Speech and Language Therapy Assistant - ELSEC

Job summary

Would you like to join an exciting new team, dedicated to improving early language development in young children? Are you passionate about supporting children & families? Would you like a role with a dedicated training and personal development time to help you grow your career? Come and join us!

Portsmouth City has been selected to take part in an exciting 2 year pilot initiative known as the Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC). We are forming a team of speech and language therapy assistants to deliver a new service to children and families. The team will be supported by senior speech and language therapists and will work with Family Hubs, Health Visitors, Preschools and Reception classes. You will receive full training and support to deliver screening assessment and therapy services to children to support their speech and language development alongside the education staff and speech and language therapists. We expect the training and experience you will receive in the role will support your further career through a range of opportunities, both with us as well as in the wider health and education environment.

You'll have experience of working with children and families, either in an education, local authority, voluntary sector or healthcare setting. You'll be able to demonstrate experience in child development, with a focus on speech and language. In return, you will join a friendly, supportive team, dedicated to developing its people and delivering excellent services to families.

Main duties of the job

The ELSEC Speech and Language Therapy Assistant's main purpose is to provide universal and targeted clinical services to children and families as part of an integrated Early Language Support service in Portsmouth City. This is a two-year funded pilot project, which has been funded by NHS England and the Department for Education.

ELSEC will test the impact of early identification and support for children with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) in Early Years and Primary School Settings, over 2 academic years. The programme will see the establishment of 9 ELSEC teams across England, that will each be led by a senior Speech and Language Therapist. The ELSEC project is running from January 2024 -- December 2025, and is one of the reforms being tested in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Alternative Provision (SENDAP) Change Programme.

The ELSEC project is looking for creative and committed health or education workers, or people with an interest in beginning careers in either of these fields, to train as a Children's Speech and Language Therapy Assistants and join their team. From January 2024, you will work in Early Years and Primary School settings in Portsmouth City. Successful candidates will join a team of professionals, made up of other Speech and Language Therapy Assistants, AHPs and Admin, for an exciting 2-year programme, where you will receive training and guidance that will enable you to provide universal and targeted support offers to children who have SLC

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