Portage workers provide a home-visiting service for pre-school children who have developmental or learning difficulties, physical disabilities or other special needs. They help parents to encourage their children's development and teach them new skills by suggesting activities and daily routines which will make learning fun.

During the first visit the portage worker observes the child and talks to the parents to identify what skills the child already has. They then: 

• decide with the parents which skills are most important for the child's future learning
• suggest a programme of activities for the parents and child to practise together
• break down tasks that could be difficult or take a long time, such as learning to talk or to get dressed, into small steps
• provide an activity chart or notebook for parents to record their child's progress
• visit each week to check on progress and agree on new goals
• write progress reports and work with the parents to develop long-term goals
• work closely with other professionals, such as health visitors, social workers, physiotherapists and speech therapists.
  

Hours and Environment

Portage workers work around 35 hours a week, although part-time positions may be available. They sometimes need to work in the evenings and at weekends to visit parents who work during the day.

Portage workers are based in an office, but spend a lot of their time visiting families in their own homes, so are likely to need a driving licence.

Skills and Interests

To be a portage worker you should:

• be able to work well with people of all ages and backgrounds, including children, parents and other professionals 
• be good at giving advice in a sensitive way 
• have an understanding of child development
• have good listening skills
• have good communication skills and be able to give clear explanations to parents
• be able to write reports and keep accurate records.

Entry

To be a portage workers you will need extensive experience of working with children under the age of five, and an understanding of child development. You will usually need either:

• relevant professional qualifications such as teaching, nursery nursing, social work or nursing; or
• a level 3 early years qualification such as NVQ/SVQ Level 3 in Early Years Care and Education.

Please visit the 'Practitioners' section of the DfES Children's Workforce: Qualifications website for details of early years and childcare qualifications.  There is a link to the website in the Further Information section.

You will need to have a criminal record check.

With some local authorities you may be able to start as a volunteer portage worker.

Training

You will need to do a three day full-time (or part-time equivalent) basic training workshop before you start work. Your employer may pay for this.

The workshops are delivered by National Portage Association (NPA) accredited trainers at local or regional level. Please visit the NPA website for a list of planned workshops. There is a link to the website in Further Information.

After the basic training you will be supervised for six months by qualified colleagues, before becoming a qualified portage home visitor.

As a qualified portage worker you will be supported by regular supervision meetings with a senior colleague. You employer will also probably provide professional development programmes and opportunities for networking with other professionals.

Opportunities

Portage workers are usually employed by local authorities or children’s charities. There are around 140 portage services registered in Britain. The programme is still very much in development, so while opportunities are increasing there may not be services in all areas. Please see the NPA website for details of registered services.

Vacancies are likely to be advertised in local newspapers, in local authority job bulletins, which are available in libraries and other public offices, on local authority websites and on the recruitment website for local government www.LGjobs.com

It is possible to become a senior portage worker with supervisory or management responsibilities.

Annual Income

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Full-time portage workers start on around £15,000 to £18,000 a year.
With experience this is likely to rise to between £19,000 and £22,000 a year.
Senior portage workers can earn up to £30,000 a year.

Further information