Job detail for Alternative & Augmented Communication Officer

The Service & Team:

Cornwall Councils Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Team is a small friendly team working in schools and settings across Cornwall. We comprise of Education Advisors and Technical Officers.

We are part of the wider SEND Support Service who work with children and young people with a range of needs from 0 - 25 years and they are at the heart of everything we do.

The AAC team works closely with our colleagues in the NHS and together form the Cornwall AAC Assessment Team.

The Role:

Join the AAC Team and make a real difference to the lives of children and young people aged 0-25 across Cornwall with speech. language and communication needs, who use powered voice output devices to aid their communication.

This role will involve working closely with children and young people, their families and adults supporting them in education settings.  In collaboration with the wider AAC Team and Speech and Language Therapists you will work to assess, recommend, provide and implement suitable voice output communication aids.

Managing your own caseload of children and young people, you will oversee the set up, loan and maintenance of equipment and will deliver training to families and adults within education settings on the operational use and functionality of various AAC software packages.

Regular supervision, training and professional development will be provided as required for the post. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is passionate about supporting children and young people, has excellent communication skills, has the ability to work with IT and learn about new technology and enjoys working as part of a dedicated team.

You will be responsible for managing your own diary and working independently as well as part of a team.  This is a county wide post but caseload will predominantly be covering the Mid and East areas of Cornwall.

This is a public/customer-facing role, where the statutory English language requirement for public sector workers applies.

This position will be subject to an enhanced criminal record disclosure check.

Working Pattern:

This role is three days per week. We are happy to talk about flexible working options.

What you’ll need to succeed:

You will have a genuine passion for supporting children and young people , along with some experience of working with those who have speech, language and communication needs and/or other complex needs.

You will have the adaptability to learn new skills within IT and technology.

You will enjoy working independently while also contributing effectively as part of a team.

Please read the role profile for the full details of this role attached below in this advert

What you’ll get in return:

Cornwall Council’s ambition is to be an employer of choice, a high performing Council and a learning organisation. We commit to providing a reward and benefits package to attract, motivate and reward our employees. We offer a range of flexible working options to our staff. This helps provide our employees with a greater work/life balance. Whilst still ensuring that service needs are met.

Our core employee rewards and benefits include:

• a competitive salary.
• a defined benefit pension scheme, based on your career average earnings. This includes the option for extra voluntary contributions
• a generous annual leave entitlement with the potential to purchase additional leave.
• a national award-winning employee health and wellbeing programme
• Employee benefits scheme giving employees access to a wide range of discounts to local and national goods and services

Additional Information:

Cornwall Council is unable to offer visa sponsorship or transfer existing sponsorship for this role.

The full role profile is attached here

We recommend saving a copy of this to refer to if you are invited to an interview.

For more information or an informal chat about the role please contact Rachael Timmis - rachael.timmis@cornwall.gov.uk

Application Process

Please attach a supporting statement to your application, you can add your Education & Qualifications details manually using the application form timeline or you can upload your CV.

Remember to demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points marked as ‘Application’ on the Role Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had.

Guidance on how to complete your application can be found here – The application process.

We recognise that you may choose to use AI tools when preparing your application. We ask that any information you include is an accurate reflection of your own skills, knowledge, experience and achievements. You may be asked to discuss the examples and evidence you provide during the selection process.

We may adapt our shortlisting approach where we receive a high volume of applications. Any shortlisting decisions will be based on the information provided in your application and the essential requirements of the role.

Please note that applications cannot be edited after they have been submitted, please contact careers@cornwall.gov.uk if you have any queries or require assistance with your application.

Existing employees must apply using their Cornwall Council email address through the Opportunity Marketplace on Oracle.