Adult social care

Independent travel training

 

Independent travel training (ITT) can help you develop the skills you need to travel independently and safely.

You may benefit from ITT if you:

  • are an adult with a learning or physical disability
  • have a sensory impairment
  • are a child with special educational needs
  • have mental health issues
  • are a child or young person in transition
  • are a vulnerable person

We'll assess your circumstances to see if you qualify for help. See our get a social care assessment webpage for details about this.

How it works

ITT employs travel enablers who'll meet with you and other people in your support circle. They'll talk about your needs and ask about your experience of travelling.  

Once we know more about the kind of support you need, we'll arrange to do a practical assessment with you. We'll look at things we need to consider to enable you to travel confidently and safely. These might include physical, mobility or other personal challenges that might prevent you travelling.

We'll then look at matching you with a suitable 'travel enabler' from our team of travel trainers. 

We'll also work with you to plan routes for places that you want to travel to. We'll take into consideration public transport, walking, crossing roads and more. We can produce these documents in easy read for you to make them more accessible.

To help you we'll use things like flip-over books and pictures showing the routes by landmarks. We'll give you a help card with emergency contact numbers on in case you need them. The plans we give you will always be tailored to your needs, and in a format that you can understand.

A risk assessment is completed to eliminate or reduce risk, as far as is possible.

How to apply

You can apply for ITT if:

  • you need help to travel independently for the first time
  • you've lost the skills and confidence to travel on public transport

You can apply yourself, or ask a professional to refer you to us; eg your social worker, teacher, etc.

Contact us online for more information about ITT or if you want to apply.

What our service users say

  • "I used to go everywhere in a taxi - it cost a lot of money. Working with ITT and becoming an independent traveller on public transport has saved me pounds."

  • "ITT taught me how to use my mobile phone. If there's a problem when I'm out I can easily contact someone."

  • "I'm proud of how far I've come. Without the support of ITT I'd be stuck in the house. Now I have a job and ITT has helped me regain my independence."