Specialist AAC Speech and Language Therapist, full time and part time

London Source: WhatJobs

See advert for pay

Specialist AAC Speech and Language Therapist

Part-time or full-time | Permanent position

This is an opportunity to combine specialist clinical practice with training, consultancy and service development. You will support children and adults with complex communication needs through individualised assessment, ongoing therapy, coaching and collaboration.

We believe great AAC provision goes beyond selecting a communication system. It involves developing skills, empowering communication partners and creating environments where people can communicate, connect and participate in everyday life.

If you are enthusiastic about AAC, enjoy sharing your knowledge and want to make a meaningful difference, we would love to hear from you.

About Connect with AAC Ltd

Connect with AAC Ltd provides specialist Speech and Language Therapy (SLT), AAC assessment and intervention for individuals with complex communication needs.

Our work spans medico-legal rehabilitation, Local Authority contracts for Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) provision, direct work with families, and consultancy with schools, day centres and other organisations.

We provide assessment and longer-term therapy, often over at least a year, enabling therapists to build relationships, develop communication skills and make a lasting difference.

Our expertise includes Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), assistive technology and alternative access methods. We support people at different stages of their communication journey, from early cause-and-effect skills and intentional communication to confident AAC use, social communication and literacy development.

We work with individuals with a wide range of needs, including cerebral palsy, brain injury, learning disabilities, autism, Down syndrome, motor neurone disease (MND), dementia, stroke, sensory impairments and profound and multiple learning disabilities.

We are building Connect with AAC into a sustainable, social-impact business. Growth enables us to extend our clinical impact and share AAC knowledge more widely, making information, resources and learning opportunities accessible free of charge or at minimal cost wherever possible.

You will have opportunities to contribute to community AAC play days, accessible training, resources, collaborative projects and potential research, helping improve AAC access and communication inclusion.

About the role

This hybrid role is based in London and the surrounding areas, combining community-based clinical work with remote administration, development and project work.

You will deliver specialist AAC assessment, therapy, consultancy and training while helping develop our organisation and social-impact activities.

Working in clients’ homes, schools and day centres, you will support individuals and their communication partners to implement AAC in everyday life. The role combines independent clinical practice, collaboration with families and professional teams, and opportunities to develop your skills and contribute ideas.

Clinical responsibilities

1. AAC assessment, intervention and access

Conduct comprehensive AAC and SLT assessments for people with complex communication needs across home, education, community and workplace settings.
Explore communication, language and literacy, cognition, sensory needs, access methods, participation and environmental factors.
Use feature matching and dynamic assessment to identify appropriate paper-based and electronic AAC systems.
Assess and support access methods, including direct touch, eye gaze, switch access, head pointers and partner-assisted scanning.
Develop person-centred therapy plans supporting communication, independence, relationships and participation.
Develop operational, linguistic, social and strategic communication competence using aided language stimulation, modelling and other evidence-informed approaches.
Select, configure and implement AAC systems, including vocabulary, page sets and access settings, liaising with suppliers where appropriate.
Create communication resources, communication passports, accessible information and implementation plans.
Deliver ongoing therapy, review progress and adapt intervention to support meaningful outcomes.

2. Communication partners, training and consultancy

Build collaborative relationships with families, carers, support staff, teachers, teaching assistants and multidisciplinary teams.
Deliver training, coaching and practical support to develop communication partners’ AAC knowledge, skills and confidence.
Support AAC implementation across environments so communication systems are integrated into everyday activities, relationships and learning.
Contribute to communication support plans and inclusive communication environments.
Deliver consultancy to schools, day centres and other organisations, promoting good AAC practice and service development.
Share specialist knowledge with colleagues and external partners.

3. EHCP, medico-legal work and clinical documentation

Contribute to EHCP recommendations, annual reviews, tribunal documentation and funding applications.
Deliver medico-legal rehabilitation assessment and therapy in collaboration with case managers, solicitors and multidisciplinary teams. This role does not involve expert witness assessments.
Develop individualised goals, make evidence-informed recommendations and document outcomes.
Produce clear, comprehensive and timely assessment, therapy and review reports.
Maintain accurate clinical records in accordance with HCPC and RCSLT standards, confidentiality requirements and UK GDPR.
Monitor outcomes, review intervention plans and contribute to clinical audit, peer review and quality improvement.
Keep up to date with AAC research, technology, assessment and intervention, contributing to clinical discussions and shared learning.

4. Service development and social impact

You will have opportunities to contribute beyond your individual caseload by:

Developing clinical pathways, assessment approaches, therapy resources and training materials.
Creating accessible resources for families, professionals and communication partners.
Developing our consultancy, training and medico-legal services.
Sharing AAC knowledge with professional and community audiences.
Supporting local AAC play days and other social-impact activities.
Exploring collaborative projects and research opportunities.
Identifying ways to improve communication access and participation for AAC users.

We value curiosity, creativity and initiative. You can help shape our services and develop new opportunities to improve communication inclusion.

How we work

Clinical appointments take place in clients’ homes, schools, day centres and other relevant settings. You will travel across London and the surrounding areas.

Non-clinical work, including administration, report writing, resource development and projects, can be completed remotely.

A typical week for this job full time would be 3 days clinical, 1 day admin and 1 day project/social impact work.

We do not currently have a permanent office base, so you will work remotely and independently in community settings. You will need to manage your workload, plan travel and work autonomously.

We maintain team connection through regular supervision, online check-ins, collaborative discussions, joint visits and in-person team days and professional development.

We respect clinical judgement, welcome ideas and encourage shared learning. We aim to balance autonomy with support so no one feels they are working in isolation.

What you will bring

We are looking for a therapist with strong clinical skills, enthusiasm for AAC, a collaborative approach and a commitment to communication rights.

HCPC registration as a Speech and Language Therapist.
Membership of the RCSLT.
Experience working with people with complex communication needs.
Experience creating and developing paper-based and electronic AAC vocabularies.
Experience implementing paper-based and electronic AAC systems.
Strong communication, clinical reasoning and report-writing skills.
Experience delivering training to families, professionals or support teams.
Enthusiasm for sharing AAC knowledge and developing others’ skills.
Full UK driving licence and access to a suitable vehicle for work-related travel.
Eye-gaze technology.
Switch access, positioning and alternative access methods.
Head pointers and other specialist access solutions.
Wider assistive technology, including environmental controls and educational technology.
Medico-legal work or rehabilitation.
Supporting people with learning disabilities.
Experience or knowledge of Gestalt Language Processing approaches.

We welcome therapists from different professional backgrounds who share our commitment to AAC and want to help develop a specialist service.

What we offer

Annual leave: 30 days.
Professional development: Paid CPD, conference attendance and professional registration.
Protected development time: Opportunities to develop clinical expertise, resources and areas of interest.
Flexible working: Hybrid working combining community-based clinical work with remote working.
Pension and benefits: Competitive pension and benefits scheme.
Supportive clinical culture: Regular supervision, professional discussion and a team where clinical judgement is valued.
Opportunity to influence: Help shape our services, resources, training and future direction.
Social impact: Contribute to community activities and share AAC expertise more widely.