Assistant Pathway Lead Paediatric Speech & Language Therapy
Job overview
We have an exciting opportunity to join our community paediatric speech and language therapy leadership team. The Assistant Pathway Lead, Mainstream schools (West Suffolk) will support the Pathway Lead to oversee the delivery of services to children and young people in mainstream settings and specialist support units; actively participating in the learning and development of colleagues and partners, including a rolling programme of supervision of newly qualified staff and existing staff; and working with and alongside other APWLs.
Our leadership team is forward thinking and innovative. You will need to have a passion for working in schools and in partnership with colleagues and partners in Education as well as a thorough understanding of SEN and be experienced with writing and delivering EHCPs to a high standard.Excellent clinical skills, advanced communication skills, resilience, experience of team working, being able to work independently to a high standard and delivering small projects are essential. We are a large and supportive team who work to provide speech and language therapy to children and young people aged 0-19 across Suffolk.
Interview date 1^st April 2025
Main duties of the job
Main duties include:
Providing assessment and intervention for children within educational settings
Offering second opinions
Coordinating training for school staff
Delivering training where required
Presenting at pathway/ whole team meetings when required
Overseeing new training initiatives from within the pathway
Liaising with colleagues from Suffolk County Council about joint initiatives
Deputising for Pathway lead at meetings when required.
Checking EHCPs
Triaging referrals & helping to amend referral criteria as necessary
Management of service enquiries
Participating in NQP learning programme
Undertaking appraisals (IPRs)
Providing Management Supervision
Providing support for school ‘mini team’ leads including supporting vacancy management.
Managing concerns / complaints
Safeguarding
Able to travel to different venues across West Suffolk during the working day.
Working for our organisation
#BeKnown at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. By us. By our patients. By our community
We are a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high-quality care and compassion to more than a quarter of a million people across west Suffolk. We care for, treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community settings.
The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and children's ward). It has 500+ beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.
Adult and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.
We do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we work and behave as a team.
With nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be the best you can be.
We promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyones voice counts and you can #BeKnown for whoever you are.
Join us. What will you #BeKnown for?
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see attached the job description for further details
Clinical:
- To provide a highly specialist level of expertise in the assessment and management of children and young people presenting with a wide range of speech, language and communication difficulties utilising clinical observation and judgement, combined with specialist theoretical knowledge, taking a holistic perspective of the child or young persons’ (CYP) needs
- To undertake highly specialised assessments and make a differential diagnosis on the basis of evidence from assessment
- To communicate complex condition related information from assessment to service users including the CYP, parent/carer, families and to members of the multi-disciplinary team/other professions
- To work closely with CYP, carers and families, agreeing decision making relevant to case management
- To identify appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance communicative effectiveness
- To evaluate outcomes and provide advice to others regarding case management
Person specification
Education & Qualification
Essential criteria- • Recognised Speech & Language therapy degree qualification
- • Registered with the Health & Care Professions Council
- • Member of the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists
- • Evidence of continuing professional development via RCSLT log or portfolio
- • Evidence of further post graduate short courses or training relevant to clinical caseload
- • Masters level additional relevant qualification
- • Committee role or other active role within a Clinical Excellence Network
- • Certified trainer for relevant specialist areas e.g. Attention Autism/Makaton/ADOS/TOMs
- • Coaching / leadership or mentoring courses or qualifications
Experience
Essential criteria- Evidence of carrying out a significant number of clinical assessments
- Evidence of planning and delivering a significant number of therapy interventions with clients/families
- Evidence of working within educational / home settings
- Experience of using outcome measures
- Experience of delivering in-service training within a range of settings
- Experience in supervising junior staff and students
- Experience of liaising with health and education colleagues and of working in partnership with clients/families/carers.
- Team leadership experience
- Experience of being Lead Educator for student placement Educator Training
- • Experience of management supervision / appraisals
- • Experience of working clinically with children/young people in relevant settings
- • Experience of offering second opinions / supporting differential diagnosis
Knowledge & Skills
Essential criteria- In depth knowledge of a range of appropriate therapeutic interventions
- Up to date Safeguarding
- Enhanced written and verbal communication skills, including record keeping, interpersonal and training others
- Good organisational skills including ability to prioritise work and caseload for self and team
- Good awareness of relevant policies & procedures pertaining to working in a health care environment e.g health & safety legislation, clinical governance, equality & diversity
- Digitally literate: able to use digital methods for record keeping and communicating
- Able to triage
- Coaching / mentoring or team leadership skills
- Experience of record keeping via SystmOne
- In depth knowledge of child development ages and stages and application to diagnosis and treatment
- Knowledge of the National Curriculum & Statutory Assessment Procedure and experience of writing Statutory Assessment and Annual review reports
Personal Qualities
Essential criteria- • Able to cope with exposure to distressing or emotional circumstances
- • Flexible, able to manage changing circumstances
- • Experience with managing difficult / changing circumstances
- • Able to lead e.g. small teams, project work or equivalent
- • Able to travel across the Trust