East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust (Cambridge)
Speech & Language Assistant Practitioner - Expert at Hand
The closing date is 30 November 2026
Job summary
Have you ever wanted to work with children and young people supporting them to develop their communication skills?

As part of the Norfolk plan we are excited to be able to introduce an innovative Experts at Hand (EaH) model to our speech and language service, supporting children and young people across education and early years settings within Norfolk with a focus on strengthening universal and targeted provision and improving outcomes for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.

This is an opportunity to be part of a creative and motivated team shaping this new innovative programme for Norfolk.

We are looking for enthusiastic speech and language therapy assistants who have a strong interest in working with children and young people, supporting them to develop their communication skills to ensure better outcomes.

If you join our team, you will:

• Receive high quality support and supervision
• Access in-house training which aims to meet your needs and interests.
• Receive the NHS annual leave entitlement
• Possible opportunities to apply for SaLT apprenticeship programmes

Should we receive a high number of applications we reserve the right to close this vacancy at any point after the 19th November 2026.

Main duties of the job
To implement speech and language therapy packages with children and make modifications as necessary for child or circumstances, using knowledge and understanding of children's development and disorders and other learning disabilities.

To assist in the planning of routine activities. This includes children of pre-school and school age on the community caseload in location. To assist SLTs in running groups as required.

To monitor the children's progress and assess their progress in response to treatment.

To make observations about children's communication skills and responses to activities and use initiative to change intervention in order to assist in assessment and therapy. The speech and language therapist will be available by phone to discuss changes to therapy packages.

To contribute to administrative duties connected with the caseload including updating children's case records, following service standards.

Provide verbal and written feedback to the supervising therapist, other professionals and carers regarding an individual patient's response to therapy and progress made.

About us
Rated 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission, we are proud to provide high quality innovative services across most of the east of England that enable people to receive care closer to home and live healthier lives.

There's one reason why our services are outstanding - and that's our amazing staff who, for the seventh year running, rated us incredibly highly in the national staff survey.

If you share our passion for innovative and high-quality care delivery, then please submit your application and join us on our exciting journey as a leading-edge specialist community provider. All are welcome to apply and our promise to you is a culture which prioritises staff engagement and development.

Please be aware that East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust will never ask applicants to pay fees at any stage of the recruitment process, including job applications, sponsorship arrangements, or employment offers. All recruitment communications and job applications should only be made through our official careers website and published contact details.

If you receive a suspicious job offer or recruitment-related communication, do not make any payments, share personal information, or provide identity documents. We encourage you to report the matter to your local police or relevant law enforcement agency. Any concerns relating to potential recruitment fraud should also be reported to our Local Counter Fraud Specialist (LCFS) as soon as possible.

Details
Date posted: 12 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 4
Salary: £28,392 to £31,157 a year, per annum, pro-rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working
Reference number: 839-NCYP-8424960
Job locations: Norwich Community Hospital, Bowthorpe Road, Norwich, NR2 3TU, United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities
The Experts at Hand (EaH) model is designed to support children and young people across education and early years settings within Norfolk with a focus on strengthening universal and targeted provision and improving outcomes for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.

The EaH model builds on local and national learning and aims to improve early identification, reduce escalation to specialist services, build workforce capability and support more inclusive educational environments.

The post holder will be involved in implementing the aims of the EaH model as part of an EaH team across Norfolk. Working collaboratively with the speech and language therapy team and multidisciplinary partners, the post holder will support the delivery of speech and language interventions across education and community settings.

Main Duties and Responsibilities
Clinical
To support SLT colleagues with providing training and intervention, focusing on early years settings to support universal and targeted provision and improving outcomes for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs across a number of schools and community zones.

To assist in the planning of routine activities. This includes children of pre-school and school age on the community caseload in location. To assist SLTs in running groups as required.

To monitor the childrens progress and assess their progress in response to treatment.

To make observations about childrens communication skills and responses to activities and use initiative to change intervention in order to assist in assessment and therapy. The speech and language therapist will be available by phone to discuss changes to therapy packages.

To contribute to administrative duties connected with the caseload including updating childrens case records, following service standards.

Provide verbal and written feedback to the supervising therapist, other professionals and carers regarding an individual patients response to therapy and progress made.

Person Specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential

• 5 GCSEs level A-C
• Elklan level 3 or NVQ level 3 or equivalent experience.
• Standard keyboard skills and familiarity with Word and Excel

Desirable

• Relevant short courses or experience to diploma level

Skills
Essential

• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Good organisation skills, time management and prioritisation skills.
• Ability to use own initiative and to work independently
• Good presentation skills (personal and written)
• Ability to problem solve

Experience
Essential

• Experience of working with young children
• Experience of working with children with special needs
• Previous experience of working as part of a team

Desirable

• Experiencing working with the public either face to face or by telephone
• Previous experience with using SystmOne
• Understanding of the personal and social implications of speech, language and communication disorders

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
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.

Employer details
Employer name: East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust (Cambridge)
Address: Norwich Community Hospital, Bowthorpe Road, Norwich, NR2 3TU, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.eastofenglandcommunityhealthandcare.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Locality Lead - SALT, Lauren Mckeown-Tofts, lauren.mckeown-tofts@nhs.net

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