What is Portage?
Portage is a home teaching service for families with pre-school children who have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND). The success and popularity of Portage is based on the premise that it promotes parents/carers as the key figures in the development of their child.
The Torbay Portage Service is a 5 Star accredited educational support service, providing home visiting for families with pre-school children who have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND).
Portage aims to enable parents/carers to become effective teachers of their own children using evidence based interventions and teaching strategies. All Portage Home Visitors (PHV) are key workers, co-ordinating family-focused services. The Torbay Portage Service is a registered service with the National Portage Association (NPA). All Portage Home Visitors are qualified in special educational needs and have undertaken specific Portage training associated with the NPA.
The Portage aims are:
- to develop a quality of life and experience, for families and their children;
- to create an environment where families can learn and play together
- to support families to minimise the barriers to ensure they can be included in their local communities.
“Portage have provided us with the most valuable guidance and techniques, from support and guidance throughout the EHCP process, to communication strategies, and different ways to deal with challenging behaviour, plus more”
A Torbay parent/carer
Who can access Portage Support
To be able to access Torbay Portage Service you:
- must live in Torbay and
- have a child that is aged 0-3.5 years old who is significantly delayed in two or more areas of development. One of these areas must be Cognition and Learning Development.
Cognitive development is how children develop thinking skills, such as attention, concentration, and memory. Children with delays in their cognition and learning development will need their environment adapted to support progress. Adults may notice that a child with a cognitive and learning delay are often solitary in their play, will use various forms of communication rather than speech and need higher levels of support with self-care activities. There may also be physical and sensory differences to other children. (please seek advice from a professional that is known to you and your child if you are unsure of this).
How Portage supports families
The Torbay Portage Home Visiting Service is made up of 3 qualified and experienced professionals who support children and families on their unique journeys of raising children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Families will be assigned to a reliable and consistent Home Visitor, that will work in partnership with parents and carers to identify their child’s areas of strength and support (baseline), identifying long term goals and break them into small, achievable steps (the ‘small step approach’).
During visits, time will be dedicated to child-led play, structured teaching and family focussed discussion. Time will be spent getting to know the child, what interests them and how best they learn new skills. The family will be given activities and strategies to practice and enjoy between home visits.
Home visitors will work flexibly and sensitively to ensure that the information you have regarding your child’s SEND, is relevant and presented in a way you can understand. They will work in partnership with other professionals involved with your child in an holistic, child-led approach to learning and development. Home Visitors will support the child and family as they move into their chosen Early Years Setting.
Home visitors will liaise with other people involved with the child and prepare a shared plan of support. The plan will be broken down into small steps with an appropriate set of activities. These will include the child’s known interests to ensure the teaching and learning is fun and enjoyable. The staff at the child’s early years provision will be included in practising the activities in the plan. The support plan is reviewed regularly together.
Home visits may include face to face visits, virtual communication such as Zoom or telephone calls. All interaction will aim to cover the following:
- A holistic assessment of the child’s development using Early Years assessment tools, child observation, parent views and current health assessments
- Identification of parental key priorities in terms of their child’s learning and/or any care-coordination or signposting needs
- Modelling of play activities and strategies with parents to support their key priorities in their child’s learning and development
Depending on your child’s needs, the Home Visitors will facilitate the Educational Health and Care Plan process with you, supporting you to ensure Requests for Statutory Assessment are completed in good time.
Who can make a referral to the Portage Service
Referrals can be made from:
- Health Visitors
- Paediatricians
- The Child Development Centre
- Child care providers (Nurseries, Childminders, Preschools)
- Parents
Download the Portage referral form
Pathway flowchart for Portage Home Visiting 0-3 ½ years age
Contact details
Telephone: 01803 208579
Email: portageteam@torbay.gov.uk
Torbay Portage Service | Facebook
Related services
- Early Years Advisory Teacher (EYAT) for Inclusion
- Educational Psychology & Specialist Teaching Service (TEPATS)
- Schools and learning – Torbay Council
- SENDIASS
- Contact your public health nursing team – Health Visitor
Links to other websites
- National Portage Association
- Torbay SEND Local Offer
- Cognition & Learning (SEND Early Years Resources)
- Communication & Interaction (SEND Early Years Resources)
- Physical & Sensory needs (SEND Early Years Resources)
- Social, Emotional & Mental Health (SEND Early Years Resources)
- Home Learning Environment and Early Years Service – Early Years Inclusion
- Early Years additional funding for children with SEND (ALFI and DAF)
- National Autistic Society
- NASEN
- Makaton Charity
- Cerebra
