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Welcome To Wirral

Wirral Portage Team

Wirral Portage Service is part of the SESS team. It provides support and advice for families of very young children with a variety of additional needs. Its core role is to deliver the Portage home-teaching programme in partnership with the child’s parents within the child’s home environment. The aim is to support families, encourage the child’s development and maximise the child’s potential.

The Service has a well-established team with longstanding skilled staff who are committed to the delivery of a quality service to the youngest most disabled children and families in Wirral.

There is an open referral system and children are allocated to the service as places become available. It is not possible to offer places to all children, however all families will be visited and if not appropriate alternative support will be discussed.

The team also delivers training to Early Years practitioners, families and other supporting professionals.

The Service is managed by the Senior Educational Psychologist (Early Years) who also has a coordinating role with regard to Early Years policies and issues within SESS.

Portex Service

The Portex Service is an extension of the Portage Service. It gives support to children in Foundation 1 and 2 who have an Autistic Spectrum Disorder or social/communication difficulties diagnosed by a Consultant Community Paediatrician or specialist Speech and Language Therapist. The child will already be at Early Year Action Plus of the code of practice.

Portex is time limited to one term. The Early Years staff or SENCo (Special Needs Co-ordinator) in the setting/school can make the referral as they need to commit to providing additional support and carrying out an agreed programme of work on a daily basis.

The Senior Portex Teacher includes the child’s parents by inviting them to share the planning and the work being done at school. This can be done by attending Portex sessions in the setting or discussions at other agreed times. Problems, which may present at home can then also be discussed and advice offered.

Where necessary, the Senior Portex Teacher will liaise with any other professionals involved with the child, e.g. Paediatrician, Speech and Language Therapist, Social Worker.

Advantages of Portex

  1. It provides regular weekly support for the key person working with the child which should be shared with all staff.
  2. Weekly targets support the child and provide continuous record of progress for setting/school.
  3. A positive and realistic programme is drawn up.
  4. Support is also available for the parent.
  5. It supports a working partnership between the parents and the setting/school.

Further information is available from:

Joan Nicolls (Senior Portage Teacher – Portex)
Special Education Support Service Portage Team
Solar Campus

If you require further information about the Wirral Portage Service or a Service handbook, please contact:

Catherine O’Connor - Service Manager
Penny Bishop – Senior Early Years Worker
Joan Nicolls – Senior Early Years Worker

Tel: 0151 637 6165

See Also