About Arco Academy
Arco Academy is a registered independent alternative school with sports as a specialism. In the heart of Camberwell, London, Arco Academy educates students referred by mainstream schools and the Local Authority. We emphasise pastoral care and take a holistic approach towards education.
We aim to enhance the academic, well-being, and personal growth of all students of all abilities.
We are committed to high-quality education and promoting our vision to unleash the potential in all our students by providing a creative and tailor-made curriculum.
Every student is given the opportunity to learn, achieve, and succeed to their highest potential. Consequently, we work diligently towards meeting the learning needs of our students. This includes encouraging sports participation, developing essential life skills, and nurturing positive relationships within the school and the wider community.
We believe all staff members play a vital role in the lives of our students. Therefore, we take a proactive approach to the development and well-being of all Arco staff. We are committed to investing in all staff through CPD, internal support, and well-being initiatives.
We pride ourselves on appreciating, promoting, and celebrating the diversity and individuality of all students, staff, and partners.
Arco Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of students and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All positions are subject to an enhanced DBS and other necessary checks.
For further information regarding Arco Academy policies, visit https://www.arco.academy/Policies/. Please ensure you have read the Safeguarding (Child Protection) Policy and Safer Recruitment Policy.
Job Summary:
· To provide a speech and language therapy assessment and intervention to adolescents and young adults with a range of speech, language & communication needs (SLCN) which may or may not be in the context of other neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions.
· To develop skills within an identified specialist area.
· To effectively implement evidence-based models of care, and approaches to intervention with a focus on outcomes and impact.
· To provide training to parents, education staff and other professionals as required, with support.
· To work seamlessly and collaboratively as an integral member of the multi-disciplinary team contributing to service development projects where applicable.
Main Duties/Key Results Areas:
Clinical
· Provide clinical services which are sensitive to the protected characteristics of age, disability, gender and gender neutral identification, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, and sexual orientation.
· To deliver a comprehensive speech & language therapy service to identified educational settings, following a universal, targeted and specialist model of delivery, with supervision and support.
· To undertake specialist assessment and intervention on a referral basis using a range of appropriate assessment tools to inform clinical decision making.
· To provide dysphagia assessment and intervention in identified settings / with identified clients within your scope of practice / competence, accessing support and supervision for complex cases.
· To provide differential diagnosis and recommend a clear, time-limited, evidence-based management plan.
· To work as part of the multi-disciplinary and multi-agency teams involved with the children/young people and their families. To contribute to care planning meetings, undertake joint assessments, goals settings and reviews where appropriate.
· To use a range of therapy approaches relevant to the client group.
· To contribute to the delivery of training for parents, when appropriate.
· To provide intervention to support communication skill development.
· To work together with involved teams to ensure effective and streamlined support.
· To collaborate with the multi-disciplinary team ensuring appropriate communication EHCP / IEP targets are set and reviewed.
· To understand and use a range of alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) tools to include both low and high-tech AAC.
· To understand the factors that contribute to clients displaying behaviour that challenges and take those factors into account with assessment and intervention planning.
· To support the implementation of community-based grant-funded projects as appropriate.
· To signpost and refer clients to appropriate services depending on individual client need.
· To be responsible for ensuring that parents/carers have consented prior to assessment or intervention, in line with professional guidelines.
· Ensure that the processes laid out in the Mental Capacity Act (2005) are followed in relation to decisions around consent / Best Interest Decisions and that these decisions are clearly recorded in client notes.
· To ensure that accurate and comprehensive records of assessment, treatment, review and discharge are maintained in accordance with legal and organisational requirements.
· To monitor the effectiveness of interventions through goal setting, audit, clinical outcome measurement and evaluation of service.
· To keep comprehensive confidential notes in line with HCPC regulations.
Professional
· To be an integral member of the multidisciplinary team.
· To utilise communication, interpersonal and teaching skills to educate the diverse and multicultural community, who may have communication difficulties. To use these skills to help staff/parents/carers understand essential, highly complex information both on a one-to-one basis and in large groups.
· To monitor and manage own workload, including referrals and discharges and provide activity reports as requested.
· To participate in the training of student speech and language therapists; planning timetables, providing supervision, feedback and assessment.
· To provide supervision and support to speech & language therapy assistants or more junior speech & language therapists as appropriate.
· To maintain good communication with the designated line manager about all aspects of this post and its duties.
· To ensure safe practice through development of a caseload management plan, accessing supervision when required.
· To undertake risk assessment and reporting of critical incidents as outlined in the organisation and setting policy.
· To take responsibility for ongoing clinical excellence through evidence-based practice and contributing to the development of standards, policies and guidelines.
· To proactively seek out new information and new ways of working for example in relation to telehealth or particular clinical approaches.
· To ensure that appropriate CPD, supervision, and mandatory training is undertaken to ensure skills are developed and maintained including monthly peer support.
· To comply with professional codes of practice, professional guidelines and organisational policies.
· To contribute to effective team working within multidisciplinary teams including the communication of highly complex client-related information to ensure collaborative working.
· To apply knowledge and awareness of equality and diversity practices to ensure that children, young people and their families/carers are supported to access the service
· To respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of clients and contribute to a service that is sensitive to these.
· To demonstrate awareness of your own cultural beliefs and practices, and demonstrate insight into how this may influence the way you work with families of diverse backgrounds.
General
· To keep electronic records of all student contacts in accordance with organisational standards for record keeping.
· To maintain strict confidentiality in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), Organisational Privacy Policy and Health & Care Professions Council standards.
· To work to ensure flexible service delivery including cover arrangements during periods of absence.
· To be able to use basic software packages such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint.
· To promote at all times equal opportunities for staff and students to ensure that no person receives less favourable treatment than another on the grounds of: age; disability; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race (ethnicity); religion or belief; sex (gender); gender reassignment or sexual orientation.
· To ensure that all processes and procedures are followed in relation to Safeguarding and that an active approach is taken to ensure safeguarding of students and their families.
· To maintain professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
· To work within HCPC professional code of practise and within professional body guidelines, ensuring working within scope of practise at all times.
· To adhere to the organisations infection control policy, procedures and guidelines and in particular practise strict hand hygiene at all times while carrying out clinical duties in line with the Health Act 2006: Code of practise for the prevention and control of healthcare associated infections (HCAIs). The prevention and control of HCAIs must be embedded into everyday clinical practise and applied consistency.
· All staff hold responsibility for ensuring they have sound knowledge of standard infection control precautions and no omission on their part or within the sphere of their responsibility is detrimental to the interests or safety of their patients, visitors and colleagues. Staff must keep their infection control knowledge and skills up to date by attending mandatory infection control training.
· To undertake other such duties as may be reasonably required from time to time as re consistent with the responsibilities of the post.
This role is offered on a flexible basis of 1–2 days per week, with exact working days negotiable. We’re keen for the role to start as soon as possible, but happy to discuss notice periods.
Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK. Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role.
The school reserves the right to close this advert early and appoint before the stated closing date should a suitable candidate be identified.