Early Years and Childcare Service

Early Years Portage and Inclusion Team

Working in partnership for children and families

Early Years and Childcare Service

Early Years and Childcare ServiceThe Early Years Portage and Inclusion Team provide support to families and early years practitioners for children birth to 5 years, who are disabled and/or have special educational needs.

The Early Years Portage and Inclusion Specialists offer a range of support, advice and guidance to all providers of early education and childcare.

The Early Years Portage and Inclusion Specialists offer a home visiting service using the Portage model. This is available to children and families via a referral process.

The Early Years Portage and Inclusion Specialists also provide a non-designated Key Working function.

2

Early Years and Childcare Service

We support Early Years Practitioners and Early Years Settings to:

●● provide appropriate support and interventions for individual children’s needs

●● develop strategies and targets for children’s Individual Education Plans

●● monitor and review children’s rate of progress

●● be aware of special educational needs processes and procedures

3

Early Years and Childcare Service

We provide a Portage Home Visiting Service to:

●● help families and children learn together

●● provide strategies and targets to support children’s development

●● provide ideas for play/teaching activities to support parents/carers in stimulating their child’s development

●● support parents/carers in developing their knowledge regarding special educational needs processes and procedures.

4

Early Years and Childcare Service

We deliver training to:

●● develop early years providers skills to include children with disabilities and/or special educational needs

●● provide information and best practice strategies to enable early years providers to develop an inclusive environment

●● ensure early years providers are fully informed and aware of their responsibilities in relation to Special Educational Needs legislation and Local Authority Special Educational Needs procedures when supporting disabled children

●● empower early years practitioners to support children with disabilities and/or special educational needs in the longer term from within their own resources.

5

Early Years and Childcare Service

We also support:

●● the positive transfer of children with disabilities and/or special educational needs to the next phase of their education within the Early Years Foundation Stage.

●● families in accessing appropriate services to meet their needs. When providing a Key Working function we can also provide support in co-ordinating their child’s care.

6

Early Years and Childcare Service

We also provide an Early Years Inclusion Resource Library which holds a range of specialist equipment and information to support the inclusion of young children.

Our Early Years Inclusion Resource Library is available to all settings, including childminders, who are offering the Early Years Foundation Stage to children from birth to five years. The resource library is also available to parents who are accessing a Portage Home Visiting service, via their Portage and Inclusion Specialist.

7

Early Years and Childcare Service

If you would like the information in this publication in another language, Braille, audio tape, large print, easy English, BSL video or CD-ROM or plain text please contact 0845 129 7217

Early Years Portage and Inclusion Team Bristol Education Centre Sheridan Road Horfield Bristol BS7 0PU

Telephone: 0117 377 3235

The teams support can be accessed by completing a referral form, please contact us on the number above for more details.

Designed and printed by Bristol Design, Bristol City Council. (BD5000 Dec 2013)