Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist - Autism

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist - Autism

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

Do you have the specialist skills to join our team as joint lead for our autism pathway? You will have the specialist clinical skills and the enthusiasm to support continued development of the pathway to ensure the best outcomes for children with autism; and you will develop the skills and confidence of our other therapists to assess and provide intervention.

You will work in our supportive and welcoming speech and language therapy team and alongside colleagues in the autism and ADHD neurodevelopmental pathway, to contribute to diagnosis and to provide the intervention and support to families through direct therapy, training and work in education settings using the balanced system link therapist model.

We are looking for enthusiastic and motivated therapists with excellent clinical skills - up to 34 hours a week available and happy to discuss flexible working or full time working if that is a preference.

Main duties of the job

You will have a small highly specialist caseload; you will contribute to diagnosis if you have experience of ADOS, BOSA, ADI-R; you will support second opinions for link therapists in schools: you will develop interventions for specialist pathways and for universal and targeted support across the Basildon, Brentwood and Thurrock alongside the community SLT teams and their preschool and school based caseloads.

We offer:

• a regular supervision programme arranged with a named therapist, following on from a full and personalised induction programme
• professional team meetings monthly and meetings with our integrated children's therapies team to maintain communication and learning opportunities with speech and language, occupational therapists and physiotherapists and others
• a supportive and friendly environment
• training opportunities through external courses and specialist Clinical Excellence Networks
• Support from experienced Admin and Assistant teams.
• Agile & flexible working
• A days leave on your birthday and 1/2 day Christmas leave in addition to your annual leave

We encourage innovation and would welcome you to a strong and stable team.

Job responsibilities

• Post registration experience in delivering appropriate highly specialist intervention/care plans/enhanced models of SLT for clients with speech language and communication needs, and provide suitable and timely support.
• Clear clinical reasoning based on evidence based practice, with specific experience in specialist interventions working with children with autism.
• The ability to provide feedback, advice and training internally within the profession and externally to other staff groups as well as clients' families.
• Responsibility in taking a delegated lead on the development of team objectives or projects in liaison with the clinical service lead and peers.

Experience in using the ADOS or other assessments as part of multidisciplinary diagnosis is desirable.

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further details on this vacancy.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent.
• HCPC Licence to Practice.
• Member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy.

Experience

• Experience working with clients who have autism related speech, language and communication needs in community and mainstream settings.
• Experience of working in a multi-agency and/or multi-disciplinary team.
• Experience / knowledge of early intervention approaches and low tech AAC.
• Experience providing training to education and health colleagues and parents and families.
• Experience / knowledge of high tech AAC.

Knowledge

• Able to construct clear care plans, including assessment for differential diagnosis, providing therapy from a range of options based on analysis of information from assessment using evidence base.
• Knowledge of a range of appropriate assessments for the differential diagnosis in autism and social communication disorders.
• Able to administer ADOS.
• Training and experience in PACT.

Skills

• Effective communication / interpersonal skills (written, verbal and listening).
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Able to formulate care plans identifying functional goals and outcomes in multidisciplinary discussion.
• Able to demonstrate clear clinical reasoning based on evidence based practice.

Other

• To be able to travel efficiently throughout the area.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapy

£46,148 to £52,809 a year (plus HCAS) pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Job share, Flexible working, Compressed hours, Term time hours.