Inclusion & Intervention Support Team (IIST), Portage and Early Years (0 to 5 Years) Support - WNC

West Northamptonshire Council’s Inclusion and Intervention Support Team (IIST) supports children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged 0-19 across West Northamptonshire. 

Portage and Early Years (0 to 5 Years) Support

Early Years Support for Children:

• From birth to the end of reception year – involvement tailored to individual needs and circumstances. 

Early Years Support for Parents and Carers:

• Portage home teaching
• Play and development skills
• Advice and signposting
• Advice/guidance is provided at the Family Hubs by the IIST team#  
• Home visits to model strategies and interventions
• Building confidence and empowering families

Early Years Support for Educational Settings:

• Modelling inclusive practice and interventions
• Providing training
• Support to complete assessments, including the Portage developmental profile
• ‘Moving Forward’ Meetings
• Building confidence and empowering early years practitioners

Early Years Eligibility:

There are no eligibility criteria. However, settings must provide evidence before support can be agreed.

Anyone can make a request, including parents, carers, schools, health services, and other professionals. Requests must include evidence of the special educational need, disability, or developmental delay that is causing concern.

Within the online form, this will include: 

• Descriptions of the child’s need  

• Details of your concerns 

• Child and the parent/carer voice within all requests 

• Desired outcomes from Early Years IIST practitioner involvement 

Supporting evidence that EY settings must include with all setting requests: 

• At least one full Assess, Plan, Do, Review (APDR) cycle (Graduated Approach) 

• SMART targets linked to identified area/s of need 

• Completed Portage Developmental Profile 

Supporting evidence that health professionals may include: 

• Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) 

• NHS Clinic letters or reports 

• Child Development Centre (CDC) reports 

Apply for Portage and Early Years Support:

To request support, please complete this online request form - Request Early Years and Portage Support.

• More information about IIST's Portage and Early Years (0 to 5 years) Support

IIST Contact Details:

• General Enquiries: IIST@westnorthants.gov.uk
• Early Years IIST Manager: michelle.payne@westnorthants.gov.uk / 07912 891621
• Early Years Manager: tia.sarmezey@westnorthants.gov.uk / 07872 148676
• Senior SEND Practitioner: donna.khan@westnorthants.gov.uk / 07738 63843