• Join WA’s only tertiary paediatric centre as part of a collaborative, multidisciplinary team.
• Access a strong clinical education culture, including structured onboarding, credentialling, and professional development opportunities.
• Contribute to research, service innovation, and specialist training.

CRVCID 747214

This is a Recruitment Pool for Permanent Full Time, Permanent Part Time, Fixed Term Full Time, Fixed Term Part Time, Casual appointments, with the possibility of extension(s) and/or permanency.

Our service may include weekend shifts and or home visiting. Class C drivers’ licence is required.

This is an exciting opportunity to work at a senior practice level in a highly specialised paediatric setting, providing speech pathology services to children and young people with complex medical, neurological, surgical, and developmental needs.

Upcoming Opportunities in the Pool

• Hospital in the Home (HITH):We're seeking experienced Speech Pathologists (≥3 years) with expertise in managing paediatric feeding disorders (PFD) in children under 2 years of age. This role requires a Class C licence. PCH HITH delivers acute paediatric inpatient care at home or suitable locations. A new multidisciplinary Allied Health team is being established to provide high-quality care in collaboration with nursing, medical, and pharmacy teams. This is a unique opportunity to help shape a new model of care for WA’s young people in a supportive, collaborative environment.
• Early Intervention (EI) Program: Applicants must have recent, substantial experience working with infants and toddlers (0–2 years) with neurological and developmental disabilities. A strong understanding of WA’s disability sector and community services is essential, along with experience working in multidisciplinary teams delivering advanced early intervention for children with complex needs. Skills or interest in paediatric feeding disorders are desirable.
• Feeding Difficulties Team:Working across inpatient and outpatient settings, applicants must have current experience independently managing infants with PFD. Strong critical reasoning for differential diagnosis and well-developed communication skills are highly valued. Experience engaging with diverse stakeholders and educating families to support safe, patient-centred care is desirable. The role also involves contributing to service development, staff and student training, and clinical education. Opportunities to develop skills in Videofluroscopy Swallow Study ( VFSS)  and Fibreoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) may be offered following credentialing in PFD.
• Paediatric Neurorehabilitation:This role involves managing a range of acquired, developmental, and neurodegenerative conditions across acute, inpatient rehab, subacute, and outpatient settings. Specialist communication and dysphagia services are provided across areas including oncology, palliative care, and traumatic brain injury. Opportunities are available for clinicians with experience in acute and community-based paediatric rehabilitation.
• Other Opportunities:Additional vacancies may arise during the 12-month recruitment pool, including roles within the Cleft Lip and Palate and Complex Airway Speech Pathology teams.

About the role:

We are seeking Senior Speech Pathologists to join our team at Perth Children’s Hospital and deliver high quality, evidence-based, family centred care for children and young people as part of their medical journey.

As a Senior Speech Pathologist reporting to the Head of Department, you will:

• Provide evidence-based assessment, intervention, and evaluation of communication and/or swallowing disorders as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Actively prioritise and coordinate a clinical caseload including participate in clinical review meetings and case conferences as appropriate.
• Advise and support staff by coordinating caseloads, facilitating and promoting patient safety while complying with governance and regulatory requirements.
• Educate patients and their families / carers in post-discharge management, providing strategies to support their child's feeding and/or speech and language development at home and coordinating discharge summaries and referrals to other services as needed.
• Engage in self-study towards completion of certification/recognition in a specialty area as part of continuous professional development and education and supervising junior (P1) speech pathologists towards the same.
• Liaise with consumer groups including external agencies to represent CAHS. Provide education and training to internal and external stakeholders, and support referrals to community and NDIS, private providers.

A tertiary qualification in Speech Pathology and eligible for full membership of Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) are requirements for this role.

Individuals with experience from an adult care environment can be supported in transitioning to our paediatric focused environment.

About our Speech Pathology Team

Based at Perth Children’s Hospital, our dedicated team provides a statewide service for children aged 0–16 years, as inpatients and outpatients, focusing on complex feeding and/or swallowing difficulties, complex neurological impairment, including acquired, genetic and degenerative conditions, as well as tertiary communication needs including articulation, voice, and language impairments.

Our specialised services include neonatal and paediatric critical care, subacute paediatric rehabilitation (Early Intervention, Complex Neurodisability Clinic and subacute- iRehab), Children’s Hearing Implant Program (CHIP), specialist diagnostic clinics (such as Video Fluoroscopy Swallow Study (VFSS) services) and complex case management clinics (such as the Airway Voice Swallow Clinic and Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic).

We work with children and their families to provide consultation, intervention, rehabilitation, training and support. This includes establishing alternative communication methods, evaluation and guidance to promote safe feeding and adequate hydration and nutrition for infants and children.

We believe that every child deserves the best possible start in life and continue to work with patients and their families beyond the hospital setting including liaison with community-based providers, and support for transition to adult care.

How to apply

Applicants are requested to apply online (www.jobs.health.wa.gov.au). Please note, applicants must have a current, valid email address in order to apply online. This email address will be used for communication with applicants.  

Your ability to meet the work-related requirements will be assessed throughout the recruitment process.

Your application should contain the following:

• A copy of your current CV outlining your most recent and relevant work experience along with evidence of your tertiary qualification in Speech Pathology and eligibilityfor certified practicing membership of Speech Pathology Australia (SPA).
• Please provide the name, email, and contact details of two referees who can be contacted to provide a reference. Referees should include at least one individual who has been or is your direct Line Manager/Supervisor. (We will contact you to seek your confirmation prior to contacting your listed referees).

Within the application system, you will be asked to respond to the three questions below:

Question 1: Please confirm the service you wish to apply for:

• Paediatric Feeding & Dysphagia: with a focus on early intervention for infants/children in their first 1000 days of life, this service works with families to assess and treat acquired and congenital feeding and swallowing issues, including post-surgical cases and provision of video fluoroscopy. The team have a strong working relationship with medical teams at King Edward Memorial Hospital and Perth Children’s Hospital including Neonatology, Paediatric Critical care, and general paediatric care.
• Rehab / Complex Neuro: including Statewide Paediatric Rehabilitation service supports children aged 0–16 years across inpatient and outpatient settings. Speech pathology care spans dysphagia, AAC, cognitive and complex communication. Programs such as Early Intervention and iRehab focus on outpatients at risk of disability or recovering baseline function. The Complex Neurodisability Clinics require expertise in differential diagnosis and assessment formulation for neurodivergent and complex communicators. The assessment pathway delivers comprehensive evaluation and tailored intervention for eligible children.
• Speech & Early Communication:This stream delivers statewide services including cochlear implant support through the Children’s Hearing Implant Program (CHIP), and care for cleft and craniofacial conditions. With a direct surgical pathway, the team provides pre-, peri-, and post-operative support, building strong, ongoing relationships with families.

Please respond to the two questions below, referencing your preferred service area selected in Question 1. Each response must not exceed 500 words.

Question 2: In this role, you will be required to work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, manage client caseloads effectively, and act as a consultant and educator in paediatric speech pathology. Can you provide an example of a situation where you demonstrated strong interpersonal skills while working with a multidisciplinary team to manage a client's case? How did you ensure effective collaboration, efficient caseload management, and effectively educate and consult with the team, including health professionals, your peers, students, and other stakeholders in the process? What were the outcomes of your management for the patient and for the team?

Question 3: Provide 2-3 specific examples of how you have demonstrated your commitment to quality improvement processes in your workplace practices. Provide details of the steps you took to identify the area of need, how you negotiated and managed team and stakeholder expectations and resources whilst implementing change of practice. How did your quality improvement impact on patients and the team?  

Selection Criteria: Please see the attached Job Description Form. 

Role related questions: We encourage you to contact Jodi Lipscombe or Basia Hamden, Heads of Department for Speech Pathology via  email HODPCHSpeechPathology@health.wa.gov.au  with any specific questions regarding this pool.

Help in submitting your application: If you experience technical difficulties while applying online, please contact Employee Services on 13 44 77 for immediate assistance during business hours.

Permanent Residence is a requirement for applicants to be considered for permanent positions in the public sector. Fixed term and/or casual contracts can be held by individuals on visas that allow working rights within Australia.

Sponsorship is not currently available for this position.

Other Conditions: WA Health engages staff in positions of trust and responsibility. WA Health policies require applicants to undertake criminal records screening and integrity checking as part of the appointment process. Referees may also be asked to comment on an applicant’s integrity and past demonstration of ethical behaviour.

WA Health is committed to eliminating all forms of discrimination in the provision of our service. We embrace diversity and strongly encourage applications from people from culturally diverse backgrounds and people with disabilities.

In addition, we are committed to growing our Aboriginal workforce as part of WA Health Aboriginal Workforce Policy. As a measure to achieve equality, Section 51 of the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 applies to this position and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are encouraged to apply.

Whilst this selection process will initially be used to fill the above vacancy, it may also be used to fill other "similar" vacancies throughout the health service. In addition to this, should the successful applicant decline or vacate the advertised vacancy, then the next most suitable applicant may also be selected from this process. Both of these options remain valid for a period of twelve (12) months from when the authorised delegate endorses the recruitment decision.

This position is subject to a Western Australian Working with Children (WWC) Check. For further information please refer to the WWC website at: https://workingwithchildren.wa.gov.au

This is a recruitment pool, and as such the following should be noted.

• Suitable applicants will be placed in a pool from which appointments may be made when similar vacancies occur.
• Appointments may be made from this pool until 30 October 2027.

About CAHS

The Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS) is proud to be the leading service provider for paediatric healthcare in Western Australia, as the State’s only dedicated health service for infants, children, and young people. CAHS comprises three service areas: Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH) and Neonatology, Community Health, and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

With over 7000 employees, our services are delivered at PCH and King Edward Memorial Hospitals (KEMH), as well as across a network of more than 160 community clinics across the Perth metropolitan area.

For further information about the benefits of working for CAHS, please click here and for further information regarding CAHS’ services, please click here

CAHS values: To achieve our vision of healthy kids, healthy communities, CAHS is committed to providing a workplace culture that is driven and shaped by our values of Compassion, Collaboration, Equity, Respect, Excellence and Accountability. During the selection process you may be assessed on your ability to fulfil the responsibilities of this position in accordance with the values. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact the person named in this advert.

Support for your interview process

CAHS is committed to ensuring that our interview process meets the access needs of all applicants. If you require any reasonable adjustments to accommodate a disability, enhance access, or support your inclusion and success during the interview, please contact the CAHS Talent Acquisition Team prior to your interview.

You can reach the team via CAHS.talentacquisition@health.wa.gov.au or by calling 08 6456 0321. All enquiries will be treated confidentially.

Lodgement is system generated. Any submissions on, or after, 4:00pm on the closing date will not be accepted. 

LATE OR EMAIL APPLICATIONS CAN NOT BE CONSIDERED.