Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust
SPECIALIST SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPIST
July 2019 – present
This is a dynamic post which requires multi-agency working in assessing adults with potential autism spectrum disorder and related conditions. My main duties and responsibilities are as follows:
- To assesses and diagnose complex communication disorders under the umbrella of autism spectrum disorder or similarly presenting conditions.
- To maintain sensitivity at all times to the emotional needs of the service user and their carers, offering reassurance and empathy.
- To work with individuals who may find it difficult to engage with the service or aspects of the service.
- To support service users and families in understanding the diagnosis and outcome of the assessment.
- To write detailed, factual and robust reports which supports the diagnosis in relation to their developmental history and current presenting behaviours/traits.
- To work effectively as a member of a multi-agency team.
Birmingham Community Healthcare Plus (part of BCHC NHS Foundation Trust)
SPECIALIST SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPIST
05/2015 to 12/2019
This position was to provide specialist speech and language therapy (SLT) assessment and intervention for pupils in school. This includes students with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs who attend a family of schools (James Brindley Schools). My main duties and responsibilities were as follows:
- To take responsibility for delivery of a school service to children, including those with complex communication needs, by following the universal, targeted and specialist levels of provision. This includes those affected by Selective Mutism, Stammering and Autism.
- To be the lead for Selective Mutism for the BCHC PLUS SLT service, offering guidance and second opinions.
- To assess, develop and implement highly specialist speech and language therapy treatment for pupils with SEMH difficulties, writing reports reflecting specialist knowledge and providing appropriate specialist intervention and to evaluate outcomes.
- To make highly specialist differential diagnoses for children and young people with SEMH difficulties on the basis of evidence from assessments and clinical observations.
- To frequently liaise and collaborate with the educational staff and wider multi-disciplinary team.
- To demonstrate highly specialist knowledge in clinical specialism underpinned by current evidence based practice.
- To demonstrate empathy with clients, carers and colleagues, ensuring that effective communication is achieved, particularly where barriers to understanding exist.
- To work alongside others within the schools to ensure the development and delivery of the provision of speech and language therapy.
- To form productive relationships with others who may be under stress and/or have challenging communication difficulties.
Staffordshire and Stoke-On-Trent Partnership Trust
SENIOR SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPIST
From 11/2007 to 05/2015
This was a clinical post in which I delivered specialised assessment and interventions for children in community clinics, nurseries and mainstream schools. The lead responsibilities were:
- To independently manage a paediatric case-load including assessment, differential diagnosis and treatment of children with speech and language difficulties in mainstream schools and community clinics.
- To lead in the Speech Delay/Disorder Working Group to enhance the team’s knowledge of speech assessment and therapy techniques. I designed a speech chart taken from the DEAP assessment to provide equity across the team when determining the next step for the child’s duty of care. Its ease and effectiveness means it is still in use.
- To deliver training to educational staff with school aged children with speech, language and communication difficulties. In 2013, I managed a small team in creating, presenting and training school staff on our Communication Champion Day, which received very positive feedback.
- To deliver training to parents of pre-school children by delivering adapted Hanen parent groups.
- To develop enhanced skills in working with children with co-occurring communication difficulties and mental health concerns.
- To develop the services to children with cleft palate in the Trusts locality. This involves effective liaison with Birmingham Children’s Hospital, as part of the ‘hub and spoke’ approach to cleft palate management. In 2008 I volunteered for a 3 day residential event for children with cleft lip and palate with the charity the Active Training & Education Trust and members of BCH SLT team.
North Staffordshire PCT
SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPIST
From 05/2006 to 11/2007
Following on from my secondment, this post was split between four sessions in Special Schools and six sessions in Health Centres.
The main duties and responsibilities were as follows:
- To assess, diagnose and manage the communication difficulties in the settings identified.
- To manage and organise the caseload independently by assessing the level of the child’s clinical risk and need in order to work effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities and time management.
- To write reports on a regular basis, summarising the client’s difficulties, needs and proposed intervention for a range of purposes e.g. Annual Reviews/ statements of Special Educational Needs.
- To work closely with Multi-Disciplinary team, e.g. inviting SENCOs and support staff to attend and observe clinic sessions in order to model programs.
- To participate in the development and delivery of training to other professionals.
- To provide full student placements as requested.
- To relate and consult with the County Community Coordinator and Special Schools Coordinator.
- To be responsible for own personal growth and development supported by the personal review and personal development plan.
North Staffordshire PCT
SPECIALIST SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPIST
From 05/2003 to 04/2005
This was a secondment post to work as part of the government initiative Sure Start.
The main responsibilities were:
- To work exclusively in two of the three wave 5 Sure Start programmes, assessing and managing a case load of children aged 5 or under.
- To enhance my skills and knowledge of supporting pre-school children with their communication abilities.
- To initiate and develop relationships with nursery staff in the locality. I organised, co-ordinated and chaired half termly meetings with the nursery staff within my Sure Starts to share best practise and advance robust and supportive relationships.
- To establish and maintain communications links with hard to reach families as well as motivating the families who have previously disengaged with the NHS.
- To work regularly with translators to meet the needs of the clients and community.
- To deliver training to Sure Start and Education colleagues as well as parents. In 2003 at the National Sure Start Conference I designed and presented a workshop on language groups, twice, due to the popularity of the presentation.
- To recommend and implement changes to the Sure Start service delivery.
- To write quarterly reports for the attention of the Sure Start manager, detailing the progress of the project and the success of the service targets.
North Staffordshire PCT
SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPIST
From 04/2001 to 04/2003
This was a generalist post and involved three sessions in a Speech and Language Resource Unit attached to a mainstream school, five sessions in a health centre and two sessions for health centre groups.
The duties and responsibilities included:
- To assess, diagnose and manage the communication of children through individual and group activities identified in the settings above. This included running social skills groups.
- To develop enhanced skills in specific speech and language difficulties.
- To work closely in the multidisciplinary team to support patient care.
- To provide mentoring for newly qualified Speech and Language Therapists.
- To provide written programmes and advice to support therapy and to contribute to the assessment and review process.
- To maintain accurate, confidential and contemporaneous case notes in line with departmental and professional guidelines.
- To contribute to the development of Individual Education Plans for specific children.