National Portage Association Training

Basic Portage Workshops

Details of training offered by the association, and courses run by Accredited Trainers, can be found under Training Calendar.

Portage Basic Workshop (PBW)

This is a three, or four, day course, which is essential for anyone wanting to become a Portage Home Visitor with a registered Portage service. It would also be of interest to all those practitioners working with children in their early years.

The present course was published in 2004 and contains modules on:

• Parents’ Perspective of Portage
• Introduction to Portage
• The Portage Home Visit
• Helping Children Learn
  1. Using Clear Language
  2. Planning for Success
  3. Small Steps to Learning
• Planning, Recording and Sharing Activities
• Play and Generalisation
• Understanding and Responding to Children’s Behaviour
• A Plenary session

Participants are required to complete two individual assignments, usually at home, for which they receive feedback from the tutors.

For courses run by NPA Accredited Trainers (see below) an NPA certificate of attendance is given to those who attend all the modules of the workshop, and successfully complete the individual assignments.

Portage Curriculum for Continuing Professional Development (PCPD)

The Curriculum for Professional Development is designed for experienced Portage personnel, parents or professionals, and covers a range of topics. It is delivered in modular form, typically at national or regional level by a team of experienced tutors who have a special interest and expertise in working with the group of children at the focus of the topic area.

Modules are currently available in the following areas:

• Working with Children who have Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD)
• Working with Children who have Autism Spectrum Difficulties: social communication impairments (ASD)
• Understanding and Responding to Children's Challenging Behaviour (URCCB)

Code of Practice and Ethical Guidelines

The NPA Code of Practice and Ethical Guidelines was revised in 2006. This day is intended to help Portage supervisors, coordinators and participants get to know the revised Code of Practice and Ethical Guidelines and incorporate them into service ethos and delivery. Service managers and commisioners are also invited to attend.

Training for Trainers (TfT)

This residential course, which is usually offered annually and based at a hotel, is held over a weekend starting on Friday morning and finishing on Sunday afternoon. It is designed for experienced Portage practitioners who want to become Accredited Trainers with the Association.

The course reflects and includes the new materials and emphasis in the revised Portage Basic Workshop (2004). Paired tutor presentations, short presentations by the participants with tutor support and feedback are central to the course.

Accredited Trainer Status

Accredited Trainers are experienced Portage practitioners who have also attended an NPA TfT course. They have links with the wider Portage community through membership of the NPA; they have had experience and training in delivering training and they offer Portage training within the guidelines set by the Association.

The National Portage Association is committed to supporting the delivery of high quality Portage training to early years practitioners and parents. The Association maintains a Register of Accredited Trainers and advertises Portage training delivered by Accredited Trainers.