Sure Start & Portage

Lori Adams, Alison Blake, Louise Eaton, Kelly Jarvis & Elizabeth Rolph

Sure Start and Portage working together“Sure Start are involved in supporting our recently qualified Portage workers

alongside other team members (early years teacher and social worker). Portage is a home visiting service for pre-school children who have special needs. This service is offered to children from Sure Start wards who have been identified following assessment at the child development centre or by

playgroup, nursery workers or health visitors”.

(Wheeler, 2001, p.5)

Sure Start and Portage services recognise and understand that all families are different and therefore have distinctly different needs, between families and in different locations. Services

should recognise and respond to these varying needs.

Sure Start“Sure start is the Government’s programme to deliver the best start in life for every child by bringing together early education,

childcare, health and family support.”(

www.surestart.gov.uk/aboutsurestart/about/thesurestartprogramme2

, 2008)

Sure Start is delivered by The Early Years, Extended Schools and Special Needs Group, within the Department for Children,

Schools and Families (DCSF).

Sure Start covers a wide range of programmes both universal and those targeted on particular local areas or disadvantaged

groups within England.

What Sure Start do?Sure Start provides a range of services, not only for the children but for the

parents and carers also. As follows:• “access to integrated early education and childcare for children under five

years; • Links to extended services, out-of-school activities, holiday play schemes,

etc;• Links to local individual and networked child minders;• Services for children with special needs, including specialist support;• A home visiting service;• Information about family support services and activities;• Parenting support and advice;• Access to child and family health services;• Links with Job Centre Plus, further education opportunities and links to

other training providers;• Drop in sessions including parent’s/carer’s/childminder’s groups.

(Hampshire County Council leaflet, 2008)

Sure Start and parentsThe services are intended to encourage access for all parents. This includes;

opening hours, transport, location and care for other children in the family and where possible to enable families to have access to the health and

family support they need from their regular centre.

“Local parents have really taken up the challenge of becoming involved with Sure Start on several levels”.

Perhaps one parent’s comment sheds light on why they are so responsive, “People are always asking what we want, but Sure Start delivers”.

“One of our major strengths is a commitment to community development”.(Wheeler,2001,p.5)

“Every family should get access to a range of services that will deliver better outcomes for both children and parents, meeting their needs and stretching

their aspirations”

(www.surestart.gov.uk)

A typical Sure Start routineAs such, there is not a specific routine for Sure

Start. This is because it is not a play-group setting; it is purely a place where children can

come to socialise, and develop their social, emotional and key skills.

There are, however, designated time for when parents can come and play with their children, and join in the session named ‘Let’s Play’, two

mornings a week. There are also specific sessions where just fathers, brothers, uncles can come and join the children. The ‘Creche’

sessions are just for the children to have some playtime at Sure Start by themselves, without

family.

Links to theorists who share similar views

We could not find any clear theory behind the idea of Sure Start, as it is a government based programme. However, we

did find some theorists who’s views underpinned those of Sure Start:

Rachel and Margaret McMillan, Susan Isaacs and Robert Owen “recognised the need to provide nourishing

environments for children’s minds, bodies and spirits, which would give children the best chance to thrive.”

(May et al, 2006, p.5)

The Sure Start programme aims to deliver the best start in life for every child by bringing together early education,

childcare, health and family support.

Criticisms of Sure StartWard states in The Guardian ‘Sure Start sets back the worse placed

youngsters’ (2005) that Sure Start is setting back the behaviour and development of young children according to The Sure Start National

Evaluation. It was discovered that single or unemployed parents children did far worse when they lived in Sure Start areas compared

to equally deprived areas.

Where as, a more recent article from The Independent ‘How the Governments plans to end child poverty were botched’ (2008)

notes that The Sure Start Programme is improving “children in Sure Start areas are better behaved and more independent than children

in other areas and that their parents are showing more signs of positive parenting”. As you can see this is the complete opposite of

the Evaluation that was carried out in 2005.

Criticisms Of Sure Start Continued“ The government’s Sure Start programme is failing to support black and minority ethnic

groups, says a review”.

• These findings are based on research from the University of Hull evaluation of the flagship scheme to help families with young children.

• The main finding from the research was that Sure Start “risked being a ‘missed opportunity’ in terms of helping marginalised minority groups.”

• This study also implies that “ Many local services showed poor practice in terms of translation and interpretation.”

• The Minister for Children, Families and Young People Beverley Hughes highlights her views and suggests that in order to reach and help disadvantaged children a new requirement has been set up which involves a home visiting programme for parents with new born babies.

• The National Audit Office created a report which identified that Sure Start centres need to provide more support in order to reach vulnerable families. The NAO found that “ fewer than a third of the 200 Sure Start centres it investigated were making efforts to reach the most vulnerable.

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6287610.stm)

Our Visit to Sure Start Central, Southampton

Continued…

Continued…

Portage

“Portage is a home-visiting educational service for pre-school children with additional support

needs and their families.”(www.portage.org.uk, 2008)

In the early 1970’s the very first scheme was developed in Portage, Wisconsin, USA and

there are now 140 services registered with the National Portage Association in Britain.

What are portage aiming to do? “Support the development of young children’s play, communication,

relationships and full participation in day to day life within the family and beyond the home, their inclusion in the wider community.”

(National Portage Association Leaflet, 2008)

Support families in their everyday living situations and adapt their visit into the child’s daily routine appropriately.

To build on the child’s abilities and strengths, rather than focusing on difficulties it is important to concentrate on what the child can already

do.

To work with families to help them develop a quality of life and experience

Portage and ParentsChildren usually become involved with Portage and their service “following a referral from the

health visitor or consultant pediatrician, a portage worker will then visit the family to assess the child’s needs using a detailed developmental checklist”. (Wall, 2006, p.168).

After visiting a Portage organisation and having the pleasure of speaking to the manager of this portage service we have more of an understanding that some parents can enrol their children into portage services if they feel their child will benefit from having a portage worker.

Portage understand that Parents are the Key figures in the care and development of their child, they support the parents in becoming confident in this role. Portage can advise parents on a wide range of care and development from play to feeding and bathing.

Portage understand the importance of parents and should “let the parent know when she is doing a good job”.

(Frohmen et al, 1983, p.29)

The Theorist, Margaret McMillan saw the importance of parental involvement in their child’s development and “began to advise parents on hygiene and nutrition”.

(Pound, 2005, p.23)

A typical Portage home Visit• A typical visit is 1 hour and a ¼ each week. • The Portage workers begin their visits by asking how the

parents are doing, and recap targets. • Then there is a review of the activity sheet that were set to

fill out the previous week. • There are then play activities with the children, which also

accommodates other siblings if they are around.• Observations are noted about the child, which help set new

targets for that week. • They also provide support and advice, through helping the

parents with everyday activities / routines, such as bath time, feeding, dressing, undressing.

• They also break down skills, such as putting on socks, which can be a great achievement for some SEN children.

• It should also be noted, that the parents are in control of the visit. They can comply with Portage workers, or choose not to be visited. In this case, the Portage worker can advise the parents on groups available to them.

Criticisms Of PortageThe parents of any child with SEN has no obligation to Portage to use the services that it

provides. This means that even though the Portage worker may feel it’s the best thing for the child to have access to Portage, they cannot do anything about it, if the

parents are not in agreement. This can greatly disadvantage the child.

Unfortunately, some families who need the Portage service the most, can make the Portage workers feel uncomfortable when in their home. Therefore, personal safety

for workers can be an issue, when they are trying to help.

Also Portage services are aimed at children with SEN, however after talking to Portage workers we feel it would be beneficial for all children and parents to have extra support in the areas they need it for. In hindsight we are aware that government

funding would be a barrier preventing this from happening.

Portage waiting lists tend to be long as there are a number of children and their parents who require additional help and therefore Portage unfortunately are unable to visit

and help all children due to funding and time. However the Portage workers do encourage parents to attend various groups and meetings and other social events to bring the community together and to make the families feel supported. An example is

the annual Christmas party.

In Conclusion…

• We found that both Sure Start and Portage provided efficient and effective services for children and their parents or carers who have difficulties in development and may need support such as deprived areas or children who have a special educational need.

Bibliography BBC news (2007) Sure Start ‘fails ethnic groups’. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6287610.stm

[accessed on 17/11/2008]Frohmen et al (1983) The Portage Home Teaching Handbook. Wisconsin: Cooperative Education

Service.Hampshire County Council (2008) Sure Start: What is a Sure Start Children’s Centre? Leaflet.

Winchester: Children’s Services Department.May, P et al (2006) Sound Beginnings: Learning & development in the Early Years. London: David

Fulton Publishers.National Portage Association <www.portage.org.uk/whatPortage.php> [Accessed on 17/11/2008]Paul, B (2008) National Portage Association Leaflet: Partners with Parents and Children. Somerset:

Denison DesignPound, L (2005) How Children Learn. Leamington Spa: Step Forward Publishing Limited.Sure Start – A Sure Start for Every Child

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Ward, L (2005) Sure Start sets back the worst placed youngsters. www.guardian.co.uk [accessed on 25/11/2008]

Wheeler, D (2001) Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, Bulletin, London, RCSLTWilce, H. (2008) How the Government’s plans to end child poverty were botched

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