Travel Training in BuryDelivered by Paul Henderson

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What is Travel Training (TT)?

A One to one, individually tailored programme to help a young person develop independent travel skills and problem solving skills. Every young person will be taught entirely to their own

ability with an individual training plan.

A dedicated trainer works 1:1 with a young person at they time they travel to and from school/college- “real time”

The program is taken entirely at the young person’s pace and is carried out in the most practical way possible.

It focuses on what the young person finds difficult i.e. road safety; problem solving; stranger awareness.

Parents/carers consent is sought again as the program progresses. Training takes place in 4 stages in a gradual move to independence. There is a 6 months monitoring process after ‘sign off’ and we will come

out and retrain on new routes or the original route if required.

Stage 1 Travel trainer showing the young person the route, where to cross roads, which bus to get etc. – Side by side teaching

Stage 2 Learner taking the lead. Travel trainer covering personal safety, road safety etc. Travel trainer a few steps behind.

Stage 3 Travel trainer observing the young person with their knowledge. Young person travelling part of the journey on their own i.e. meeting at the bus stop & “what if” scenarios.

Stage 4 Travel trainer shadowing the young person without their knowledge to ensure they are following the suggested route, road safety and personal safety guidance. Followed by 6 month monitoring.

What does TT Cover?

Planning a journey

Preparing for a journey

Finding your way

Road Safety

Using buses/trains

Using bus pass/pay fare

Problem solving

Personal safety

Stranger awareness

Preparing for weather

Dealing with emergencies

‘What if’ scenarios

1. Your bus doesn’t turn up

2. You miss your bus

3. You miss your stop

4. Somebody you don’t know approaches you

5. You forget your bus pass/fare

6. Your bus breaks down

7. There’s a diversion

8. You lose something

9. You have something stolen

10. You feel unwell

etc.

What would you do if….

Trainer is an enabler, not a carer Walking unassisted. No linking arms/holding hands

Not speaking during travelling (apart from the training)

Not helping with anything unrelated to travel (holding bags, zipping up coats etc.)

Letting client work things out for themselves

Gestures rather than verbal prompts

Feedback at the end of training session

Benefits of travel training programme

Increasing the young people’s confidence as they arrive at school

in the same way as their peers. Help them develop social skills. Learn to travel alone – meet up with the friends they make Better life opportunities – leisure, placements Increased independence and greater freedom Better opportunities when leaving school/college –

employment Increases parent/carer’s confidence in young person

Success so far 5 young people signed off as independent travellers

First wheelchair user across all Pure TT Schemes achieved independence.

The young people now travelling home with friends from after school clubs and travelling into town centre at weekends independently.

Bury Parents Forum and Bury Connexions fully supportive and referring young people.

Barriers encountered along the way Apprehension of Parents- Overcome by education and

explanation

Members of the public- A particular obstacle with ER, wheelchair user.

Apprehension of Schools- Overcome by education and presentations.

“We were really surprised at how quickly she picked up these skills. The trainers were fantastic and had so much experience and were so patient. They only moved Emily on to the next level when they were sure she was happy to move on and felt confident. As a result the process was not stressful at all for Emily, quite the opposite and she really enjoyed the challenge. We could see that she was gaining in confidence and feeling really proud of her achievements.”

“It is amazing to see how far she has come and how she has grown in confidence over this time. This confidence has fed into all areas of her life now and she has matured so much. The skills she has leant are truly life changing.   The ability to use public transport on her own will open up so many doors for Emily and make a difference to so many aspects of her life in the future.  We really shouldn't underestimate what a difference this will make.”

Mrs TR- Mum of Travel training client.

Parent PacksIn addition to 1:1 training we also offer parent packs, for:

Young People ineligible for home-to-school transport

Young People who do not require full programme.

Parent Packs provide parent/cares with all the tools necessary to train their child- route plans, route assessments, training stages etc.

Pure Innovations would be available for advice and will contact you to follow up on progress

Group Work & Social RoutesWe also offer group teaching sessions within a classroom setting:- Covers topics such as preparing for a journey/weather, stranger awareness and personals

safety

Designed to increase a young persons ability and/or awareness to travel safely in wider life.

Can be a good pre-cursor to a full travel training program, but is NOT a substitute for a full program.

Social Routes- After School/social clubs, trips into town centre, families houses, work experience.

In addition we have worked with Bury FC Community Trust, Connexions Bury, Bury Youth Service and Bury Church High School to equip them to help deliver TT to their young people.