Job Overview Are you an experienced learning assistant with a passion for speech and language therapy? We have an exciting opportunity for a speech and language therapy associate practitioner to deliver therapy interventions in schools. Have a look at our Hillingdon Talks website and Facebook page to find out what we are all about. What our staff say about the team: 'Hillingdon Mainstream Schools Team is so welcoming. I have found the team very approachable as well as being open to suggestions and ideas. It is well organised which made it easier to settle into my role and the demands of the job” We can offer you: A supportive team of speech and language therapy colleagues where well being is prioritised A welcoming office space for you to return to at the end of the day for informal support An identified buddy who will meet with you every week at first to help you settle in and who you can ask lots of questions Supervision meetings with a therapist every 4-6 weeks, along with an annual appraisal A manageable caseload across a range of schools – under the supervision of a qualified therapist Opportunities to develop your clinical skills through termly study afternoons, training, shadowing experienced therapists Opportunities to work with therapists on projects to develop the service Main duties of the job You will work in schools with a range of children who have speech, language and communication needs e.g. language difficulties, speech difficulties, stammering, learning difficulties and autism. The speech and language therapist will identify appropriate children for you. You will have the opportunity to work directly with the children in groups and individually with an LSA observing the sessions in order to carry out follow up work – under the guidance of a speech and language therapist You will model set intervention packages for school staff in order that they can then run these sessions independently You will support with the assessment and review of how the child is functioning at school and at home through observations, discussions and informal and some formal assessments You will offer training to parents on strategies that they can use to support their children -using training packages written by therapists You will support parents of children on the caseload and keep in regular touch with them via phone calls or meetings You will contribute to audits etc in order to provide evidence that the service being provided is being effective You will support the team with the making of therapy resources during school holidays Working for our organisation We are delighted to offer this opportunity to work as a Speech and Language Therapy Associate Practitioner within CNWL Allied Health Professional (AHP) Support Workers. AHP Support Workers are vital in CNWL’s therapies teams and have varied roles across many clinical services, as Assistants and Associate Practitioners to Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Dietitians and Podiatrists. Roles also include Activity Coordinators and Fitness Instructors. Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities To independently model and deliver identified interventions for children with speech, language and communication needs in mainstream schools under the guidance of a qualified therapist To independently deliver identified training to parents of children with speech, language and communication needs under the guidance of a qualified therapist To independently deliver identified training to LSA staff on strategies and interventions to support children with speech, language and communication needs To independently monitor the progress of identified children with speech, language and communication needs in mainstream schools under the guidance of a qualified therapist – including informal assessments, some formal assessments, observations and discussions with school staff and parents – and to feedback findings to the therapist Devise, design and produce low technology communication aids – and model using these in mainstream schools To produce resources for intervention and maintain resources appropriate to the clinical environment and child’s needs as requested by therapists To support with the running of any school holiday group sessions run by the team To prioritise the Safeguarding of Vulnerable Children at all times To support the service to achieve Key Performance Indicators and maintain Target Activity Levels To take part in quality governance, audits and projects for the team/service To contribute to, and provide feedback about, possible developments in the team To provide buddying, support and shadowing to less experienced Assistants/Associate Practitioners and volunteers as required Person specification Education And Qualifications Essential criteria Education to A level standard or equivalent Desirable criteria Education to degree level Training in Sing along/Makaton ELKLAN trained Attended CITS training/SAS training Experience Essential criteria Extensive experience of working in a mainstream school/special school as a learning support assistant Desirable criteria Experience of delivering speech and language therapy interventions for individual/groups of children at school Experience of working as a Speech and Language Therapy Assistant Skills and Knowledge Essential criteria Understanding of the role of a speech and language therapist in schools Experience of delivering interventions under the guidance of a speech and language therapist Able to prioritise workload and work independently Good presentation skills; both written and verbal. Awareness of the roles of professionals relevant to school age children with special educational needs Desirable criteria Extensive experience of delivering a range of interventions under the guidance of a speech and language therapist eg. lead assistant in a school for communication interventions Knowledge for using SystmOne