Speech and Language Therapy Assistant
The closing date is 23 December 2025
1 x Fixed Term contract/secondment opportunity for up to 6 months
The hours are part time, 30 hours a week.
Internal applicants who wish to be considered for a secondment opportunity should discuss with their line manager the suitability of a possible secondment
We would like to welcome applications from highly experienced, motivated individuals to support the Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce (APST).
Gloucestershire's 'Alternative Provision Change' project was established in September 2024 and is one of several projects being delivered as part of the local area's participation in the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Change Programme.
The Department for Education (DfE) SEND and AP Change programme is a national initiative that aims to test and improve policy changes in relation to SEND and AP for children and young people. The aim of the programme is to integrate health, education and care services to provide inclusive support through mainstream offers or specialist settings.
Gloucestershire has a large team of Speech and Language Therapists and there will be opportunities for joint working across the team and with other services in the integrated directorate. Though there will be some lone working, there are shared bases where staff can meet and work together.
Main duties of the job
The taskforce will comprise of specialists in the following areas: speech and language, family support, mental health/therapy, and youth work.
Through a "test and learn" approach, practice will develop. Specialists on the team will be required to be proactive and creative to achieve outcomes for children.
The APST will be implemented across the GHES and The Altus School, focusing on key stage 2 and 3 children (7 -14-year-olds).
The model is based on a tiered approach:
* A universal offer for all children within scope. This will include delivering tutorial sessions, screening to support early identification of unmet need and a training offer for staff
* Group offer including running interventions for children with similar needs, holiday activities and parent support
* Individual offer where specialists from the taskforce will work directly with individual children and families to meet more complex needs identified through a holistic assessment.
Specialist work across GHES and Altus sites as well as from local community bases and family homes (if appropriate).
The children in scope will be accessing alternative education provision under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996, though GHES or Altus because attendance at another school is not possible due to exclusion, illness or other reason.
About us
We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people's homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.
Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:
* 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
* 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
* 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust's priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.
This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description and person specification for full details
Support screening and treatment interventions for children and young people (7-14yrs), their families/carers and education settings with the designated team.
* Providing consultation, advice and the delivery of intervention programmes within scope of the role and experience. Care planning will utilise a wide range of treatment skills and options for use in both the home, community and education setting alongside using a personalised and coproduction approach when working with families, parents, carers and settings.
* Clinical care will take a trauma informed approach with knowledge and understanding of Adverse Child Experience (ACES) that may be impacting on presenting needs.
* Undertaking a clinical caseload of children/young people and their families with guidance and support from the lead speech and language therapist/wider MDT.
* Typically, this postholder will work with children and young people who are highly vulnerable or have complex needs where joint working with multi-agency partners across Gloucestershire is key.
This role is not eligible for sponsorship as per the Governments UK VISA and Immigration Rules and Regulations. For more information please visit https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Evidence of childcare qualification
* Evidence of academic qualification to A-levels or equivalent
* Speech and Language relevant qualification
Experience
* Relevant and current experience in an education setting
* Experience supporting children with SLCN/following speech and language therapy programmes
* Experience delivering/supporting training to parents and/or professionals
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer name
Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
£27,485 to £30,162 a year per annum (pro rata)
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