About The Association
The National Portage Association was established in 1983 to offer support and information to parents and professionals involved in Portage and has been at the forefront of developments in support to young children and their families since then.
The Association became a charitable company in 2001 with a Board of Trustees, elected from amongst the members to manage its business, monitor standards of training and service delivery and oversee research and developments.
The Association aims to:
- work with families to help them develop a quality of life and experience for themselves and their young children in which they can learn together,
- play together, participate and be included in their community in their own right
- play a part in minimising the disabling barriers that confront the young children and families receiving Portage services
- support the national and local development of inclusive services for children
Largely funded by members subscriptions and donations, the N.P.A. operates throughout the UK covering the six regions: Eastern, London and South East, Midlands, Northern, North East and South West including Wales and Overseas. Activities and study days in each region are coordinated by an elected Regional Representative who is available to offer advice and support to new Portage services and individual members and to help with the planning of social and publicity events.
The Board of Trustees supports the work of four national sub-committees:
The Equal Opportunities committee- is responsible for ensuring that the association maintains a commitment to achieving equality in all areas of our work. It collates information from across the U.K. and advises Portage services and individual members on equality issues. The Association challenges all forms of discrimination and prejudice.
The Ethics committee- offers guidance on ethical matters relating to the use of Portage teaching methods.
The Information and Publicity committee- maintains as up to date list of published materials on Portage and supports individual members and services in their social, fund raiding and publicity events.
The Training and Monitoring committee – monitors standards, develops and supervises the delivery of the Portage Basic Workshop and the Portage Curriculum for Professional Development and maintains a register of Accredited Trainers.
The Chairperson of each of these sub-committees is a member of the Board of Trustees along with Chairperson, Treasurer, Membership Co-ordinator, the six regional representatives and three parent representatives who ensure that the voice of families using Portage services is heard.
Membership
Benefits of membership include:
- access to a Code of Practice as a framework for delivering Portage services
- training opportunities through the Curriculum for Professional Development
- contact with others involved in Portage
- voting rights on matters affecting the association
- access to a range of helpful leaflets and publications including Portage Post, the association’s regular journal
The association welcomes applications for membership from all those who support its aims and objectives.
Please contact:
The N.P.A. Accounts Dept
Kings Court
17 School Road
Hall Green
Birmingham
B28 8JG
Tel: 0121 244 1807
Fax: 0121 244 1801
The NPA is a registered charity, number 1087865