Job Summary
Cognus Limited is a Local Authority Traded Company, which is commissioned by the London Borough of Sutton to provide education services to early years providers, mainstream schools and specialist education settings in Sutton. Wholly owned by the local authority, we deliver a wide range of high-quality services to deliver excellent practice that improve the lives of children, young people, and families in Sutton and beyond.

We are currently recruiting speech and language therapists to support the delivery of statutory speech and language therapy provision across the London Borough of Sutton. In addition to this, we are looking to increase the number of permanent staff within our team.

We are seeking enthusiastic speech and language therapists to join our friendly and supportive team. Collaborative working is an important part of the role. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a dynamic team providing innovative therapy interventions following evidence-based practise and an embedded model of therapy in order to best support the pupils needs.

Cognus Therapies provides a robust supervision framework with all posts receiving Managerial and Clinical Supervision. Regular time is allocated for Continuing Professional Development.

Main duties of the job
You would be required to complete the following duties

• Working within a multidisciplinary team of speech therapists and occupational therapists, the post holder will have the opportunity to work in local schools and colleges across the 4 years to 25 years age range or with a smaller age range within this.
• Advising and supporting local schools / settings with children and young people with Speech, Language & Communication Needs (SLCN) including a possible cohort with ASD or PMLD and SLCN; to manage their caseload to ensure that intended outcomes are delivered within agreed service standards.
• Raising awareness of the needs of and strategies available for children and young people with SLCN.

About us
Cognus Therapies are a thriving multidisciplinary team of speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, teachers, practitioners and therapy assistants who support children and young people aged 4 25 years in mainstream schools, colleges, and specialist settings within the London Borough of Sutton and surrounding boroughs. We work with children and young people with a variety of special educational needs, e.g. Autism, Deafness, Down Syndrome, Developmental Language Disorder, PMLD, MLD, Dyslexia and many more and encourage all our therapists to gain experience and expertise across a range of specialisms.

Job responsibilities
Job Summary
Working within a multidisciplinary team of speech therapists and occupational therapists, the post holder will have the opportunity to work in local schools and colleges across the 4 years to 25 years age range or with a smaller age range within this.

Advising and supporting local schools / settings with children and young people with Speech, Language & Communication Needs, including a possible cohort with ASD or PMLD and SLCN to manage their caseload to ensure that intended outcomes are delivered within agreed service standards.

Raising awareness of the needs of and strategies available for children and young people with SLCN.

Principal Accountabilities

• Visiting and assessing children and young people with SLCN.
• To appropriately identify service provision in line with child and young persons needs at specialist, targeted or universal level of support.
• Delivery of specialist programmes on an individual and/or small group basis.
• Offering advice to parents and carers as well as teaching staff at a targeted or universal level.
• Maintaining children's and young peoples records to a high standard.
• Screening and prioritising new referrals in order to determine the need and level of therapy provision required in line with service criteria.
• At the point of referral, gathering relevant information regarding previous and current input from health and social care services.
• Carrying out a range of non-standardised and standardised assessments and interpreting a range of factors relating to the child or young persons condition; focusing on access to education.
• Providing reports to referrers and other agencies involved in the child and young person's care and advice on appropriate differentiation of and access to the curriculum.
• Plan, create and deliver a wide range of tailored interventions and-or therapy programmes where direct SaLT input is indicated and effectively hand over prescribed programmes through training and modelling with teaching staff, parents and carers.
• To maintain effective liaison with all partners e.g. parents, carers, professionals in Education, Health, Social Care and other Services with particular regard to Safeguarding and best practice
• To monitor and record child or young persons progress and effectiveness of intervention through goal setting, outcome measurement and evaluation of practice and to communicate these with key stakeholders.
• Collaboration with a range of partner agencies to create effective transition support for specific children and young people.
• Promotion of effective inclusion of children and young people into all aspects of the school curriculum.
• To attend and contribute to team meetings as required.
• To be aware of changing trends in treatment and promote Evidence Based Practice, embedding this into own specialist area of work in order to provide the highest standard of care to service users.
• Embedding legislative change and key developments relating to improved outcomes for children and young people with SLCN.
• To participate in clinical audit, service development activities and research programmes as required.
• To engage with continual professional development as identified through managerial and clinical supervision and appraisal, including attending training and courses as agreed.
• To comply with the Cognus Limited mandatory training requirements.
• As part of the therapies team to plan, deliver and evaluate training sessions for schools and educational providers.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Educated to degree level or equivalent in Speech and Language Therapy

Skills
Essential

• Ability to prioritise and deliver results to high standards
• Excellent organisational skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Leads others by setting a positive example in line with company values and acts as a role model
• Adherence to RCSLT and HCPC policies and procedures
• Is decisive with problem-solving skills
• Is committed to safeguarding and protection of children
• Honours and upholds the Companys Equal Opportunity Policy, Dignity at Work Policy, Safeguarding and Protection of Children, Health and Safety and Data Protection Policy at all times

Experience
Essential

• Experience as a paediatric speech and language therapist

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.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.