Location: Commutable from Cambridge, Stevenage, Hitchin, Letchworth, Baldock, and surrounding areas.
Benefits
- Salary: £45'600 - £52K per annum
- Hours: Permanent, Full Time, 40 Hours per Week.
- Competitive salary: £37,700 - £44,700 per annum.
- Fully funded training and DBS.
- Life assurance, Competitive pension plan, Health cash back plan.
- High street discounts & Employee assistance program.
Employer:
Social Care & Education Jobs is proud to partner with a leading provider of Specialist Education & Supported Living for children, young people, and adults with a variety of disabilities, including Autism. This exceptional opportunity is within a Specialist Day School that offers a highly specialized learning environment tailored to students aged 6 to 19 years. You will be part of a dynamic team, delivering vital therapy services to individuals with Moderate to Severe Learning Disabilities (MLD/SLD), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related challenges.
About the Role:
As a Speech and Language Therapist, you will play a critical role in empowering young people to shape their own futures. By delivering high-quality teaching, individualized support, and integrated therapy led by experts, you will help students with additional learning needs achieve their personal goals. You will manage a diverse caseload, providing specialized support for communication and dysphagia needs.
Key Responsibilities:
- Prioritize and manage a diverse caseload, addressing communication and dysphagia requirements.
- Conduct thorough assessments for communication, swallowing, eating, and drinking.
- Offer expert advice on therapy suitability for prospective students.
- Develop personalized communication and eating/drinking goals as part of the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) for Individual Education Plans (IEPs).
- Create individualized therapy programs focused on communication, assistive technology, swallowing, and feeding.
- Deliver targeted speech and language interventions to individuals, small groups, or within the classroom setting.
- Maintain accurate clinical records in alignment with professional standards.
- Monitor and train on best practices in eating and drinking support.
- Champion Total Communication strategies across the service.
- Collaborate with staff and families to ensure consistent, coordinated communication support.
- Participate in reviews, providing comprehensive written reports as needed.
- Refer students for specialist assessments or advice concerning AAC or dysphagia.
- Provide induction and tailored training sessions.
- Supervise and manage Speech and Language Therapy Assistants.
- Adhere to professional boundaries, seeking guidance when necessary.
Essential Criteria:
- A recognized degree in Speech and Language Therapy (graduate or masters level).
- Certification to practice as a Speech and Language Therapist.
- Registered membership with RCSLT and HCPC.
- Post-graduate training in dysphagia.
- Competence at Level C of the RCSLT Eating, Drinking, and Swallowing Competency Framework (EDSCF).
- Commitment to continuous professional development and clinical supervision as per RCSLT and HCPC requirements.
- A proactive approach to maintaining clinical connections with relevant groups (e.g., dysphagia and AAC) to enhance expertise.
Knowledge & Experience:
- Expertise in person-centered support approaches.
- Understanding of consent legislation and restrictive practices within the Mental Capacity Act.
- Experience with Positive Behaviour Support planning and interventions.
- Proficiency with AAC systems and approaches.
- Familiarity with IDDSI guidelines, dysphagia interventions, and feeding issues specific to this caseload.
- Experience working with children and young people with SEND, PMLD, and ASD.
- Extensive experience managing complex communication, swallowing, and feeding needs.
- Proficiency in using hi-tech and low-tech AAC systems.
- Experience delivering services through the EHCP process.
- Background in early years, school, college, or residential settings.
- Experience managing a dysphagia caseload.
- Experience working within a multi-disciplinary team environment.
Compliance: Successful applicants will undergo pre-employment safeguarding checks, including an enhanced DBS check. The position is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, allowing the employer to ask for full disclosure of convictions and cautions. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young adults and are proud to be an equal opportunities and disability confident employer.
Application Support: Social Care & Education Jobs will guide you through the application process, answering any questions you may have and providing full support throughout your application and interview journey.
Keywords: Speech and Language Therapist, Speech & Language Therapy, Therapy, Jobs, Cambridgeshire, Stevenage, Learning Disabilities