Portage Practitioner

Role Responsibility

Portage is a Pre-School Educational Service offering Pre-School Learning Groups and Home Learning Sessions for families with very young children (0-5 yrs.) who have additional Support needs and disabilities. Sessions are currently offered virtually; this blended offer will continue as we move forward with face-to-face visits.

Two Portage practitioners are needed to cover fixed term contracts for up to 18 months (37 hours) working across Thanet, and Canterbury, based at the Thanet Mash.

This is an exciting opportunity to play an active and central role in supporting children’s development using the Portage approach and principles.

The core elements of the role include;

• Developing play activities based on the child’s level and interests,
• working in partnership with families and other agencies.
• Using the small steps approach to plan learning experiences.
• Working closely with other professionals to support the transitions.
• Delivering Pre-School Learning Groups and Home Learning Sessions

You will need to demonstrate experience of working with very young children with additional needs and their families and evidence how you can respond and extend play opportunities based around the child’s development.

In addition, good interpersonal, organisation, IT and communication skills are essential, these roles are coordinated and supported by the Portage Area Lead.

Successful candidates will need to attend the Accredited Portage Training Workshop that will be provided in June.

The ability to travel across a wide geographical area in a timely and flexible manner at various times of the day is essential with a range of heavy and/or bulky equipment.  The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wide operational area around the county of Kent to ensure attendance at disparate meeting locations that are not readily serviced by the public transport system.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Contact Details

For further information regarding this role, please contact: Tracy Harvey Portage County manager on 07595088060 or by email at  tracy.harvey@kent.gov.uk

About the Company

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds and faiths, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note – if you are interested, please apply as soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.