Main contact:
Rebecca Fisk - Service ManagerTelephone number:
01823 357000Email:
inclusionSENsupportservices@somerset.gov.ukAddress:
Early Years SEND ServiceOther staff contacts:
Senior Portage Practitioners
Vicky Lamb vicky.lamb@somerset.gov.uk
Jo Toomey joanne.toomey@somerset.gov.uk
Local Offer Website
https://supportservicesforeducation.co.uk/Services/6203Service description
Our Service is managed by Inclusion Somerset and funded by Somerset County Council.
There are 2 Senior Portage Home Visitors and 10 part-time Portage Home Visitors who are split between 4 areas, Mendip, Sedgemoor, South Somerset and Taunton & West Somerset.
Intervention takes places through home visits or in a focus group, depending on the needs of the child.
Children with the most complex needs are prioritised for a home visiting intervention. An Educational Psychologist will make an initial visit to the family in order to better understand the child’s strengths and needs and develop outcomes for the intervention. A Portage Home Visitor will then visit on a weekly basis for up to three terms.
Focus group are held weekly for approximately one term. Children are selected for this based on the need in the area.
We also run 5 ‘Stay and Play’ sessions across the county for families to access while receiving or waiting for a Portage intervention.
Referrals are usually made by a professional involved with the family (e.g. health visitor) using an Early Help assessment (EHA). New referrals are then discussed at a multiagency meeting to decide on the best course of action.