Job summaryWe have an exciting opportunity for an experienced therapist to join our Children's Speech and Language Therapy team in County Durham. The service comprises qualified therapists and assistant practitioners, as well as full administrative support. The role of locality specialist will provide the opportunity for a clinician to retain their broad-based skills, completing assessment and interventions within community settings. We are a dynamic, supportive and friendly team. You will have a varied caseload, and we will provide you with excellent support &supervision from clinical/locality leads and specialists and opportunities for CPD.
Part-time applications may be considered.
Main duties of the job- Partnership working with both professionals and families.
- The opportunity to work with children with a range of different speech, language and communication needs.
- Work within a designated locality, being part of a close knit team.
- The opportunity to be involved in developing the children's workforce with support from our clinical leads in workforce development.
- Work within a range of community settings including clinics, homes and education settings.
- Provide supervision and support to assistant practitioners, generalist therapists and students
About usIf you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.
You must be able to produce
ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.
We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.
We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.
Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.
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Job responsibilities- Independently manage and negotiate the management of complex cases with others e.g. onward referral to highly specialist clinicians or other specialist support agencies e.g. consultants, Educational Psychologists.
- Continually evaluate the effectiveness of care protocols and packages of care, audit and implement changes as appropriate in conjunction with lead clinician/line manager
- Evaluate the effects of the communication difficulty on the psychological health of the client.
- Contribute to the planning, implementation and evaluation of teaching and training in the specialist area to parents, carers, volunteers and professionals involved in the care of the client group with support from the lead clinician.
- Undertaking all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner.
- Liaising with parents/carers, multi-disciplinary/multi-agency teams, in the assessment, reporting and treatment programming, ensuring a holistic approach.
- Contributing to and actively participating in, In-Service training, supervision, C.P.D. and appraisal.
- Maintaining clinical and statistical records, including high-quality written reports for a variety of required purposes.
- Work with the locality lead to develop and coordinate service provision and policy development for children with speech, language and communication difficulties
- Provide supervision to assistant Speech and Language Therapy staff, generalist therapists and students
Person SpecificationSpecial RequirementsEssential- Full UK driving licence and access to car for work purposes
Special Skills & KnowledgeEssential- High-level problem-solving skills Planning, organisation and evaluation skills
- Flexibility in approach
- Ability to work under pressure
- Knowledge of NHS, National and Education policies
- Able to motivate others
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills Computer literate
- High level written communication skills
Desirable- Skills in making formal presentations
- Leadership skills
ExperienceEssential- Experience of working as a SLT, which must include working with clients with a wide range of speech, language and communication difficulties
- Working in partnership with children and parents
- Supporting less experienced staff
Desirable- Experience of working in a range of environments, including mainstream schools
- Experience of planning and delivering teaching and training
Statutory RegistrationEssential- Registered member of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
QualificationsEssential- First degree or equivalent in SLT
- Certificate to Practice
Desirable- Evidence of post graduate study relevant to the post
- Evidence of leadership training
- Training in clinical supervision
Disclosure and Barring Service CheckThis 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.
UK RegistrationApplicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented. 
