What is portage
Portage is part of the SEND service. They support young children aged between one and four years old with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) whose development is severely delayed in at least three areas. This could be speech, language and communication; physical development; personal, social and emotional development; or cognition and learning.
Portage aims to:
- Work in partnership with families to help them develop a quality of life and experience, for themselves and their young children, in which they can learn together, play together, participate and be included in their community.
- Play a part in minimising barriers that confront young children and their families.
- Support the development of inclusive services for children.
Portage Officers hold cases initially for a block of weekly visits, which may then reduce to fortnightly/monthly for anywhere between 6 weeks and 6 months, depending on the child/family situation. The service provides a blended offer which includes home visits, live interactive and coaching video sessions, pre-recorded coaching videos and telephone consultations.
Tapestry is on-line learning journal which is co-produced with parents has been launched over the last 6 months and is providing to be so successful that it will remain in practice post COVID-19
The team are innovative and always looking for new ways of supporting children’s learning and development