We're supporting pupils with additional needs who don’t feel comfortable travelling to school or college on their own to build their independence.
Accessing public transport and using certain walking routes can often make some young people feel anxious or unsafe ahead of their journey, which leads many to rely on their parents and carers or specialist transport to aid their routines.
But thanks to our free training programme, young people are being empowered to become more resilient in reaching their destinations single-handedly through one-to-one support.
As part of this offer, our travel trainers map out the safest possible tailored route for young people to take, with potential hazards such as busy road crossings and isolated areas all taken into consideration.
Safe places, including nearby libraries and other public buildings, are also identified in case a young person should feel uncomfortable or unsafe while making their journey.
The travel trainer then accompanies the young person on their journey with a door-to-door service, with their involvement gradually reducing as they gain more confidence navigating their route.
By the end of this 6-week programme, the trainer shadows their journey without any interaction, unless asked, as a final check to ensure the young person is ready to travel independently.
Not only does this help a person to improve their health and wellbeing, it increases their opportunities to participate in social and leisure activities they may otherwise have avoided.
17-year-old Luca Conway, from Heywood, used to rely solely on the support of his family to transport him to and from school and recreational activities before he accessed this offer.
But thanks to the support of our independent travel training team, he not only now travels to college, he also attends football training twice a week in neighbouring town Oldham.
“Travel training has really helped with my confidence and going out a lot more,” Luca said.
“At first, I was scared of what would happen just getting to the bus stop but the more and more I did the training, the more I realised it is easier to do.”
Luca, who would rarely leave the house beforehand, also now regularly visits the local shopping centre with his friends, with mum Emma joking that he now costs her a fortune.
“He has massively grown,” Emma said, who used to be very concerned about Luca using public transport on his own.
“He knows the bus routes better than me and his dad now, so the training has definitely given him more independence than what he’d had before.
“It’s been an absolutely fantastic service for us.”
With the programme greatly benefiting those who access it, we're encouraging even more residents to come forward and utilise this offer.
Councillor Rachel Massey, cabinet member for children’s services and education, said:
"Travelling on your own as a young person can be a very daunting experience, especially when you are visiting new places for the first time.
“But we want young people to feel the world is more accessible and by encouraging them to have the confidence they need to travel independently, this support can be life changing.
“For many, it has been about taking steps to feel more in control of their journey to school or college but in other cases, the benefits of this training have led to young people flying thousands of miles, with one solo traveller visiting Australia which is absolutely phenomenal, especially when you consider they wouldn’t previously leave their home without support.
“With examples like this highlighting the true impact this training can have on you personally, I strongly encourage others who feel less confident traveling alone to reach out and access this life changing opportunity.”
Our training offer supports secondary school pupils aged 11-16 and those transitioning into adulthood up to the age of 25 with additional needs.
When their training ends, we continue to monitor their progress for the next 3 months to ensure they continue to feel comfortable with alternative routes provided if they should encounter any issues.
For more information on how to apply for this training, please email SENDAdviceLine@Rochdale.Gov.UK