Princess of Wales joins sensory play session to raise awareness of importance of support for children with SEND

As part of the Shaping Us campaign, launched by The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in January, the princess met with children with complex and specialist needs and their parents, and engaged in a sensory play session with bubbles, shaving foam, feathers, textured fabrics and plenty of shredded paper.

The session, which Nursery World attended, took place at the Orchards Centre, a Multi Agency Specialist Hub (MASH) in Sittingbourne, Kent. It involved a group of six children aged between 11 months and three years, with a range of needs and disabilities, including autism, Down Syndrome, visual impairments, and social and communication difficulties.

The princess spoke to their parents and the front-line practitioners delivering the service, to understand more about portage and how it supports families on a day-to-day basis. She spent the morning talking to parents and interacting with the children and listening to the journeys that the parents with SEND have been on – and the invaluable support that Kent County Council’s team of portage practitioners have provided.

The portage service, which is available across England and Wales, provides home learning sessions with specially trained portage practitioners who work with families and their children to learn together, play together and participate in their community.