National Portage Assocation

Training Calendar

Supporting use of the NPA Core Competencies

A series of regional focus days have been held, which form an essential part of the NPA framework for quality assuring use of the materials. Those attending received a master copy NPA certificate (dated for the year) which they can issue to Portage home visitors in their service who complete the Core Competencies.

Portage Curriculum for Professional Development

The Portage Curriculum for Professional Development is designed for experienced Portage personnel, parents or professionals, and covers a range of topics.

This aspect of training was previously known as Advanced Portage Training. It is delivered in modular form, typically at national or regional level. Modules are currently available in the following areas:

ASD - working with children who have social communication difficulties/autism spectrum disorders.

PMLD - working with children who have profound and multiple (complex physical and sensory) needs

URCCB - Understanding and Responding to Children’s Challenging Behaviour. This module was written in 2008 to replace the module previously offered and was funded from the NPA/DCSF project. It builds on aspects of the behaviour module in the Portage Basic Workshop.

Portage Basic Workshops

The following PBWs use the curriculum revised in 2004 by the NPA and are delivered by presenters who are Accredited or Senior Accredited Trainers with the NPA. Those where places are supported by the NPA/DfE project are indicated by an *

Training Events

At the bottom of this page is a list of all the current training events. Click here to see them on the Calendar.

Quality Assurance for Portage service delivery

Portage services who register with the National Portage Association (N.P.A.) undertake to comply with the quality assurance procedures set up by the N.P.A. Standards of service delivery are set out in the N.P.A. Code of Practice (Revised 2006).

Only  Portage Basic Workshops delivered by an N.P.A. accredited trainer  are recognised by the N.P.A. The N.P.A. has also developed a range of training materials (Portage Curriculum for Professional Development) which may only be delivered by N.P.A. recognised trainers

The N.P.A. has made available to learners two awards which it recognises as evidence that the holder is competent to practice as a Portage home visitor:

• Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Advanced Award in Portage Skills (enrolment via accredited trainer)
• Edexcel BTEC Level 4 Professional Certificate in Portage Practice (enrolment via supervisor of registered Portage service)

The N.P.A. has developed materials detailing the Core Competencies for Portage home visitors ~ Making Sure You Have Got What It Takes ~ which is available to all registered services. The
NPA is very aware of the need to support services in their use of this material and implements the following process for quality assuring their use:

Signed and dated NPA Certificates of Achievement are available to registered services who have sent an appropriate representative to one of the regional Quality Assuring Core Competencies (QACC)
days, within a 2 year period.

An appropriately signed (by NPA Chair) and dated (current 2 year period) certificate may be given to Portage home visitors who have demonstrated competence across all areas of the Core Competencies, as certified by the elevant member of their service (usually their supervisor).  The holder of a certificate will be recognised as a competent Portage home visitor, by the NPA

• Six regional QACC support days within each 2 year period.  Registered services wishing to obtain the NPA Certificate of Achievement for its home visitors, must send an appropriate representative to any one of these days.
• Newly registered Portage services will receive initial induction into use of the materials and support from their regional representative.

Details of registered services may be found on this web-site or via the N.P.A. office.