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Job summary

Main area
Specialist speech and language therapist
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 6
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (monday to friday)
Job ref
363-SS7280447
Employer
East London NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
West Ham Lane Child Development Clinic
Town
London
Salary
£42,939 - £50,697 per annum, inc HCA
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
13/07/2025 08:00

Employer heading

East London NHS Foundation Trust logo

Specialist Speech and Language Therapist-Developing Specialism Autism

NHS AfC: Band 6

ELFT has long been recognised as a centre of excellence for mental and health care, innovation and improvement. So it is a very exciting time for you to come and work for us. Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Job overview

Band 6 – Specialist Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist:   Autism Resource Provisions and Service to Schools: Developing ASC specialism post

Paediatric Community Services- Newham, East London NHS Foundation Trust

Amazing things are happening and you could be a part of it.  Join our expanding team

Following our unprecedented investment of 20 new posts across all bandings, we are looking for a band 6 Speech therapist wanting to develop an Autism specialism to join our growing and supportive team. 

Are you an experienced, innovative, creative Speech and Language Therapist? Would you like to develop in an autism specialist area and bring your skills and ideas to help us deliver change and develop new services? 

We have an exciting opportunity for a Speech and Language Therapist with skills, knowledge and experience in paediatrics, to develop a specialism in autism. You will have opportunity through our autism resource provisions and special school team to develop your interest and skills in this specialist area.

Main duties of the job

Working in an autism resource provision you will gain experience in providing specialist assessments, intervention and advice for children and young people within an education setting. With support from highly specialist colleagues, you will also develop your knowledge and implementation of low and high tech AAC. You will have opportunities to work alongside other multidisciplinary colleagues, including Occupational therapists. 

Within the Schools Team, the caseload is varied and includes children with social communication difficulties, developmental language disorder, dysfluency and speech sound disorders. There are opportunities within pre-school, primary and secondary settings where we work in close partnership with school staff to provide a 3 –tier model of universal, targeted and specialist support for children, young people and their families. Training and coaching for school staff and families is a crucial part of the service we deliver.

We are part of a multi-disciplinary therapies team who work to deliver a high quality service for the children of Newham and their families. Within the Child Development Service, the team work closely with multidisciplinary partners such as Dietitians, Paediatricians, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Specialist Nurses,

The successful applicant will have relevant experience of working with children and families.  Support will be given for applicants transitioning from band 5 to band 6.

Working for our organisation

The post-holder will manage their own caseload and will have opportunity to support more junior staff and students through supervision and competency development. There will be opportunity for the post holder to be involved in service improvement, audit and QI.

We can offer you:

  • An amazing working environment, with a warm, welcoming and supportive team of SLTs and colleagues who bring experiences from all over the world.
  • 1:1 monthly supervision, appraisal and CPD
  • Team learning programme
  • Protected service development time and regular team away days
  • Opportunity to supervise and develop junior staff
  • Regular team meetings
  • On-going clinical skills development, MDT working
  • Opportunity to lead service improvement
  • Involvement in audit and quality improvement

Based at the child development centre, in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham, close to the Olympic Park in the heart of London’s East End (with excellent transport links with the rest of London and Essex).  The children’s speech and language therapy service has a strong multi-agency work ethic with other services both within the trust and with partner agencies, and offers services across a wide range of care groups in the borough.

Come and be part of a team that is innovative, responsive and adaptable.  We aspire to stand out in the future in the areas of service delivery, improvement and research.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

  1. To manage a complex caseload of students within a specialist Autism resource provision or special school, supported by senior staff.
  2. To liaise with specialist teaching staff, classroom teachers and education support staff to provide specialist Speech and Language Therapy input to curriculum and programme planning for students with autism.
  3. To provide a specialist level of assessment, therapy and recommendations to a range of children and young people with speech, language and communication difficulties within the school setting.  This includes planning, implementing and evaluating therapy to early years, primary and secondary school-aged children, writing EHCP advice and reports for annual review for children with a range of speech/language/communication difficulties.
  4.  To work jointly with more senior colleagues and other professionals to take account of the specific communication needs of these children and plan therapy accordingly
  5.  To independently manage a large and complex caseload of children with diverse communication difficulties in mainstream schools, with a particular emphasis on liaison with staff for information and to train staff in delivering therapy suggestions.
  6.  To co-ordinate and take a lead in the joint planning and working including, setting up therapy groups where appropriate and to support more junior colleagues through joint working.
  7. To liaise with relevant professional staff in Health, Education and Social Services.
  8. To take part in supervising staff and students

Person specification

Education/ Qualification

Essential criteria
  • Recognised Speech and Language Therapy degree qualification or equivalent
  • Health Professions Council – Licence to Practice
  • Successful completion of core SLT competencies at band 5
Desirable criteria
  • Registered Member of Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists
  • Membership of relevant Special Interest Groups / CEN

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Relevant experience at undergraduate/post graduate level
  • Experience of assessment, intervention, goal setting and developing therapy programmes post-registration in a range of settings
  • Experience in assessing and providing intervention for autistic children(communication)
  • Experience of community and schools based work
  • Experience of working with multidisciplinary or multiagency partners
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of delivering training

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria
  • Excellent interpersonal skills – including observation, listening and empathy skills
  • Negotiation and problem-solving skills
  • Ability to work in partnership with other professionals and other agencies
  • Working knowledge of safeguarding and child protection

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Capital Nurse, LondonCommitted to being an Inclusive EmployerApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveHSJ Best places to workArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)Mindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerCare quality commission - OutstandingStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.

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
Natalie Blanchard
Job title
Clinical lead for Schools
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07981282029
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