainstream school staff
  • • Experience in team leading and organising a local service/clinic
  • • Experience of supervising less experienced Speech and Language Therapists
  • • Experience working within multi-disciplinary teams.
  • • Experience working in early years, school age and specialist settings.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveImproving working livesMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.The Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (enei) is the UK's leading employer network covering all aspects of equality and inclusion issues in the workplace.Disability confident committedArmed Forces Covenant - Silver 2025

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Freya Brooks
Job title
Specialist Speech & Language Therapist
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01392 208545
Additional information

Leonie van Wijk, Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

[email protected]

07890040548

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