Job Description

Whittington Health



Haringey Children's Speech and Language Therapy Service



Band 7 Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (Deafness)



Permanent 0.8 wte (30 hours per week)

Job overview:

We have a rare opportunity to join our exciting and innovative speech and language therapy team in Haringey.



We are looking for a B7 Highly Specialist SLT to join the Haringey Children's Speech and Language Therapy Deafness Team.



If you want to be part of a dynamic and friendly specialist SLT team working with deaf children and their families, then do not hesitate to apply!



You will work within a small specialist SLT team working with deaf children and young people in Haringey and will also be part of the cross borough team of specialist SLTs working with deaf children across Haringey, Camden and Islington.



The post is based in Blanche Nevile School for Deaf Children, which provides a sign bilingual approach across their nursery, primary and secondary departments. We work closely with school staff and the MDT, as well as having a have a strong focus on working with families to achieve the best outcomes for the deaf children and young people.



The post holder will also work directly with preschool deaf children and their families across Haringey and will provide specialist Outreach support for other SLTs working with deaf children in mainstream schools.



The post holder will deliver a comprehensive and highly specialist therapy service for deaf children in Haringey as part of the specialist SLT team working with deaf children across Haringey, Camden and Islington.

The post holder will provide support for:

Blanche Nevile School for Deaf Children, a sign bilingual special school across primary and secondary departments. Outreach service for pre-school aged deaf children and their families Outreach support for SLTs in the wider service including second opinions, training, and supervision .

The post holder will have highly specialist knowledge in the assessment, diagnosis and therapy with effective communication outcomes for deaf children and young people as well as children who have syndromes or special educational needs in addition to their deafness. They may take a clinical lead for complex cases and second opinions



The post holder is responsible for organising and managing their own caseload and developing strong professional relationships within the schools through MDT working and regular liaison.



The post holder will support other therapists within the team including prioritisation, and caseload management.



The post holder will be a proficient British Sign Language user with minimum BSL Level 2 and/or working towards BSL Level 3 and above.



The post holder will have knowledge of the national curriculum and ensure that EHCP targets are functional, relevant and feasible.



Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

MAIN DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

PATIENT/CLIENT CARE



To carry a specialist caseload, maintaining a high level of professional competence and demonstrating highly specialist clinical expertise in the assessment, treatment and management of speech, language and communication associated with deafness. To monitor and review the progress of children on the caseload and facilitate the development or modification of packages of care/targets as appropriate using evaluation/outcome measurement tools. To work effectively as part of the MDT with clients, carers, and colleagues around individual case management; providing specialist advice, guidance and support as necessary and involving them in the planning and prioritisation of care wherever possible. To reflect on clinical practice; adequately identifying strengths & needs of clients, reviewing their response to therapy and providing evidence of expert clinical judgement including in cases which are complex and challenging. To adapt practice to meet individual client/carer's circumstances, taking into account cultural and linguistic backgrounds. To produce accurate, & detailed reports, therapy programmes, advice and information as necessary in a timely manner. To respond to the requirements of the Children and Families Act 2014 completing written advice (EHCP) for children/young people who may have Special Educational Needs. To refer children/young people to other Health, Education or Social Services professionals as necessary. To undertake home visits, as necessary, in compliance with the local Home Visiting Safety Policy.

COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIP SKILLS:

To demonstrate excellent communication skills enabling them to overcome communication barriers, displaying an awareness and sensitivity to social, cultural and economic issues. To be able to gather information that may be sensitive or complex and analyse it as part of a full assessment of a client's strengths and difficulties. To work closely with clients, carers and families, with empathy, tact, reassurance and active listening to fully discuss assessment results, treatment options, and agree a plan of management. To communicate complex information to carers, families, members of the multi-disciplinary team/other professions, and young people themselves in a way they are able to understand, ensuring that effective communication is achieved, particularly where barriers to understanding exist. To empathise in order to support and counsel parents/carers and children to accept the implications of presenting communication difficulties and the long term impact of deafness. To employ counselling skills with children, carers/families with highly complex needs. To maintain sensitivity at all times to the emotional needs of children with special and complex needs and their carers, in particular when imparting potentially distressing information regarding the nature of the client's difficulties and implications of the same. To routinely be able to use a range of communication modes and strategies during assessment and intervention. This may include the use of sign, symbols or other alternative and augmentation strategies as appropriate as well as the use of interpreters for clients and carers including BSL interpreters as well as other spoken languages. To support parents and teaching staff to enable children and young people to access support in their learning environment. This may involve training and modelling of strategies to parents and professionals working with the child/young person. The post holder will be able to plan and provide a range of appropriate, evidence-based packages of care through individual and small group therapy as required. To negotiate and manage conflict effectively in a range of settings. To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible To form effective therapeutic relationships with clients and/or carers who may be under stress and/or having challenging behaviour. To provide training to a variety of audiences on aspects of speech and language therapy. To liaise regularly with Senior Management within the special school/ unit and with the MDT team to agree and review effective service delivery to Deaf children and young people.

KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING & EXPERIENCE:

To demonstrate highly specialist knowledge and clinical effectiveness underpinned by current evidence based practice and outcome measures. To make appropriate diagnoses and highly specialist clinical decisions on evidence from assessment of complex cases, including differential diagnoses. To keep up to date with current clinical developments through reading, attendance at courses, meetings and Clinical Excellence Networks (CENs). To attend further training as necessary to maintain and further develop the skill and knowledge required of a highly specialist SLT. To provide induction, supervision, support and direction for less experienced SLTs as well as training students. To take a clinical lead as required within the team and to take on deputised duties from the Clinical Coordinator, SLT service for Deaf children as required To provide training to SLTs developing a specialism in Deafness, those working with deaf children on their caseload, and the wider service. To manage and prioritise a specialist caseload independently, advising line manager on issues of service delivery including shortfall, service pressures etc. To contribute to multi-agency assessment procedures as required, including statutory educational assessment. To be aware of legal requirements relating to the provision of a speech and language therapy service. To maintain up to date and accurate case notes and write reports reflecting highly specialist knowledge, ensuring that they meet departmental standards and are in line with local Trust Policy, and RCSLT professional standards. To demonstrate knowledge of current policies and practice in the education and health sector and incorporate these into the model of working as appropriate. To have a minimum qualification of Level 2 BSL and be working towards Level 3 BSL, in order to communicate and deliver a highly effective service to deaf children, carers and deaf colleagues. To demonstrate deaf awareness, understanding of deaf culture and the communication needs and barriers for deaf children and adults. To have a working knowledge of relevant procedures including: Safeguarding Children, SEN procedures, Working with Vulnerable Adults and other legal frameworks. To demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the issues associated with clinical governance and their application to professional practice. This will include compliance with / adherence to, and implementation of service and service area and Trust policies, National and Local guidelines and RCSLT Professional and Clinical and Guidelines.

ANALYTICAL & JUDGEMENTAL SKILLS:

To be able to analyse conflicting information and provide clear guidance and detailed reports on children seen. To facilitate and support schools and families in providing appropriate communication environments to develop children's language and interaction skills. To assume delegated tasks as requested by line manager, including participation in working groups, policy development groups related to clinical specialism. To carry out administrative duties including activity data collection, updating this accurately and regularly, ensuring the provision of such information promptly within local Trust guidelines. To maintain up to date records of annual leave and other absence. To participate in the clinical education of students, undertaking assessment of the placement as appropriate, and attending teaching sessions and meetings organised by the education establishments. To contribute to the local Trust's systems of clinical governance, developing innovations in areas of risk management, quality standards setting and clinical effectiveness in collaboration with others. To be accountable for professional action and recognising professional boundaries, and working within defined departmental and national protocols/policies and professional code of conduct. To work independently accessing appraisal within an Individual Performance Framework at pre-determined intervals. To have due regard for personal safety and that of children /carers, adhering to moving and handling regulations, restraining policies and ensure the safe positioning of self and others. To reflect and adhere to infection control and health and safety guidelines in order to deal with specific issues related to client contact: for example exposure to body fluids, infectious conditions, encountered on a daily basis. To provide advice and second opinions to non-specialists and other specialists/ professionals within clinical field, regarding the management and care of deaf children. To evaluate all training provided and amend according to feedback.

PLANNING AND ORGANISATIONAL SKILLS:

To manage and prioritise a defined caseload To help others manage and prioritise their workload * To plan and organise groups and training, as required