Children's SLT Clinical Service Lead

Job Overview

Ealing Community Partners has an exciting opportunity for an experienced and highly motivated SLT to join a team of Paediatric SLT Clinical Leads, working with the Children’s Services Manager to manage a large, diverse and dynamic Paediatric SLT service. This team is part of Ealing Children's Services which hosts most of the community health services for the borough. The post holder will join the leadership team and also work closely with our partners in the voluntary, education and social care sectors.

This post is a fixed term maternity leave cover and would suit a progressive clinician who would like to further develop their leadership and management experience within a supportive team.

The post will focus predominately on the service development and delivery of SLT provision to school aged children with EHCPs in Mainstream schools, Additional Resource Provisions (ARPs) and Special Schools. It will involve joint service planning for children and young people with SEND with the local authority and designated clinical officer for health. The post will also oversee the tribunal service the LA commissions the service to provide.

Ealing Paediatric SLT Service sits within Ealing Community Partners which was created in 2019 and hosted by West London NHS Trust in partnership with CNWL NHS Foundation Trust.

Main duties of the job

You will be joining a dynamic team of SLT Clinical Service Leads who manage the pr

ovision of a full range of high quality, Universal, Targeted and Specialist Paediatric SLT services.

This post will focus on the operational management, clinical delivery and development of SLT provision to children and young people accessing the SLT Service across a range of community sites and educational settings. It will involve joint service planning with other key stakeholders working with these populations. The post holder will also be involved in the implementation of a revised service offer to children accessing SLT services in Ealing.

You will be part of an innovative and forward-thinking department who are committed to putting research into practice to improve patient outcomes. This post will be an ideal opportunity for a speech and language therapist looking to develop their leadership skills in paediatric speech and language therapy who also has values that align with those of our organisation and is passionate about making a difference to children and young people.

Ealing is home to one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse communities in London and we are committed to excellence in child and family centred care. We work closely with various disciplines and agencies in providing clinical care, quality improvement, teaching and training.

Working for our organisation

Our mission: Keeping children and young people's education, health and well-being at the centre of decision making to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Ealing SLT Department feel strongly that Continual Professional Development is central to the delivery of the service and the development of the staff who work within it. The department offers a wide range of opportunities for CPD and is committed to providing excellent levels of support and supervision such as: - weekly clinical service lead meetings, supervision sessions, journal clubs, specialism groups and whole department training days. We maintain strong links with Victoria Kilsby, Trust Head of Profession and ensure our staff are kept abreast of the opportunities available as part of the wider organisation of CNWL e.g. 21CLP Leadership Training.

We are a friendly team who are committed to providing care and services which are inclusive and treat everyone with respect. We work with CNWL's equality, diversity and inclusion network who work to ensure we are an actively anti-racist trust, children's service and SLT team. We are fortunate to work in Ealing, one of the most ethnically diverse boroughs in the UK, and are striving to ensure our team reflects the communities we serve. We seek to ensure we are allies with our LGBTQ+ colleagues and families as well as our neurodivergent colleagues and families. We have a dedicated focus on staff wellbeing as this is a priority.

Job Summary

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To work jointly and collaboratively with the current SLT Clinical Service leads to: -

Provide clinical leadership and operational management, delivery and development of the Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service (SLT) in Ealing.

Focus predominately on the service development and delivery of SLT provision to school aged children with EHCPs in Mainstream schools, Additional Resource Provisions (ARPs) and Special Schools.

Oversee the tribunal service the LA commissions the service to provide.

Directly support the Clinical Services Manager and Professional Paediatric Therapy Lead in the operational and strategic management of Children’s SLT Services in Ealing.

Act as role model in specialist practice facilitating and supporting the delivery of effective patient care and service development.

Develop partnership opportunities and joint workings with other clinical and non-clinical professionals and liaise with other agencies as appropriate, particularly MDT colleagues, Children’s Centres, schools, social services and SEN education colleagues within the London Borough of Ealing (LBE), and in adjacent boroughs.

Deliver operational, clinical and managerial oversight for the Children’s SLT Service. Duties include line management, recruitment, service development and redesign to deliver on new business and integrated care opportunities, as these arise. This will involve joint service planning with the local authority and Designated Clinical Officer for health. As needed the post will also work in the CORE Health parts of the service.

Jointly be the CQC lead for the service, ensuring services are safe, caring, compassionate, effective and well led and that timely action plans are developed relating to any quality & safety risks/gaps identified.

To work closely with the wider Ealing Children’s therapy service leads to ensure coordinated and effective clinical and managerial leadership.

Person specification

Physical Skills and Effort - Emotional Effort

Essential criteria

Ability to deal with exposure to verbal and physical aggression

Required to use appropriate level of Personal Safety techniques to deal with challenging clients or incidents

Ability to manage sensitive and politically sensitive issues

Desirable criteria

• Full driving license
  
  

Qualifications & Training

Essential criteria

• Recognised degree in Speech and Language Therapy
• Registered member of the Health Professions Council as a speech and language therapist/ RCSLT
• Post registration qualification (Paediatrics, SLT or other appropriate clinical field)
• Evidence of post registration professional development, CPD and self-directed learning
• Registered member of RCSLT
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Post –graduate qualification (professional or leadership) evidence equivalent to MSC level
• Membership of a special interest group Management / Leadership Training
  
  

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

Substantial experience as a registered qualified Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist

Experience as a highly specialist paediatric Speech and Language Therapy practitioner as part of an MDT

Paediatric NHS experience

Experience of staff and student supervision and management

Experience of receiving and communicating complex information which may be contentious and sensitive

Analysis and investigation of incidents

Indepth knowledge of national and local policies relevant to the client group

Knowledge of a range of appropriate assessment tools and therapeutic intervention approaches with a Paediatric caseload, including those used in community/education settings and with parents

Knowledge of the roles of other professionals relevant to client group

Knowledge and operational application of SEND reforms within areas of work

Desirable criteria

• Child protection supervision
• Experience in inter-agency planning, consultation and working
  
  

Skills And Abilities

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of assessment tools relevant to the client group
• Knowledge of national policies and procedures relevant to client group
• Knowledge of range of appropriate therapeutic interventions
• Knowledge of the principles of clinical governance/audit.
• Knowledge of the roles of other professionals relevant to client group
• Knowledge of standards of record keeping.
• Knowledge and operational application of new SEND reforms within areas of work
• Demonstrable IT skills including knowledge of how to develop and adapt databases and spreadsheets
• Ability to be intellectually flexible and to look beyond existing structures, ways of working, boundaries and organisations to produce more effective and innovative service delivery and partnerships
• A “can do” attitude and ability to working in partnership with others and using the highest level influencing and negotiating skills
• High level of work organisation, self-motivation, drive for performance and improvement, and flexibility in approach and attitude

Ability to analyse complex clinical issues/problems, identify necessary action and make recommendations and follow these through

Ability to work to deadlines and under pressure

Desirable criteria

• Management of staff, including performance management and change management