Speech and Language Therapy Assistant

They will be responsible for assisting in the effective delivery of individualised support and care to children undergoing assessment and receiving interventions from Speech and Language Therapists. They will develop skills in alternative communication methods suitable for children with severe and complex needs e.g. PODD, Makaton and other AAC systems both low and high tech. They will carry out individual or group programmes as directed by trained speech and language therapists.
In addition they will also support other special school teams with administrative tasks such as ordering equipment, audits and information management.
We are a friendly and relaxed service who promotes equal opportunities and access for all. The post holder will have excellent training opportunities, supervision and peer support., The Therapy Assistant will work as a member of Special Schools Team and will be responsible for assisting in the effective delivery of individualised support and care to children undergoing assessment and receiving interventions from Speech and Language Therapists at special schools- primarily Richard Cloudesley school. She/ he will undertake clerical and clinical duties as directed to provide a health service to children and young people across special schools. In addition to clinical duties, the postholder will assist the wider MDT team

with overseeing and organisation of equipment ordering, co-ordination of clinics, managing spreadsheets and assisting therapists with follow up documentation.

The post holder will be split between Richard Cloudesley primary and secondary school sites. Dependent on need, there may be times when the Therapy assistant is required to work in other teams or departments within the service which may include Samuel Rhodes or Bridge school. They will receive regular supervision from a therapist in the team and receive training in-service and via team meetings and events.

Working for our organisation
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.
Within Whittington Health, the Islington Additional Needs and Disability Team is a multidisciplinary service for children and young people 0- 19.
Our friendly and welcoming team based at Richard Cloudesley school is made up of a range of healthcare professionals including speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, dietitians, specialist nurses, therapy assistants, and health care assistants Our integrated service allows professionals to work holistically and to provide a responsive and streamlined family and school focused service., · To be a member of the Special Schools team and share information with team members as directed and appropriate, keeping confidentiality at all times.
· Ensure that up-to-date written and electronic records are maintained in accordance with Trust standards with guidance from supervisor.
· Form professional relationships with children, families, the MDT and school staff and communicate with them in a way that respects their views, autonomy and culture.
· Assist team members with liaising with other agencies involved in the child's care including: education, Social Services and Voluntary Services
· Develop skills in working with children with additional needs requiring a range of therapy input including individual and group sessions.
· Develop skills in alternative communication methods suitable for children with severe and complex needs and develop rapport e.g. PODD, Makaton and other AAC systems both low and high tech.
· To use a variety of verbal and non-verbal communication skills and tools to communicate with children who are non verbal, of a non English speaking background, requiring an interpreter, with a hearing impairment, with altered emotional states, with a cognitive/learning/behavioural disability.
· Report verbally and/or in writing to therapists on the child's development and performance in therapeutic and functional skills.
· Liaise with other agencies involved in the child's care, including relatives and carers, as appropriate to the child's needs, as directed by team members
· Report effectively any issues or concerns to supervisor/line manager
· Participate in service audits
· Persuade and motivate children to participate in therapy activities and reassure if required.
· Demonstrate effective communication over the telephone and in person to parents/carers and external agencies (especially teachers and teaching assistants)
· Demonstrate ability to use computer systems, reports and inputting data including team, word, excel and other programmes used for audits or record management.
· Assist the general specials schools Therapy & Nursing team with ordering, supplies, updating information and audits as required
Clinical Responsibility:
· Undertake specific individual or group programmes as assessed and directed by trained staff members, observing general behaviour, ability and response of the children, recording the information as requested and reporting to a supervisor. Settings could include clinic, home, or school.
· Engage children in therapeutic activities to promote speech, language and communication development.
· Facilitate and participate in planned activities, seeking guidance if child's condition changes.
· Assist in the implementation of team member interventions including:
o Assist in the running of therapy groups
o Carry out therapy programmes as directed by SLT with children and young people
o Under supervision of a therapist, provide a range of treatments; instructing and guiding children to support them in achieving identified goals. To work towards goals identified by the child, family/carers, the treating therapist, education professionals and the MDT
o Implements therapy treatment plans
o Organising and scheduling visits
o Assist team members with home assessment as required
· Adhere to the Trust's Policies and Procedures
· To assist in completing risk assessment of environment and safety under the guidance of senior team members following local and Trust policies
· Ensure that toys and play materials are kept clean, safe and secure, assisting with regular toy cleaning
· Highlighting the need for resources to aid the smooth running of clinical sessions
· To assist therapists in making and preparing clinical resources such as visual timetables, PODD books or other materials.
· Assist with programming of high tech AAC devices under guidance of SLT
· To support professionals staff in gathering evidence (including research database and website searches) and developing resources.
· Provide training or demonstrating teachers/schools, with the support and guidance of therapists
Leadership and Staff Management Responsibility
· Review and reflect own practice and performance through effective use of regular professional and operational supervision and appraisal.
· Participate in non-clinical induction, training and education of students and new assistants as directed by supervisor/line manager
· Provide support and organise peer support for more junior therapy assistant staff.
SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS
To comply with the Trust's Safeguarding Children and Adults policies, procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults This will require you to:
+ Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection Procedures and protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.
+ Ensure you are familiar and comply with the London Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures.
+ Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.
+ Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.
+ Participate in required training and supervision.
+ Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct
Whittington Health is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Your application form -
1. Provide only business email address for your referees - we are unable to request references from yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail accounts.
2. Make sure you to include all evidence of where you meet the essential requirement on the jobs description as this forms the base of our shortlisting criteria.
Our processes -
1. Closing dates are given as a guide; we are within our right to close adverts early so please ensure you submit your application as soon as possible to avoid delay.
2. If you do not hear from us up to 3 weeks after the closing date of the job unfortunately this means you have not been successfully shortlisted for interview. If your require feedback on your application please contact the appointing manager detailed in the body of the advert.
3. Please check your emails regularly as all correspondence from us will be via trac.systems - occasionally these emails will go into your Junk folder.
4. Employment at Whittington Health is offered subject to successful completion of a 6 month probationary period for all staff with the exception of GMC Registered Doctors.
Other important information -
+ Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Before submitting your application and to avoid disappointment please check that you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.
+ Applications are welcome from people wishing to job share or work flexible patterns. We are committed to equal opportunities.
+ In submitting an application form, you authorise Whittington Health NHS Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process should you be appointed to the post.
If you are offered a role with one of the NLPSS partner trusts, as part of pre-employment checks your identity and right to work documentation will be verified remotely (in most circumstances), using a certified identity verification service provider TrustID. You will be asked to capture an image of the relevant documents as well as a "selfie" using your smartphone/tablet (if available) for facial matching. TrustID will also perform a digital address check using Trunarrative and Equifax, which is a soft check and does not leave a footprint on your credit rating. For more information, visit www.trustid.co.uk
Please note that during the recruitment process your Identity Documentation (i.e. passport, driving licence, visa, etc.) will be scanned using a device which recognises UV, Infrared and Machine Readable Zone security features of the documents provided
The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.
We would welcome applications from individuals who are from underrepresented groups in the organisation