The passionate and supportive speech pathology team at Nepean School are looking for a new member to join our team. You may be a graduate or experienced clinician; the most important thing is that you are willing to learn and share your knowledge! The position is full time, 5 days per week, during school terms (no school holiday work).

Nepean School is a government school for students aged 5-18 years and caters for students who have a physical disability and/or significant health impairment. We are passionate about education and learning opportunities for everyone, regardless of challenges they may face. Our students engage with therapy in the classroom as part of their education program.

At Nepean we strongly believe that the best outcomes arise from teamwork, and that is reflected in our commitment to working in a transdisciplinary team. Nepean School has an extensive therapy team, made up of experienced physiotherapists, occupational therapists, music therapists, and speech pathologists. We work closely within our transdisciplinary team, consisting of therapists, teachers, class assistants, psychologists, nurses, families, and of course, the students themselves. We are connected by a strong belief that our purpose is to make a significant difference within and beyond our community.

We pride ourselves on our ongoing commitment to learning and teamwork –

• all therapy is delivered within a group-based model alongside teachers
• work with students and their teams to assess communication needs and create functional goals
• provide therapy to students in real, authentic situations such as in the yard, at mealtimes and in the classroom
• support students with learning an alternative or augmentative communication system, and advocate for their communication rights
• use your knowledge of dysphagia to assist students at mealtimes to be as independent as possible
• learn about other therapy disciplines, apply them to your practice, and share your knowledge with your team
• participate in Student Support Groups and other planning meetings to share your expertise

Many of the above skills are learnt in real time. To support your clinical practice, we provide regular individualised clinical supervision and structured, weekly Peer to Peer learning sessions.

About you:

• are passionate about communication and communication rights for all
• you believe that communication happens all the time, not just when the speech pathologist is in the room!
• are a qualified Speech Pathologist
• have a WWCC
• start date negotiable

Benefits:

• knowing that you make a difference to someone's life, every day
• being surrounded and supported by a like-minded team
• regular and relevant professional learning, both on-site and externally
• scheduled mentoring and clinical support with the Senior Speech Pathologist
• 11 weeks of paid school holidays

Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the school for a tour. Please phone 9786 9111 and ask for Amber Killian.

Applicants are required to provide a response to the following key selection criteria -

1. A knowledge of the use and application of a wide range of interventions to assist children with a physical disability to participate in school-based activities; including social skills, Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) systems, dysphagia, and literacy.
2. An understanding and commitment to using a range of AAC encompassing both electronic and non-electronic systems to support participation and engagement across the school environment.
3. Demonstrated exemplary communication and interpersonal skills when working with students, families, colleagues, and other professionals.
4. Demonstrated capacity to work effectively in collaboration with therapy and teaching teams to devise programs that establish and extend a student’s functional communication and social skills in a range of contexts.
5. Highly developed organisational skills with a demonstrated ability to work independently, utilise effective time management strategies, establish priorities and meet deadlines.