1. Wrexham Portage Service
Jill Palmer Panna Champaneria
Portage Home Educational Psychologist
Visitor

2. 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.

3. Our Principles Whole child, family and community Small steps Inclusion
Partnership
Celebrating success
Generalising skills
Our Principles
Enabling
Being positive
Celebrating diversity
Looking forward
Practical, immediate, relevant
Supporting

4. Eligible Criteria Referral routes: Open Community Paediatricians
Maelor children’s centre
Health Visitors
Speech and language therapists
Playgroup leaders
Flying Start Team

5. 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

6. Criteria cont: We do not work with children and families:
Who require an ADHD assessment
Who require an ASD assessment
With learning disabilities

7. Wrexham Portage Service Request 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: /317675

8. The Early Visits Introducing the service, E
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

9. 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

10. FAMILY FOCUS ELEMENT Empowering parents
Sharing daily experiences and routines
Addressing needs, successes and looking forward
Sharing information and concerns
Promoting inclusion

11. 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

12. 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

13. RESPONSIBILITIES FOR EACH FAMILY
Maintaining records and sharing completed activity chart
Identify long term goals
Monitor progress
Liaise
Share success and concerns

14. 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

15. Request information At any one time Jill is working with 8-14
Date of request
No. of
requests
Jan 05 1
Jun - Dec 05 18
Jan – Dec 06 19
Jan – Dec 07 16
Jan - Dec 08 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.

16. Requests from Acrefair Maes Y Dre Acton New Broughton Barker’s Lane
Brymbo
Brynteg
Caia Park
Chirk
Coedpoeth
Gresford
Gwersyllt
Hightown
Llay
Maes Y Dre
New Broughton
Overton
Penycae
Plas Coch
Rhosddu
Rhosllanerchragog
Rhosrobin
Rhostyllen
Ruabon
Southsea
Wrexham

17. Requests From: Educational Psychologist Flying Start Team
Health visitor
Home advisory team
NPA parent rep
Nursery Nurse
Paediatrician
Parent
Playgroup leader
PPA
Social services
Sorting panel
Speech and Language Therapist

18. Combinations of any of the above
Areas of Concern
Behaviour
Development
Medical
Motor
Play skills
Speech and language
Social Skills
Combinations of any of the above

19. 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

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

21. behind what it should be; now l know he is not.
I was worried his
development was far
behind what it should be;
now l know he is not.
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!
It helped me feel a lot less stressed about his behaviour.
Lots of practical advice and support, very caring and a no pressure to achieve approach.