Specialist Speech and Language Therapist; Children's Autism

Go back South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 02 March 2026

This post has been funded by commissioners who recognise the value of increasing the SALT resource to support children with autism. You will be part of the multi‑disciplinary diagnostic pathway for autism and deliver therapy and interventions to children with a diagnosis of autism and social communication disorder. You will support children with a wide range of speech, language and communication needs in clinics, Family Hubs and educational settings.

We work with service users and partners across health, education, social care, and commissioning as we strive to improve the services for all of our children and families across our city to ensure a Best Start in Life right up to transition to adulthood.

You will support our journey to support families as part of a collaborative network around the child. You will recognise the challenge of supporting children as part of the diagnostic process whilst ensuring we deliver needs‑led interventions to children as part of a graduated response.

You will use your highly‑specialist skills to deliver high‑quality assessment and intervention to children. You will have experience of working with children with a range of speech, language and communication difficulties, and be able to assess, plan and provide intervention and therapy within a range of settings. You will have experience of working with autistic children and children with a range of additional needs.

You will have excellent interpersonal skills and be committed to working in a multi‑disciplinary way to facilitate the best outcomes for children.

Developing our team members in their career path is vital. We strive to share skills and work across our specialist clinical teams to develop our workforce and support each other with our growth and learning. You will provide clinical support and supervision to other members of the team.

You will be part of a forward‑thinking department that strives to be innovative and put research into practice to improve patient outcomes.

You will want to develop your skills working across a range of mainstream and specialist settings. Your values will align with those of our organisation, and you will be passionate about making a difference to children and young people.

For more details contact:
Ruth Rayner, Head of Service – 0191 569 9009
Nicola Johnson, Clinical Team Manager – 0191 569 9122 or Emma Bowen, Clinical Team Manager – 0191 283 3284.

Please add your telephone number to your application form so we can contact you quickly if required.

One Team One Trust – There are many reasons to work at our Trust. From our commitment to putting people first to our accessible services and award‑winning teams. We have a passion for research, innovation and tackling inequalities. We are committed to respect, fairness and civility and promote a compassionate, caring and positive culture / working environment.

We welcome all applications irrespective of peoples race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion / belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy / maternity and, in particular, those from under‑represented groups. Looking after our workforce's health and wellbeing is a priority for us. We also provide access to high quality education, training, career progression and support. Flexible working is supported via our Flexible Working Policy.

The Trust employs around 8,746 people and provides a range of hospital services to a local community of around 430,000 residents. We also provide a range of more specialised services outside this area. We offer our staff outstanding benefits – Fitness Centre (SRH), libraries at both hospital sites, chaplaincy support and access to a Care Co‑ordinator to help staff with childcare arrangements.
If you use AI, and it poses a risk to the integrity of your individual recruitment process, we may withdraw your application at any stage of the process.

To provide highly‑specialist SALT assessment and diagnosis within…