Hounslow Portage Service is an all year round, home education and support service for families offering a blended approach of home visits, video sessions and centre sessions to help parents understand their child’s development and how to support it in the home.
Practical support provided for the family with activities to promote development, liaison with other professionals involved and referrals made to other support services, health services and charities if required.
Criteria to access the Service: Babies and young children identified with complex needs – significant developmental delay in 2+ areas including cognition (play, problem solving, learning) and are likely to have special educational needs and/or disability. The family reside in London Borough of Hounslow and the child does not yet attend a pre-school or nursery.
Each child has a portage home visitor who will visit them and their family at home on a weekly or fortnightly basis demonstrating and teaching new skills to the child, working in partnership with and supporting the parents/carers.
The home visitor will maintain records and review progress through activity charts, teaching targets, long term goals and six monthly reports for the review and curriculum planning meeting with the parents.
Children who are on the portage programme are also invited to take part in specific group play sessions at Redlees Play Centre.
We also offer the social communication matters parent course for families with young children up to nursery age who have been identified by a Paediatrician as having social communication difficulties.
The Portage service also deliver the National Autistic Society EarlyBird Three Month Parent Programme for families with children under 5 years old who have an Autistic Spectrum Disorder in conjunction with Health and EPS. – applications via the Social Communication Pathway Team.
We provide training to Portage home visitors, teachers, SENDCO’s, EY practitioners and others, delivering ‘A Small Steps Approach to Learning for Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities’ validated by the national portage association. Application direct to the Portage Service.
Service details:
Who needs to make the referral?
Referrals for Portage are considered by the Early Years SEND panel. We accept referrals from parents, health services e.g. paediatricians, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, health visitors, other Portage Services, children’s centre practitioners and other early years services.
If you would like to refer a child who lives in Hounslow for the Portage service or the social communication matters course (SCM) you must have permission of the parents/carers and have shared the Early Years SEND panel parent information sheet.
To make a referral please use the Hounslow Early Years SEND panel referral form and ensure the Hounslow Early Years SEND Panel Information Sheet for Parents has been shared with parents and carers.
Age Range: 6 months until Nursery entry
Additional Information
All Portage Home Visitors have relevant degree level qualification in addition to further training in SEND and have completed The National Portage Association Training
Additional links