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Portage and Inclusion Partnership (PIP)

‘PIP’ Portage and Inclusion Partnership Referral Information

National Portage Association

Portage is a home-visiting educational service for young children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and do not receive an early education in a nursery, nursery school, children’s centre, childminder or nursery class.
When children attend a setting, support for SEND is provided through the ‘SENCo’. Every Early Years setting in the city is offered regular visits from a member of Bristol City Council’s Portage and Inclusion Team. We support Early Years educators to understand Special Educational Needs processes and to review the progress of specific children.

Our ‘PIP Service’ can be requested for a child with SEND who attends a setting:

CRITERIA: 

  • The child lives in Bristol. 
  • They have an Early Years Placement in a Bristol Setting. 
  • Parents/carers and the Early Years Provider have identified developmental differences and either:     
    • The child is not making progress following repeated cycles of the graduated approach, or
    • Support is required for consistency between home and education setting for implementing and modelling strategies. 

Referral should be made by joint completion of the following form by the child’s early years provider and their parent(s): Portage and Inclusion Partnership (PIP) Referral

SERVICE:
A member of the team will provide visits to the child’s home during a twelve week period. They will provide visits to the child’s EY Provider during the same period. The Early Years Portage and Inclusion Specialist will play with the child and give ideas for play/teaching activities that could stimulate their development, incorporating information from their early years setting. They will jointly decide on the outcomes that parents/carers and practitioners are hoping to achieve, and the specialist will support progress towards these and/or signpost other appropriate services.

Portage and Inclusion Partnership (PIP) Information for Families

Who are We:

Our Early Years Portage and Inclusion Team are experienced in supporting the development of young children with special educational needs and disabilities. They work closely with colleagues in Health and Bristol Family Hubs, including running our Rainbows stay and play groups. They are portage trained and are familiar with the Early Years Foundation Stage and processes relating to SEND.

Ellie

Ellie

Katie

Katie

Kirby

Kirby

Naomi

Naomi

Gosia

Gosia

Why you are being offered this support?

Our Portage and Inclusion (‘PIP’) Service is available to families and their child’s early years setting when:

  • the child is not making good progress following repeated cycles of the ‘graduated approach’, or
  • support is required for consistency between home and school setting for implementing and modelling strategies, or
  • the child is due to start their first placement and there are concerns that they will not manage this transition without a high level of support.

 

The key person or SENCo at your child’s setting will talk through with you why they feel this criterion is met.

What to expect:

One of our ‘PIP’ specialists will contact you and the setting to arrange visits to both your home and your child’s early years setting. Visits to family home using the portage model and their Early Year’s Provider over a 12 week period. The schedule of visits and desired outcomes will be agreed at the initial meeting with SENCo/Key person/Childminder and parents/carers at the child’s provider. 

They will play with your child and give ideas for play/teaching activities that could stimulate their development, incorporating information from both home and their early years setting. They will jointly decide on the outcomes that you and the setting are hoping to achieve and will support progress towards these. Where appropriate, they will signpost other appropriate services.

earlyyears.sensupport@bristol.gov.uk
Your information will be stored and shared in accordance with the Privacy Notice available on Bristol City Council website: www.bristol.gov.uk/EarlyYearsInclusionPrivacyNotice

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