Portage service

Portage is a home teaching scheme for pre-school children with special needs and their families.

The Wandsworth Portage Service is part of the Early Years and Childcare Service. We work in partership with parents of pre-school children whose development, in one or several areas, causes some concern.

The service is based in the Early Years Centre and the Home Visitors work alongside professionals from Health, Social Services, Education and the Voluntary Sector.

The service comprises of full-time workers, part-time workers and volunteers. There are weekly staff meetings which are supervised by an Educational Psychologist. Families are usually visited on a weekly basis.

There is an open referral policy where parents and professionals can refer children for consideration. Families are visited shortly after referral and an explanation of Portage teaching methods is given.The commitment of the Home Visitor and the family is also discussed.

What does Portage offer?
A Person who will:

Visit you weekly in your home
Listen and develop ideas which grow from a shared knowledge of your child's development
Breakdown activities into small steps to ensure your childs successful learning
Help you to record your child's progress regularly
Work in conjunction with other support agencies
Help you to liaise with nurseries and other settings at the start of education

Working in partnership with families
Portage helps children to develop their.....