Core Portage

Families will usually receive weekly visits by their Portage Home Visitor. Parents/carers are recognised to know their child best and Portage builds on this knowledge. The Portage Home Visitor will work with families to plan fun activities so that the child learns new skills in small steps.

Portage Home Visitors can liaise with early years settings and schools to ensure a smooth transition for the child where appropriate.

Requesting Core Portage support

The following criteria should be met:

1. The child is pre-school aged, as young as possible and has at least a term before entering school.
2. The child is attending an early years setting for less than five sessions per week or is not yet eligible for the Early Years Education Grant.
3. The child is delayed by one third of his/her age in two different developmental or skill areas, or has a recognised syndrome which may lead to delay.
4. The child’s parent/primary carer must agree to be available to meet with the Portage Home Visitor on a regular basis.
5. A parental signature has been obtained, giving consent to the referral.

Portage Plus

We visit the child through a combination of weekly visits to the home or early years setting in order to:

• identify specific areas of concern about behaviour and develop an understanding of why difficult behaviour occurs
• empower parents/carers by suggesting strategies to support their child
• support the child’s social and emotional development
• develop the child’s self-esteem
• support the child to accept routines and boundaries.

If appropriate, prior to school entry the Portage Home Visitor will make links with the child’s primary school and other agencies to ensure a successful transition.

Requesting Portage Plus support

The following criteria should be met:

1. The child is presenting with challenging behaviour, over and above that expected for a child of his/her developmental age.
2. The child is a risk to themselves or others at home or in their early years setting.
3. Reluctance by an early years setting to accept a child because of concerns about his/her behaviour.
4. Reluctance to send a child to an early years setting because of concerns about behaviour.

And:

• The parent/carer is committed to support the intervention.
• The early years setting is committed to the intervention.
• Following an initial visit, the Portage Team Manager recommends that the child/family is appropriate for Portage Plus.

Portage Outreach

Some children who meet the developmental criteria for Core Portage are not eligible for the home visiting service because they attend an early years setting for more than four sessions per week. This is where Portage Outreach comes in.

What does Portage Outreach offer to early years settings?

• Help in assessing the existing skill level of individual children within the group.
• Suggestions on how to plan to facilitate further progress through the group.
• Advice on how to monitor and follow-up progress.

What further benefits are there?

The Portage Outreach Worker can:

• work with the setting to offer support and guidance to meet the individual needs of the child
• meet with setting staff and parents/carers to ensure consistency of support to the child
• liaise with other professionals, such as Educational Psychologists and Therapists to help settings meet the needs of the child
• be available to support the setting in transition planning

Requesting Portage Outreach support

The following criteria should be met (to work with a named child):

1. The child is pre-school aged, as young as possible.
2. The setting is registered with Services for Young Children.
3. The child is identified as being at Early Years Action Plus.
4. A parental signature has been obtained, giving consent to the referral.

Additional support

Many of the Portage teams offer additional support to parents/carers in the form of support groups, coffee mornings, ‘themed’ groups, such as music groups, vision groups and Makaton sessions. These services will vary from area to area so please contact your local team for further information. Most teams will also host an annual Christmas party and summer event, such as a picnic or outing. Newsletters are also produced by teams containing information on the team and other relevant information such as local events, ‘top tips’ and useful websites.