Leeds Portage Service

The Portage Service is a commissioned service, accredited by the National Portage Association [NPA]. The Portage Service is considered to be one of the first steps on the ladder in terms of educational support for children with SEND and fits within the ‘A life ready for learning’ and ‘Think Family Work Family’ agendas. The SEND Code of Practice [2014] recommends early intervention aks the best method of closing the gap and improving outcomes for C&YP with SEND. Scope LCC is commissioning a Portage Home Visiting Service to children 0 – 3 years old who demonstrate a delay of 50% or more in at least 2 areas of learning. The Portage service consists of regular home visits to improve the educational attainment for the child and to empower parents/carers to support their child’s development. A Portage Service needs to meet the criteria and be registered with the National Portage Association (NPA). The service is required to deliver the portage model and work within the set criteria (appended). These criteria link to the particular characteristics that make portage different to other home visiting services, this includes good practice principles, such as working in partnership with parents and their children to agree short and long-term goals for the child and regularly reviewing these goals which are child centred, effectively communicating with other professionals and working as a Team Around the Child (TAC) and the family. The contract should support a rolling caseload of 70 families plus a ‘pre-Portage’ offer of advice and support to families that are likely to be eligible for Portage in the future