Portage workers provide a home-visiting service for preschool children (under five years old) who have special educational needs and their families. They work to a portage model which aims to develop play, communication, relationships, and learning. The model places importance on the family working together, and on inclusion and participation in the community.
Portage workers often have an ongoing caseload of between eight and fifteen families. Work with each family is likely to include:
- An initial assessment of the child’s needs; including social, cognitive, motor, and language skills
- Tailoring a program of tasks and activities to the individual child, in agreement with the parents/carers
- Visiting the family weekly to check on progress and set new goals
- Writing regular reports on the development and long-term targets
- Consulting with other professionals such as psychologists or health visitors.
What's the working environment like working as a portage worker?
Portage workers spend a great deal of time visiting families in their own homes; the remainder of their time is spent putting together reports or attending meetings in an office.
Portage home visitors typically work around 36 to 38 hours per week. As a portage home visitor, you will typically work evenings/weekends.
Browse our jobs and salaries section for more information on the job prospects and typical tasks for portage workers in the UK.
What does it take to become a portage worker?
To be a portage worker, you should:
- Have a flexible approach
- Be able to maintain confidentiality
- Have an understanding of child development
- Be able to work within a multi-agency team
- Have listening skills and be able to explain tasks and the portage model to parents
- Have the ability to keep accurate records and write reports.
Portage worker job opportunities
Local authorities or children’s charities usually employ portage workers. There are around 140 portage services registered in Britain. The program is still very much in development, so while opportunities are increasing, there may not be services in some local areas.
It is possible to become a senior portage worker with supervisory or management responsibilities. Portage workers may also move into other early years professions, for example, nursery nursing.
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