National Portage Association - NPA

11/08/2026

👋 WELCOME to our new followers! 💙

Following our parliamentary reception we seem to have gained some new followers so we thought it would be a great time to re-share our information video explaining what ‘Portage’ is and how it supports families.

Portage is a service for pre-school children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) working closely with children who have a wide range of needs, providing support at a crucial time when families may still be navigating assessments and diagnosis.

We know those early stages can feel overwhelming, so we work alongside families, offering practical support and championing their child through the Portage model, delivered by expertly SEND trained portage practitioners.💕

📍 Does your area have a local Portage service?

Sadly, some areas of the UK currently don’t have access to Portage, while other Portage services are facing funding cuts — meaning reduced capacity and, ultimately, many children and families missing out. 😢 We’re hoping to raise the profile of Portage services during the SEND reforms and highlight just how important this early support is for children and their families.

Let us know in the comments if you have a Portage service in your area and help us raise awareness by liking, sharing and tagging someone who needs to know about Portage. 📣

06/08/2026

As a member of the Disabled Children's Partnership - we urge families to click the link in the original post below and have their say on EOTAS (Education Other Than At School) so their opinions can be included in the consultation. We know that Alternative Provision and a flexible approach to education is essential for some SEND families so it is important these views are captured while reform is happening 💙

24/07/2026

Check out our new article with Special Needs Jungle on why Portage support is so vital to children with SEND and how waiting to provide services for children in early years can cause more difficultly later. Early intervention should mean as soon as possible - with SEND reforms being made now is a perfect time for the government to invest in quality, proven services like Portage that improve outcomes 💙

On SNJ Today: The National Portage Association is calling for more widespread access to this vital early years service that research shows can be more important than any pre-school --and ultimately costs the state less: https://www.specialneedsjungle.com/every-child-deserves-portage/

16/07/2026

A child’s postcode should never determine whether they can access the support they need.

Portage is a proven early intervention service that helps young children with additional needs and disabilities reach their potential while empowering families every step of the way.Yet, across the UK, access to Portage remains a postcode lottery. Too many families are missing out simply because of where they live.

As one parent shared:
“Portage taught us that our child could achieve more than we ever imagined—and showed us how to help them get there.”

These stories remind us that early intervention changes lives. It strengthens families, improves children’s outcomes, and reduces the need for more costly support in the future. It’s time to ensure every child who could benefit from Portage has access to it—wherever they live.

Scan the QR codes to read our Time To Act and Time To Deliver reports and find out how you can support our call for universal access to Portage.

13/07/2026

📖 Have you read our new document yet?

We’re proud to share Time To Deliver: A Case for Universal Portage Intervention – The Cost of Waiting, our latest publication exploring what happens when early intervention doesn’t arrive in time.

Every child deserves the best possible start in life. This document highlights why timely support matters, the impact delays can have on children, families and local services, and why investing in early intervention benefits everyone. Whether you’re a parent, practitioner, commissioner, educator or policymaker, we hope this resource will encourage important conversations and inspire positive change and ensure Portage is made available to all children that need this vital support

📲 Read the document today by clicking the link below or scanning the QR code in our post.
https://www.portage.org.uk/file/1685/download?token=Jw8kbzdl

Together, we can support children, empower families and help transform futures.

08/07/2026

📣Calling all NPA Trainers
Tomorrow is our online training meeting and following our previous Trainers Meeting, we will be exploring the behaviour module of the Portage Workshop in more detail and reviewing the improvement suggestions that were raised.

We look forward to an open discussion and to hearing your ideas and feedback.
The meeting is expected to last approximately one hour and links have been sent via email. We hope you will be able to join us.

07/07/2026

Thank you Alison Bennett for Mid Sussex for all your support- it really was a wonderful day and a way to showcase the vital support that Portage offers to families! 💙

02/07/2026

🏛️ What a fantastic day the NPA had in Parliament yesterday 💙

Our Trustees made their way to London stand for Portage and early years SEND support! We attended a Parliamentary Reception to raise the profile of Portage and early years SEND support, lobbying for equal access across the UK.

We used the opportunity to launch our vital new publication, “Time to Deliver: A Case for Universal Portage Intervention” and speak to MP’s about the value of Portage services. The document can be found in our bio or in the link below

For over 50 years, Portage has changed the lives of babies and children with disabilities through specialist, home-based early intervention. But right now, too many families are waiting for the support they drastically need or missing out completely due to where they live.

With the ongoing SEND reforms and the Government’s Best Start in Life strategy making headlines, now is the ideal time to call on the Government to formally recognise and fund Portage as a core early intervention service within the national SEND framework. Every child with developmental differences deserves access to the same high-quality early support, regardless of where they live. By embedding Portage within national SEND reforms, the Government can ensure that early intervention is consistent, accessible, and available to every family that needs it.

Also a huge thank you to the professionals from partner agencies and Portage parents who gave up their time to come along to show their support for our cause and share your experiences of Portage services we really appreciate your dedication.

👉 How you can help right now:

💙Sign our official parliamentary petition to secure vital early support funding
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/752530
💙Read our latest Portage Publication: A Time To Deliver:
https://canva.link/ag02n1aglnfwv9f
💙Share this post to make sure our voices are heard!

29/06/2026

What a fabulous day was had at the NPA Northern Regional Day on Friday 19th June!

Hosted by the City of York Portage Service the event brought together Portage services from across the region for a fantastic day of learning, networking and professional development.

Delegates were inspired by a range of excellent speakers, including sessions on supporting children with visual impairment, the importance of recognising and supporting fathers’ mental health from Menfulness, and an engaging, hands-on workshop exploring learning through play and sensory stories, delivered by Karen Newell from .

The day was extremely well received, and delegates really valued the opportunity to come together, share good practice and learn from one another. In fact, it was such a success that planning is already underway for next year’s Northern Regional Day, which will be hosted in Wakefield!

If your Portage service is interested in helping to organise a regional day in your area, we’d love to hear from you. Our aim is to make these events as accessible as possible, giving more Portage services the opportunity to connect, learn and share best practice.

PS. Our speaker Karen also helped develop and we were delighted to discover this resource of ultra access episodes that include audio description, sign-along and reduced backgrounds to support children with a variety of needs https://www.channel5.com/mixmups-ultra-access-episodes

26/06/2026

Does your local authority invest in Portage?

Many local authorities still do not fund a Portage Service and many registered services have faced recent budget cuts, despite the proven difference it makes to children and their families. Portage helps children with SEND reach their potential while giving parents the confidence and skills to support their child’s development. The evidence is clear.

If your local authority doesn’t fund Portage, ask why. Not funding early intervention isn’t a saving—it’s a cost shifted onto children, families and the wider SEND system later down the line.

Take action today:
✔️ Check whether your local authority funds a registered Portage Service.
✔️ If they don’t, ask why.
✔️ Follow the National Portage Association.
✔️ Sign and share our petition.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/752530

💙 If you have received Portage support, please share in the comments how Portage impacted your child’s development or your family’s SEND journey. Your story can help demonstrate the real difference Portage makes and strengthen the case for every local authority to fund access to this vital early support when it is needed the most 💙