Job title: Home visiting teacher
Name of organisation: Enfield Pre-School Support Service
Location: Enfield, Middlesex
Duties
I work with young children with special needs, mainly in the six-month to three-year-old age range, but sometimes up to school age.
Younger children are increasingly falling within my remit because problems are being identified at an earlier age. I visit the children in their own homes and in pre-school settings such as playgroups.
We work in close collaboration with parents and aim to provide as much support as possible. Visits are usually made once a fortnight and I stay with each family for an hour. There is a limit to how much can be achieved in that time so the priority is to have the right programme in place. My focus is on all areas of the child's learning.
We follow the portage model where appropriate, although we adapt it to suit the work that we do. One of our main priorities is to listen to the concerns of parents. The children's problems can vary widely and may involve anything from a slight speech delay to profound and complex needs.
I work closely with other professionals and this helps to ensure that the transition to nursery and school is as smooth as possible, with the maximum support possible in place for each child.
For example, I regularly carry out joint home visits with physiotherapists and we conjoin the child's exercise programme with play and learning activities. I also work closely with educational psychologists. Here again, the earlier the child is referred, the more support can be put in place by the time he or she starts school.
Each child has an individual programme to follow. This is based on their current developmental level and is adapted to suit them individually. I devise different activities, using equipment that I supply, to help them develop with the help of their families.
Communication between members of the pre-school team is excellent and we have an administrative system in place for each child, which includes detailed reports. These are disseminated between the various professionals involved.
I attend multi-disciplinary meetings, which parents are invited to, and help to run a weekly drop-in centre and toddler group. This provides a good opportunity for parents to meet each other.
As a service we made a successful bid to be part of the Early Support Programme pilot, which involved key workers working with families who have children with special needs. As a result I am about to become a key worker for one particular family.
Likes/dislikes
I like the environment I work in and can honestly say I have never worked in such a supportive team. We share our expertise and ideas, which is terribly important. I also love the fact that I am working with very young children. There has been so much research on early intervention and it's great to see it actually producing results. I enjoy the fact that this job allows me to work in partnership with parents.
I don't dislike anything about the job, although it can be challenging having to carry huge bags of toys around. I also have to use a car every day, which I feel does not give me enough exercise.
Best achievement
I was delighted to get this job in the first place because it has given me the opportunity to do what I really want to. It was also an achievement to be part of the Early Support Programme pilot.
Training
To do this work you need to be a qualified teacher or early years practitioner. I have undertaken in-service training as a portage worker and have also participated in training workshops for children with Down Syndrome and autism. Other training has included home visiting and portage.
Career path
I qualified as an early years teacher and worked as a nursery teacher for 16 years. For some of that time I was also employed as a special needs support teacher in a nursery school.
Career progression
A service manager, who is an experienced specialist teacher and is able to provide help and guidance, leads the team. I would very much like to continue in my post doing exactly what I am doing now but also gain more expertise along the way.
Advice
You have to be a good practitioner, be willing to drive in the course of your work and be prepared to liaise closely with parents. The ideal candidate for this job would be someone who is knowledgeable, skilled, a good communicator and sensitive to the very different needs of parents and families. Good writing skills are also a must.
Interests/hobbies
Eating, shopping and chatting - all at the same time!
Further information
* National Portage Associationwww.portage.org.uk
* Early Support for a nationwide programme of activities www.earlysupport.org.uk
