Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (B6 to B7 Developmental Post)

Job summary
We are looking to recruit highly motivated, innovative and enthusiastic Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapistto join our Healthcare Service at Oasis Restore Secure School (ORSS).

ORSS is the first residential Secure School in the UK and will hold 12-18 year old children. All staff work in line with 'Child First' principles to create a developmentally appropriate and trauma informed healthcare service. By joining our team, you will have the opportunity to be involved in developing a new service that will have a real impact on promoting health and well-being for this vulnerable population and impact on their future life orientation.

We believe that the best health care is delivered by multi-disciplinary teams working well together and in partnership with other teams and services to provide seamless care. Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist will work as part of the team and contribute to the success of the team by being an effective role model and supervising Therapists, Assistant Practitioners and students to ensure they are working to the standards the children using our services deserve.

Main duties of the job
The post holder will be responsible for the delivery of a high-quality specialist Speech, Language and Communication Therapy service within Oasis Restore as part of a multi-disciplinary team. This will involve leading on development and implementation of Specialist Speech and Language Therapy assessments and interventions for this new service. Emphasis will be on evaluating and developing the service to provide high quality care that best meet the needs of children.

The post holder will undertake Lead Clinician responsibilities and the delivery of packages of care to children with varying needs and complexities. The post holder will be responsible for providing supervision to clinical staff and students as required.

The postholder is expected to deliver trauma-informed, culturally sensitive care, considering the developmental needs of the children, and ensuring consideration of the impact of their experiences on their current strengths, needs and difficulties. Developing good therapeutic relationships with the children and their families, is key for this post and in the wider service delivery.

About us
Oasis Restore is the first UK secure school enabling young people to live their best lives, through education well-being and hope. We care for children aged 12-18 who are on remand and sentenced to custody by the courts. Oasis Restore represents a revolution in youth justice: an opportunity for children within the criminal justice system to experience a restorative environment that creates the potential for them to thrive both now and for the future. Our healthcare team will build and model healthy and trusting relationships with children that enable them to feel safe, learn and reach their full potential.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust is a Top Employer Award Winner. We have a Health and Justice Services Directorate, within which sits the 'Children and Young People' Service line working in partnership with 'Youth Custody Service' colleagues to provide responsive, trauma-informed primary care, mental health, neuro-developmental and substance misuse services to the young people and young adults within our care.

Job responsibilities
Please see attached JD&PS for full details of duties and responsibilities.

• To develop care pathways for an identified cohort of children who present with significant SLCN.
• To deliver highly specialist clinical decision-making including induction screening, detailed assessment, differential diagnosis, treatment, evaluation, discharge and general management of a diverse and complex caseload.
• To provide a broad range of treatments to a highly specialist standard including those for phonological awareness delay, speech sound disorder, auditory attention and processing difficulties, language disorder, social communication delay and disorder, stammering and voice problems.
• To maintain an up-to-date, advanced level of theoretical knowledge and therapeutic evidence-based practice.
• To provide highly specialist advice and support for other professionals on communication and related issues in order to build an effective communication environment for the children in their care. This may include advising on how documentation provided for the children can be more easily understood.
• To provide highly specialist advice to parents, carers and relevant professionals on the impact of communication impairment on a childs educational, social and emotional development/status including impairments related to offending history.
• To involve children in the development of their care plan and targets where possible.
• To provide verbal and typed reports, therapy programmes and other types of complex information to an excellent standard for the child, families, carers and relevant professionals and to adapt the content to the communication styles and diverse backgrounds of the recipients. This may include the need to overcome barriers to understanding or motivation which may include English as an additional language (EAL), mental health difficulties and environmental issues.
• To share appropriate clinical information with those professionals supporting the childs progress through the Criminal Justice System (CJS), including Intermediaries, and agencies involved with integration back into the community.

Person Specification
Education and Criteria
Essential

• Degree level or equivalent in relevant clinical profession.
• Evidence of broad post qualification educational background.
• Holds current professional registration
• Evidence of successful completion of specialist short courses post qualification

Desirable

• Additional training / qualifications in relevant CAMHS assessment and treatment approaches
• CBT training
• Learning Disability training

Previous Experience
Essential

• Relevant highly specialised post-qualification experience of autonomous working with children in groups and individually.
• Experience of working with children with complex needs and associated challenging behaviour.
• Minimum experience of at least two clinical specialisms.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a large multidisciplinary health team
• Experience of supervising others in a clinical and performance management context including appraisal.
• Experience of working in an education setting.

Skills and Knowledge
Essential

• Knowledge of a broad range of assessment tools and therapeutic interventions relevant to children
• Knowledge of and skills in assessing young patients for SALCNs balancing risk with patient needs and service priorities.
• Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to relevant field and the full range of patient conditions.
• High standard of SLCT care and commitment to maintaining skills.
• Knowledge of evidence-based practice, clinical governance and related knowledge for research and audit.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the Speech and Language professional body.
• Ability to work with non-verbal clients or clients for whom using English is a major difficulty which could be for cultural reasons, or due to their mental state
• Computer literacy and high standard of typed communication skills including the ability to produce clear reports detailing progress of therapy, selecting relevant information from sessions and expressing analytical detail without bias.
• Understanding of the roles of other members of a multidisciplinary mental health team.

Desirable

• Understands the importance of assessment that explores and considers individual cultural identity and associated support needs.
• Good knowledge of national and strategic developments in child and adolescent mental health.
• Trained to use SystmOne (healthcare IT program).

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 (Opens in a new tab).

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 (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).