Job summary
- Main area
- Speech and Language Therapy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 26.25 hours per week
- Job ref
- 203-FH1088
- Employer
- South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Acorn House
- Town
- Warwick
- Salary
- £55,690 - £62,682 pa
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 05/09/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 22/09/2025
Employer heading
Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist - Paediatric Autism
NHS AfC: Band 8a
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is one of the top performing organisations within the NHS. Our staff think this is a great place to work and we hope you will agree. We have recently been rated as 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following our most recent inspection.
We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the whole county. This includes our Community Teams in North Warwickshire.
We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity. Over 6000 people work for the Trust and many of them have been here a long time. People find they don’t need to go elsewhere to find a fulfilling career in healthcare.
The first thing you will notice about us is how we take our values seriously. We believe that our values underpin everything we do. If you are interested in a role with us you need to make sure our values match your own.
Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are ‘Trusted to provide inclusive, safe, effective and compassionate care’. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work. It doesn’t matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.
Probationary Period
All new staff to the Trust will be subject to a standard 6 month probationary period, the details of which will duly follow in your contract of employment.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is committed to creating and sustaining a positive and inclusive working environment for all our employees. Our aim is to ensure that employees are equally valued and respected and that our organisation is representative of all members of society. We define diversity as valuing everyone as an individual – we value our employees, job applicants, students, patients and visitors as people. This is reflected within our values of being Inclusive, Safe, Effective, Compassionate and Trusted.
As part of our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion we encourage all applicants to complete a short survey. This can be accessed via the link below:
https://forms.office.com/e/ahWY3eAGM2
We appreciate you completing the survey.
Agile and Flexible Working
All our staff will have a work base. However the Trust operates as an Agile Working Team therefore staff may be working from home on a regular basis as required by the service. However, occasionally travel around Warwickshire and into your base will be required so access to your own transport would be helpful.
The Trust also welcome staff to work flexibly and we would welcome the conversation at interview regarding flexible working.
Staff Benefits
The Trust offer a wide range of additional benefits to staff. Anyone who joins us on a substantive basis can assess things such as the Lease Car Scheme, Electronics Scheme, Discounted Leisure and Travel, Cycle to work scheme amongst many others available.
Car Parking
The Trust currently have limited availability of car parking spaces, as such are operating a waiting list for new starters joining the organisation.
To keep up to date on our latest recruitment activity follow us on twitter @swftrecruit or look us up on Facebook (Recruitment - South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust).
Job overview
The post operates across a large number of settings and collaborates with a large number of different disciplines / teams including Warwickshire Preschool Autism Service (WPAS) and the Neurodevelopmental School Age Service in Warwickshire, Integrated Disability Service (IDS), educational settings, Social Services settings, and children’s homes.
The postholder independently holds a caseload of children for specialist autism support, with highly complex autism needs. The post acts as consultant / specialist adviser in providing advice, guidance, recommendations for other SLT colleagues, as well as other disciplines in the MDTs e.g. Clinical Psychologists, Consultant Paediatricians.
Main duties of the job
The postholder takes management responsibility for the team of therapists working in this specialism
The postholder provides supervision for other SLTs who undertake clinical work in the field of Paediatric Autism.
It is the responsibility of the postholder to provide support and training packages related to the specialism, and to develop the service in line with new developments in funding, research, technology, RCSLT and Government guidelines.
To regularly provide specialist training packages to parents, carers, professionals and colleagues, both formally and informally, to extend others skills and knowledge in the field.
The postholder advises the Professional Head of Department on new legislation, policy and protocol within the specialist field, and plays a key role in the development of a strategy for Paediatric Autism in the SLT Department.
Working for our organisation
Come and join a Trust rated Outstanding by the CQC. South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust have been rated as outstanding following our latest inspection by the CQC and we are recruiting new staff to come and help us improve even further. In addition our staff survey results have placed us 4th in the country for recommended place to work.
We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the county. We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity.
Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are ‘Trusted to provide safe, inclusive, effective and compassionate care’. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work. It doesn’t matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.
As part of our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion we encourage all applicants to complete a short survey. This can be accessed via the link below:
https://forms.office.com/e/ahWY3eAGM2
We appreciate you completing the survey.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
As Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist in the field of Paediatric Autism, this post has overall responsibility for co-ordinating / overseeing and providing the Autism service for preschool and primary age autistic children.
Main roles:
• To line manage the therapists working in this specialism
• Jointly with the Head of Service to play a key role in developing the strategy for Paediatric Autism for the department.
• To provide supervision to therapists working in the area of Paediatric Autism
• To manage a caseload of children with highly complex Autism needs.
• To carry out assessment and differential diagnosis of children’s difficulties (working closely with both the family and the setting)
• To regularly provide specialist training packages to parents, carers, professionals and colleagues, both formally and informally, to extend others skills and knowledge in the field.
• Timely and appropriate onward referral of children who have additional difficulties or needs (e.g. dysphagia, general learning difficulties), ensuring a co-ordinated approach
CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES
To plan, organise and provide highly specialist SLT services for autistic children;
• To exercise full responsibility and autonomy for a highly complex caseload of children with Paediatric Autism.
• To prioritise own caseload and manage own workload efficiently and effectively.
• To work effectively as a member of a multi-agency team, to contribute specialist assessment and advice regarding the Autism needs of children with highly complex developmental and health needs as part of their differential diagnosis.
• To use specialist knowledge to assess and analyse information gathered using a range of observational, informal and formal assessments, in order to build a diagnosis on which to base individualised treatment plans.
• To use specialist knowledge and training to independently manage children with Autistic needs, including those with additional complex needs / medical conditions e.g. cleft lip and palate, cerebral palsy, degenerative and genetic conditions, prematurity, etc.
• To negotiate with others e.g. parents / carers, Consultants, etc., around case management in complex cases.
• To provide expert advice and assessment of Autism in preschool and primary aged children in their homes, nurseries, mainstream and special schools.
• To provide individual management plans and programmes based on specialist assessment and ensure those carrying out those plans fully understand how and why they have been recommended to do so.
• To write reports reflecting expert knowledge in a clear and concise manner to enable others to make informed decisions.
• To formulate clear care plans based on best practice.
• To evaluate outcomes of therapy.
• To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning assessment findings and provision of care for clients.
• To assist parents / carers to understand and accept the long-term impact and implications of a diagnosis of autism
• To recognise and manage emotional needs of client / carer when imparting potentially distressing information.
• To employ excellent communication, negotiation and counselling skills in order to facilitate client and carer’s engagement in the therapeutic process.
• To liaise with other professions and teams both locally and outside of the Trust (e.g. MDTs within Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust (CWPT) to receive and act on their recommendations and also provide expert consultation and advice based on own specialist assessment and observation.
• To recognise potential breakdown and conflict when it occurs and generate solutions.
• To attend formal review meetings in educational and health settings.
• To contribute to Statement of Special Educational Needs according to Department Policy.
• To organise and facilitate multi-disciplinary case reviews, as appropriate.
• To work within infection control guidelines to ensure that therapy/treatment/care does not constitute a risk of infection either to the healthcare professional, to the client or to any persons visiting/working in trust premises
Additional Highly Specialist Responsibilities
• To assist other SLTs in carrying out case management in a variety of settings in a consultative and / or supervisory capacity.
• To provide and receive peer supervision with other Highly Specialist Paediatric Autism SLTs
• To provide clinical placements and supervision for SLTs both within and outside South Warwickshire
• To provide supervision and support for less experienced SLTs in the area of Paediatric Autism, to ensure safe and effective practice.
• To participate in recruitment, both internally and externally, as an external assessor of therapists for Paediatric Autism Posts.
• To take responsibility of the role of Expert SLT, as a member of the Regional Register of Expert SLTs. This involves providing second opinions on highly complex cases where there may be disagreement between families and other professionals on the nature / severity of the disorder.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Recognised Speech and Language Therapy degree qualification or equivalent.
- Registered member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.
- Health Professions Council Registration
- Evidence of continuing professional development since qualification, which includes successful completion of relevant Specialist short courses up to Master’s Degree level.
- Membership of CEN/ Specific Interest Group
- MSc or equivalent experience in relevant field.
- Postgraduate course in counselling.
Desirable criteria
- Attendance on ADOS Course
- PACT accredited
- Attendance on SCERTS course
- Attendance on Gestalt training
Experience
Essential criteria
- Very significant experience post registration in Paediatrics, including significant working with children with highly complex needs.
- Significant experience at a Post Graduate level of Paediatric Autism Management.
- Demonstrates post Graduate competencies of working with specialised clinical groups e.g. prematurity, ADHD, epilepsy, complex syndromes and neurological conditions.
- Experience of supervising less experienced SLT colleagues.
- Experience of supervising SLT and SLT assistants.
- Experience of providing second opinions.
- Experience of devising and delivering training packages.
- Experience of working with Multi-Disciplinary Teams.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Charmayne Healey
- Job title
- Service Lead for Children's SALT
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
Please email for any queries or questions
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