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.

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).  The team consists of 4 practitioners, a Team Lead and 3 home visitors.  All Portage Home Visitors are qualified in special educational needs and have undertaken specific Portage training associated with the NPA.

Portage is a home visiting service for pre-school children with special educational needs and their families. We offer a framework of support which includes regular home visits by a Portage Home Visitor, care-coordination with all others involved with the child and family and signposting to local and national support and information.

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

Portage Home Visitors will also liaise with the child’s current Early Years setting to establish shared Individual Learning and Development Plan targets using a small steps approach.

To be eligible for this service, you must live in Torbay and have a child with significant additional needs or a disability.  Referral to the service can be made by using the service referral form on Portage – Torbay Council

How will Portage Home Visitors work with me?
The PHV arranges to visit the parent/carer and the child at home on a regular basis. At first the PHV works closely with the parent/carer assessing the child’s strengths and needs and the priorities of the family.

Time will be spent getting to know the child, what interests them and how best they learn new skills.

The PHV 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.

Your PHV can be your first point of contact when you do not know who else to get in touch with. They will keep in regular contact and offer support through home visits and/or telephone/video calls.

Telephone:   01803 208579

Email:   portageteam@torbay.gov.uk

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