Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist
The closing date is 19 November 2025
We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated and experienced Speech and Language Therapist who is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) to provide a high standard of Speech and Language Therapy to children and young people in Warrington.
In this role, you will work across two teams: the Childrens Speech and Language Therapy Team and the Childrens Neurodevelopmental Pathway Assessment (NDP) Team.
You will see children/young people aged 0‑19 in a range of settings including clinic, mainstream schools and specialist provisions as required.
You will work alongside B5, B6 and B7 SLTs and SLT assistants as part of a large, supportive, and innovative team.
You will work closely with families, health colleagues and education staff to develop programmes that will be implemented in schools and at home.
You will have allocated time, along with colleagues, to influence service development using the latest evidence and can take on additional responsibility in an area of interest.
We have regular team meetings, as well as protected learning time / in‑service training. We also offer flexible working opportunities such as working from home when appropriate.
At Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust our mission is to improve local health and well‑being in the communities we serve. We want to ensure that our patients, their families, communities, and our stakeholders receive the right care, in the right place and at the right time.
Main duties of the job
You will provide specialist assessment of children and young people's needs and develop programmes to be implemented by education staff in school settings and parents / carers at home.
You will provide specialist assessment of children and young people's social communication to contribute to their Autism assessment within Warrington’s Neurodevelopmental Pathway.
You may work in a clinic setting delivering therapy to children with a range of speech and language difficulties.
You will deliver training for other professionals as required.
You will need an interest in and/or experience of working with children and young people with complex communication difficulties, learning difficulties, social communication difficulties, selective mutism, speech disorders and Developmental Language Disorder.
You will share responsibility with other Highly Specialist and Specialist SLTs for further developing the service to ensure best practice in place and to monitor outcomes for children and their families.
You will support less experienced staff and will have access to support from Highly Specialist Therapists as well as the Speech and Language Therapy Team Leaders.
You will need to work flexibly across community settings.
It is essential the post holder is a driver with access to a vehicle for work purposes, subject to the Equality Act 2010.
About us
Flexible working will be considered for all roles.
Unfortunately, we do not hold a sponsor licence for working Visas.
At Bridgewater, our PEOPLE values shape how we deliver our NHS services in your local community.
They help us deliver our mission to improve local health and promote wellbeing in the communities we serve.
After all, values are about people and they were created in partnership with our staff to reflect what they felt was important to them.
Here at Bridgewater our shared values flow through the organisation.
* Person‑centred – We are passionate about individual needs and promote independence in the healthcare we provide.
* Empowered – We empower our people and encourage new ideas to deliver and create improvements in community care.
* Open and Honest – We behave in a way that develops relationships based on trust, openness, honesty and respect.
* Professional – We support our people, so everyone has the right skills and training to deliver outstanding patient care.
* Locally Led – We are always learning about our communities and show great pride in being a local provider of health and care.
* Efficient – We use our resources wisely to provide sustainable and value for money healthcare for our patients.
Job responsibilities
* To assess and diagnose children with a range of communication disorders, including as part of their social communication assessment within the NDP Team.
* To develop and implement Speech and Language Therapy programmes for school staff and parents to implement and evaluate outcomes for children with communication difficulties.
* To take clinical responsibility for a varied paediatric caseload of differing complexities and to organise this effectively with regard to clinical priorities and use of time.
* To ensure that clients are involved in the planning and prioritisation of their treatment plans wherever possible.
* To provide advice, training and coaching to others regarding the management and care of clients with communication difficulties.
* To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence‑based practice and outcome measures.
* To produce reports regarding clients' needs and summarising proposed treatment plans.
* To contribute to legal documents such as Education Health & Care Plans, Individual Education Plans and Annual Reviews.
* To adapt practice to meet individual clients' circumstances, including due regard for cultural and linguistic differences.
* To maintain up to date and accurate casenotes in line with RCSLT professional standards and local trust policies.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent.
* Health Care Professions Council registration.
* RCSLT Licence to Practice.
* Relevant postgraduate training in complex communication difficulties.
* Registered member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.
* Membership of relevant Clinical Excellence Networks.
* Evidence of additional training / continuing professional development around specialist area e.g. SEMH, DLD.
Experience
* Experience independently managing a wide range of communication disorders including communication linked to ASD, DLD, Speech disorders, disorders existing alongside learning difficulties and/or SEMH.
* Experience working in collaboration, sharing strategies and implementing programmes and advice and coaching staff in mainstream / special schools.
* Experience in day to day running of a community / mainstream /special school caseload and supporting newly qualified staff and assistants.
* Involvement in training / coaching other.
* Experience in designing and providing training.
* Relevant postgraduate clinical experience.
* Training in SEMH/Selective Mutism/DLD.
* Experience supervising other SLTs/assistants e.g. running clinical supervision sessions.
* Experience of working within a Multi‑disciplinary team to contribute to Autism assessment.
Sponsorship
* Do you have the right to stay and work in the UK without sponsorship (share‑codes will be checked if applicable)
Skills and Attributes
* In depth knowledge of SEND Code of Practice and National Curriculum.
* Knowledge of relevant NICE guidelines.
* Excellent interpersonal skills including observation, listening and empathy skills.
* Negotiation and problem solving skills.
* Demonstrates good analytical and reflection skills.
* Good presentation skills, both written and verbal.
* Good organisational skills.
* Good auditory skills and ability to transcribe speech phonetically.
* Demonstrates ability to be a good team member.
* Knowledge of assessment tools relevant to the client group.
* Knowledge of national policies and procedures relevant to the client group.
* Well established knowledge of a range of appropriate therapeutic interventions relevant to the client group.
* Understanding of the roles of other professionals relevant to the client group.
* Knowledge of standards of record keeping.
* Evidence of CPD.
* Understanding of the principles of clinical governance/audit.
* Previous experience of NHS IT systems.
Job Specific Requirements
* The ability to travel independently across Bridgewater Trust.
* The ability to work flexibly in accordance with service needs, including on occasions evenings.
Relationships
* If you are related to a director, or have a relationship with a director or employee of an appointing organisation, please state the relationship:
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.
Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
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