Early Years Access and Inclusion Team

Who are we?

• The Access and Inclusion Team are part of the Early Years Team at Hull City Council
• We are a team of
• 4 Portage home visitors
• 5 Full time equivalent Teachers (Area SENCOs)
• 4 Inclusion Support Officers
• 1 Quality Improvement Officer

How will we Support your child in their setting?

• We can support your child at home if needed priory to starting at a nursery through the Portage home visiting team.

• If your child is not yet in a setting we can come and see them at home before they start.
• We can plan a meeting/visit at the setting to make sure they have as much information as possible to ensure everything is in place for your child before they start.
• We will help the setting plan a supported transition into nursery which suits the needs of your child.
• We will monitor your child’s progress and how they have settled through regular meetings, observations and reviews.
• If your child needs more intensive support, we can provide funding to give a higher staff ratio and support referrals to other agencies.
• We will support your child’s transition into school and monitor the package of support available to your child to support their individual needs.

How can we help?

• We can undertake home visits, sometimes they may be with other professionals eg Health visitor, nursery staff, Portage worker, physio, etc.
• We will work alongside other agencies to ensure that your child has individual support e.g Portage Service, KIDS and Early Help.
• We can support transition into the nursery to ensure the setting know and understand your child’s needs as much as possible.
• We will arrange a “Team Around the Family” (TAF) meeting with all professionals involved to ensure that everyone is working together to support your child.
• Work with other professionals to deliver the right support for your child whilst at a nursery setting.
• We will support the setting/staff to enable them to provide the care and support your child needs whilst they are in attendance through observation and recommendations.
• We can provide additional resources/ funding where a child requires intensive support and interventions in the setting.
• We provide a range of specialist training to upskill staff working with children with a wide range of difficulties.
• We will monitor your child’s progress and provision through regular reviews to ensure that their needs are met and any changes required are made.
• We follow closely the code of practice for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (2014).
• We will support any referral process that is required including a request for an ‘Education, Health and Care needs assessment’, which may result in an Education Health & Care Plan  (EHCP).
• We will support your child’s transition from nursery into school.
• We work very closely with Health Visitors to make sure that any difficulties are picked up as early as possible to support early intervention.