Wrexham Portage Service

Jill Palmer Panna ChampaneriaPortage Home Educational Psychologist

Visitor

Jill Palmer - Portage Home Visitor

Jill is a qualified Nursery Nurse who was appointed 4 years ago as a Portage Home Visitor. This was a newly created post as the portage service was new to Wrexham LEA. She helped set up the service to meet the needs of children and families, who would like help to build on skills that are most important for their child’s future learning.

Prior to Jill’s portage post she has had over 10 years experience working within a variety of schools and early years settings, supporting children in a maintained setting who were developing age appropriately, some with additional needs and supported children age 3-16 years with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

Panna Champaneria – Educational Psychologist

Panna is a Senior Practitioner for Early Years. Following the initial 2 day portage training in March 2005, Panna has worked alongside Jill to develop the Wrexham Portage Service.

Our Principles

Partnership

InclusionSmall steps

Whole child, family and

community

Celebrating success

Looking

forward

Being positive

Practical, immediat

e, relevant

Enabling

Supporting

Celebrating diversity

Generalising skills

Eligible CriteriaReferral routes:

Open Community PaediatriciansMaelor children’s centreHealth VisitorsSpeech and language therapistsPlaygroup leadersFlying Start Team

Criteria:• Children must be 0-3 years old• Children and families resident in Wrexham• The service is offered to children who are

not in an educational setting• Children who show a delay in developing

skills in at least two of the following areas: physical/sensory development communication Skills learning self-help skills personal and social skills

Criteria cont:

We do not work with children and families:• Who require an ADHD assessment• Who require an ASD assessment• With learning disabilities

Wrexham Portage ServiceRequest Form

• Child’s information • Parents comments, including strengths and

needs• Areas of concern and targets to focus on• Involvement of requestor and other agencies• Additional Information• Parent/carer’s signature• Requestor’s signature• Return completed form to Erlas Centre• Tel: 01978 317679/317675

The Early Visits Introducing the service, E.P Supervisor and

Portage Home Visitor

• Service information and personalised pack• Roles of Portage Home Visitor, supervisor and family• Timing and length of weekly visits • Weekly supervision/team meetings• Links with other services• Confidentiality • Links with NPA

STARTING POINTS First Home Visit

• Relationship building• Discuss generic goals with parents• Identify current skills by completing the

Portage checklist• Introduce the small step approach• Consent for multi-agency working

FAMILY FOCUS ELEMENT

• Empowering parents• Sharing daily experiences and routines• Addressing needs, successes and

looking forward• Sharing information and concerns• Promoting inclusion

STRUCTURED TEACHING ELEMENT

• Joint design and practice of a teaching activity

• Checking what happened since the last visit using the activity chart

• Deciding what to do next• Trying out a new activity

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE HOME VISITOR

• Keeping confidentiality• Attending weekly supervision with Educational

Psychologist/ Team leader• Knowing boundaries to the role• Sharing information with other agencies (with

consent)• Joint working with other agencies as necessary• Ongoing assessment• Report writing• Collating information for reviews and evaluation

RESPONSIBILITIES FOR EACH FAMILY

• Maintaining records and sharing completed activity chart

• Identify long term goals• Monitor progress• Liaise• Share success and concerns

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SUPERVISOR

• Keeping confidentiality• Support Portage Home Visitor through regular

supervision• Ensure the appropriateness of referrals• Attend initial visit with Portage Home Visitor

and subsequent review visits where appropriate• Liaise with Educational Psychologists, other

agencies and schools

Request information

Date of request

No. ofrequests

Jan 05 1

Jun - Dec 05 18

Jan – Dec 06 19

Jan – Dec 07 16

Jan - Dec 08 13 + 3 FS

Jan 09 2

Feb 09 2 (FS)

Total 76

At any one time Jill is working with 8-14 families depending

on need and demand.

AcrefairActonBarker’s LaneBrymboBryntegCaia ParkChirk CoedpoethGresfordGwersylltHightownLlay

Maes Y DreNew BroughtonOvertonPenycaePlas CochRhosdduRhosllanerchragogRhosrobinRhostyllenRuabonSouthseaWrexham

Requests from

Requests From:

Educational PsychologistFlying Start TeamHealth visitorHome advisory teamNPA parent repNursery Nurse PaediatricianParentPlaygroup leaderPPA Social servicesSorting panelSpeech and Language Therapist

Areas of Concern

BehaviourDevelopment

MedicalMotor

Play skillsSpeech and language

Social Skills

Combinations of any of the above

Tracking information• 76 requests for portage input • 9 requests for an assessment place in a

resourced nursery• Of those 2 went to their mainstream

school• 7 had a Statutory assessment• Of the 7 one went to his mainstream

school

Jill’s help has been invaluable in helping me learn how to play.

This in turn helps William learn through our play, he is now great at role play, action songs and turn

taking games. He is happy to co-operate and help.This is a big change from the two and a half year old

who wouldn’t look anyone in the eye.

Advice on how to deal with difficult

situations was useful.

My daughter waited for Jill to arrive because she

looked forward to play. Mum also looked forward to chat and

share problems.

I was worried his development was far

behind what it should be; now l know he is not.

It helped me feel a lot less stressed

about his behaviour.

My son came on immensely whilst

having Portage and l was not expecting such

an improvement in a short space of time, it

was great!

Lots of practical advice and support, very caring and a

no pressure to achieve approach.