Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Job summary

This is a rare opportunity for two Band 6 specialist speech and language therapists to join the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering (MPC) in London. We are recruiting to one full-time position (37.5 hours per week) and one part-time position (30 hours per week).

The MPC is a national tertiary service and internationally recognised centre of excellence in stammering and cluttering, run by Whittington Health with charity support. Based in refurbished premises in central London, the MPC provides specialist assessment and therapy for children, young people and adults across the UK and internationally, alongside a comprehensive training programme for therapists across the globe and a research department investigating the nature of stammering and evidence-based therapy.

We value diversity and welcome applications from people of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, including people who stammer.

Main duties of the job

You will join a team of ten expert speech and language therapists and will receive regular, direct line management, individual and peer supervision and peer support on site. We will provide a structured programme of induction and training and you will have access to an extensive library and other resources. The focus of intervention at the Centre is a client-centred, family focused model, through both individual therapy and intensive group programmes.

You will be expected to have a background in paediatric speech and language therapy with experience of working with children and their families. We welcome applicants with additional skills (e.g. in complex needs) and experiences of stammering and/or cluttering, and working with families e.g. parent child interaction therapy. Awareness of the relevant literature, theoretical frameworks of stammering and research will be helpful.

About us

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

Job responsibilities

• To develop and maintain specialist knowledge of current theoretical perspectives and research issues in the nature and therapy for childhood stammering in childhood including a clear understanding of the trends and status of evidence-based practice.
• To demonstrate clinical expertise in the clinical management of children who stammer and their interrelated cognitive, affective and behavioural components as well as the implications of co-existing communication differences.
• To contribute to the specialist tertiary consultation and second opinion service including the comprehensive assessment and clinical management of children who stammer.
• To provide a speech and language therapy service to a caseload of children with complex stammering, including co-occurring diagnoses.
• To take delegated responsibility in the preparation, planning, organisation and running of group therapy programmes for children and young people.
• To support non-specialist speech and language therapists working with children who stammer in Whittington Health.
• To contribute to articles for specialist journals, newsletters etc.
• To support the organisation, delivery and evaluation of the Centres national training programmes and workshops for the clinical management of young children who stammer.
• To contribute to the implementation of research projects and clinical audits being carried out at the Centre.
• To contribute to the preparation, writing and dissemination of MPC work.
• To contribute to and develop the Centres presence on social media.
• To take delegated responsibility for specialist audio-visual and other technical equipment which are used as clinical, training and research tools.

Please see Job Description and Person Specification document for full job description and responsibilities.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree or equivalent professional qualification (e.g. BSc or MSc in Speech and Language Therapy)
• HCPC registration and RCSLT registration

Desirable

• Completed/ attended post qualification short courses relevant to stammering or cluttering
• Student supervision training

Skills/abilities

Essential

• Ability to manage a caseload of children and young people with speech, language and communication needs independently.
• Ability to carry out assessment, intervention, goal setting and outcome measurement, being evidence-based
• Knowledge of current approaches to the assessment and management of childhood stammering.
• Excellent written and presentation skills, for a range of purposes

Desirable

• Ability to communicate complex clinical information to clients, families and professionals.

Experience

Essential

• Minimum 2 years' post registration experience in paediatric speech, language and communication
• Experience relevant to stammering and/or cluttering, post registration (assessment and therapy interventions for paediatric speech, language and communication skills and stammering)
• Working collaboratively with parents/carers or teachers

Desirable

• Experience of delivering training to a range of audiences e.g. teachers, teaching assistants and specialist education and health professionals.
• Experience of approaches to support clients and parents/ carers with anxiety, behaviour, mental health needs or in high levels of stress or anxiety