Senior Speech and Language Therapist – Paediatrics.

Senior Speech and Language Therapist – Paediatrics

The Senior Speech and Language Therapist will provide specialist, evidence-based assessment and intervention for children with speech, language, communication, eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties.

The role will have a particular focus on paediatric feeding and swallowing, alongside clinical leadership, supervision and multidisciplinary working.

Key Clinical Responsibilities of Senior Speech and Language Therapist

• Specialist assessment and management of paediatric feeding, eating and drinking difficulties .
• Assessment of oral motor, oral sensory and functional feeding skills , including chewing, biting, tongue movements and bolus management.
• Supporting development of age-appropriate feeding skills , including bottle, cup and straw drinking and progression through textures and consistencies.
• Assessment and management of children with oropharyngeal dysphagia , including identification of aspiration risk and appropriate onward referral.
• Development of individualised, safe and practical feeding and swallowing management plans.
• Supporting children with food refusal, restricted diets, sensory-based feeding difficulties and complex mealtime presentations .
• Working collaboratively with families to develop practical strategies that can be implemented at home and in everyday mealtimes.
• Contributing to multidisciplinary management of children who are tube-fed or transitioning towards oral feeding.
• Providing assessment and intervention for speech, language, communication and AAC needs as appropriate.

Clinical Leadership

• Provide clinical leadership within the paediatric SLT service.
• Manage and prioritise a specialist caseload according to clinical need and risk.
• Provide supervision, mentoring and support to junior therapists and students.
• Contribute to clinical guidelines, feeding pathways, audit and quality improvement.
• Promote evidence-based practice and continuing professional development.

Essential Experience of Senior Speech and Language Therapist

• Significant post-qualification Speech and Language Therapy experience.
• Substantial paediatric clinical experience .
• Strong specialist experience in paediatric feeding, eating, drinking and swallowing .
• Experience working within neonatal settings, supporting the assessment and management of infants with feeding, swallowing and communication needs, while collaborating closely with families and the multidisciplinary team.
• Experience assessing and managing children with dysphagia and complex feeding presentations.
• Experience developing individualised feeding plans and supporting families.
• Excellent clinical reasoning, communication and multidisciplinary working skills.
• Experience providing supervision or mentoring to less experienced clinicians.

Desirable Experience

• Paediatric hospital experience.
• Complex paediatric dysphagia and tube feeding.
• Sensory-based feeding difficulties and food selectivity.
• Instrumental swallowing assessment.
• AAC and complex communication needs.
• Clinical audit, research or service development experience.