How Portage works
Portage offers a framework of support, which respects each family and their own individual priorities. It is a model that adapts flexibly to individual child and family needs.
Families are visited weekly, or fortnightly, at home by their trained Portage Home Visitor. Parents share with the home visitor their undertanding of their child's individual gifts, abilities and support needs. Profiles or developmental checklists may help with this process of identifying strengths and goals for future learning when Portage visits begin.
The emphasis is on the positive, finding out and building on what a child can do. Parents take the lead in planning their goals ensuring that Portage support is relevant to the needs of their child and family.
Goals may focus on developing movement, learning, play communication and participation in the activities of everyday living.
Usually the aim of each home visit is to decide on a activity which the family can practise and enjoy together. The activities are based on play, grounded in everyday situations to provide fun and success for the child. Each activity may represent a small step towards one of the family's planned goals and families using Portage usually choose to practise activities between weekly visits. Parents may use charts or diaries as a reminder of the activity and a record of what happens between visits. In this way a family can build a shared record of their child's involvement with Portage.
Fundamental to Portage support are the principles that:
- all children and parents should be valued for their unique qualities
- parents play the key role in supporting their young child's development
- services for families are most useful when they support everyday living and are delivered in a child's natural environment.
- building on abilities and strengths, rather than focusing on difficulties best supports children's learning and enjoyment.
