Portage Home Visitor

Job Description

The London Borough of Harrow is seeking a committed and compassionate Portage Home Visitor to provide high-quality early intervention and developmental support for children aged 0 to 4 years with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), developmental delay and complex needs. Working in accordance with National Portage Association principles, the SEND Code of Practice and the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, the postholder will play a key role in promoting positive outcomes for children and their families during the crucial early years of development.

The Portage Home Visitor will work in partnership with parents, carers, early years settings and a range of multi-agency professionals to support children's learning, development, participation and inclusion. Through the delivery of structured Portage home visits, group-based interventions and community-based support, the postholder will help children develop essential skills and achieve goals tailored to their needs.

A central aspect of the role is empowering parents and carers by building their confidence and capacity to support their child's development through practical strategies, collaborative planning and the effective use of everyday learning opportunities. The successful candidate will foster positive relationships with families, providing guidance, encouragement and specialist support while promoting a child-centred and family-focused approach.

This is an excellent opportunity for an enthusiastic professional with a passion for inclusive practice and early intervention to make a meaningful difference to the lives of young children and their families across the borough.

To be successful in this role you would need to have the below skills & experience:

• To ensure compliance with your responsibilities as laid out in the council's health and safety policy and take an active role in promoting a positive health and safety culture.
• To promote and participate in the council's individual performance appraisal and development initiatives and information management best practice.
• To ensure compliance with the council's information security policies and maintain confidentiality.
• In accordance with the Immigration Act 2016, where the role is customer-facing and the post holder is required to speak to members of the public, the ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.
• Travel within Harrow to family homes, Family Hubs, early years settings, schools and agreed community venues will be required.
• The post is subject to safeguarding and background-check requirements confirmed by Human Resources.
• The postholder will be required to work in accordance with lone-working arrangements when undertaking home and community visits.
• To demonstrate a commitment to the Council's Equal Opportunities Policy and the ability to understand and implement the policy in relation to the job responsibilities.

For more information, please refer to the Role Profile/Selection Criteria

About us

Harrow Council is the 12th largest London borough and one of the most culturally diverse local authorities in the UK, making it a great place to live, work and visit with a range of cultures, religions and opinions that come together to produce high achieving schools and a close and friendly community. Located 10 miles from the city centre and just 13 minutes to Euston from Harrow & Wealdstone station there are great transport links via the Metropolitan Line, Watford DC Line and national rail service. It is easily accessible to the M1, M25 and A406.

Other information

Support for candidates visit:Harrow.gov.uk Our behavioural indicators roles below G11 and above G11 Here at Harrow Council, the vision is one of 'Working together to make a difference for Harrow' Please click here to view Harrow Council's benefits

Important Note

To deliver our commitment to equality of opportunity in service provision, all staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in the services the Council delivers. All sections of the population will have equal access to jobs at the London Borough of Harrow. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender, reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, or maternity unless a Genuine Occupational Qualification applies. As such, we value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds. For further information, please read our equality statement.

As a disability-confident employer, we are committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and accessible to everyone. This includes reasonably adjusting the recruitment process for those with disabilities or long-term health conditions. For further information, please contact us at resourcing@harrow.gov.uk

London Borough of Harrow is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Harrow operates stringent, safer recruitment procedures.

Due to the high number of applications received for some posts, we may close vacancies before the stated closing date if sufficient applications are received. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible.

Harrow redeployees will be given priority consideration.

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, any your data protection rights, can be found by visiting www.cifas.org.uk/fpn