I have seen first-hand how much Independent Travel Training schemes can benefit young people, which is why I’d like to discuss its importance and influence in this month’s ‘Ask Jennie’. My passion for Independent Travel Training is a result of my personal experience working with Local Authorities, as I’ve witnessed the benefits of combining both classroom activities and practical training when working with young people.
Watching timid, often insecure, young people begin to slowly develop the tools they need to live more independently, is an incredibly inspiring and humbling experience. I have seen their individual confidence grow alongside their newly learned skills, as well as the reassurance it offers their parents and carers who support them every day.
Independent Travel Training really does what it says on the tin – it helps young people and adults to develop the skills they need to travel both independently and safely on public transport or by foot. The goal is to help them travel without fear and create an opportunity for confidence to grow as they navigate through their environment, whether that be for education or work.
One of the many benefits of this program is that the young person or adult will learn transferable skills that they can carry with them throughout life, including:
- Money Management
- Time Management
- Social Interaction
- Self Confidence
Independent Travel Training programs are run across multiple Local Authorities and charities and have great success in enabling these individuals to access more of the world around them.
One member of the 365 Response team was able to personally experience and benefit from a Travel Training program, sharing:
“I received travel training from Leeds City Council in 2014, and I’ve now found that I can use public transport confidently and independently. The training taught me to prepare and plan a journey, the importance of contingency planning, safety, and being aware of your surroundings. This proved incredibly useful, as I have used these skills to commute to work both wisely and socially ever since!”
Here at 365 Response, we understand the true importance of these programs, which is why we developed our Social Prescribing platform – to provide the necessary software support that these essential schemes require. Our solution is flexible, fully configurable and can be utilised within multi-disciplinary integrated Local Authorities, health and wellbeing services. Our customers use the many features within the platform to deliver a wide range of courses and services, such as smoking cessation, weight management, independent travel training, alcohol reduction, exercise services and other health, wellbeing and behaviour change services across the UK.
There is the flexibility for the self-tailored courses to be delivered by internal staff and across multiple subcontractors, both digitally and face-to-face. Service users can be added to the system or self-register online, complete bespoke eligibility processes, apply to relevant courses and manage their own health and wellbeing journey via an online interactive portal. The advanced reporting model analyses key data and metrics for robust reports, as well as dashboards that can be shared with commissioners to present success rates across services.
In addition to our Social Prescribing platform and the access it provides to health and wellbeing training, we recently launched the 365 Parent & Carer App, a unique application included within the Transport Management System platform for Home to School Transport.
The 365 Parent & Carer App gives parents and carers real-time, critical information at their fingertips, including up-to-date information about the child’s/children’s driver, vehicle, passenger assistant and route information. Access to this level of detail gives the control back to the parents and service users and provides another useful way to prepare their SEND child/children for their daily journeys so that they can navigate the world around them with the confidence and independence that they deserve.
If you would like to know more about our Social Prescribing platform or Independent Travel Training, then please reach out to our friendly team today at [email protected].
Submit your details via this link for a video on our Parent & Carer App, and how it gives service users and their loved ones the assurance they need: https://landing.365response.org/365parent-carer-app/welcome.html
