ITTU - Information for Parents/Carers
Welcome to the ITTU parent/carer section. This page should answer any question you, as a parent and/or carer of a trainee, should have about the travel training process. Below you will find videos, quotes, testimonies and an FAQ designed to make the process as easy to understand as possible.
As the parent/carer of a trainee, you can expect to be included at every stage of the training process, from referral to sign-off, and we encourage you to ask as many questions as possible. The trainer working with your child/foster child will be available throughout the training to answer any questions you may have, to explain any part of the training you may be wondering about and to deliver detailed progress reports (verbally) on request.
You will have their mobile phone number and email address and you are able to contact them directly with any concerns you may have. You will be involved in ensuring your child/foster child is sticking to their training programme, and present during any initial meetings to support the start of their training.
The process
Once the ITTU receive a referral for a trainee, we will contact the parent/carer to organise our ‘initial assessment’. This will usually take place in the trainee’s home or, if more convenient/suitable, can be arranged to be somewhere that is comfortable and convenient to the trainee (local café, school/college, etc…).
For the initial assessment, two of our trainers will come and meet the trainee and their family, talk through the process and answer any questions. Then the trainers will conduct an initial assessment with the trainee, taking them for a walk around the local area to assess their road-safety skills, awareness of danger and existing knowledge of travelling independently.
The trainee will be asked a series of questions to find out where their strengths and weaknesses might be so that the trainer has a good idea of how to design the programme.
When the assessment is finished, the trainers will answer any further questions the trainee or their parent/carer may have before telling them there and then whether they will be considered for a training programme.
If it’s a yes, we will work on the programme and give the trainee a start date as soon as possible – including cancelling any existing local authority transport the individual may be using (if applicable) on their behalf.
If it’s a no on the day, it isn’t a no forever – the trainers will schedule a revisit in 6-12 months to see if the trainee might be ready for it then. During that time the ITTU will be available for you to ask any questions you may have ready for the revisit.
We are proud to boast a 100% pass rate with our travel training programmes – this is something we ensure through careful and thorough assessment of each individual trainee and the tailoring of our programmes to each individual.
Your responsibilities
Your responsibilities as a parent/carer are explained at every stage of the process and outlined in the information given out by the trainer at the home visit and initial assessment.
This includes supporting the trainee to make sure they are progressing with their training, and things such as making sure they have access to a working, fully-charged mobile phone with credit so they can stay in contact with their trainer when travelling.
As a parent/carer, your enthusiasm for the training process can really help a trainee to stay motivated, so we really encourage you to get involved – and, as always, ask questions whenever you have them!
The ITTU have worked with hundreds of young people and adults over the last 13 years and our trainers have seen it all.
We are not easily shocked and are able to answer any questions you may have about the training process, our methods and techniques and about public transport options, certain transport benefits your trainee may be entitled to and even the wider Sandwell community.
We also work closely alongside other council departments and the school, colleges and work opportunities in the borough – this means if there’s something we don’t know the answer to straight away, we can either find out or point you in the right direction.
A qualification for your child/foster child
In addition to travel training, we offer an accredited Entry Level 3 course, ‘Skills for travelling Independently’ to any trainee who has worked through a training programme.
This can be delivered alongside their training and is completely free of charge (the cost is covered by the ITTU and Sandwell Council) to the individual.
It is a nationally recognised accredited qualification which further develops the skills a trainee learns on their travel training progamme.
Our trainers are all experienced and confident in the delivery of this course, and we are proud to be able to claim a pass ate of 100% for this, as well as for our travel training programmes. We encourage all trainees to sign up for this course as it is another positive outcome for them from their training programmes.
Testimonials:
A Q+A session with the carer of two of our trainees
- Parent of BB - “Excited! It’s the right time for him to learn more independence and safety” / “We are so thankful for what you’ve achieved with him. He is remaining confident and happy and we look forward to planning more routes with him”
- Parent of WH – “It has been better than I ever imagined, it has really built W confidence. His travel trainer has been outstanding keeping both W and I updated on everything that was happening. This has meant that I can now increase my working hours”.
- Parent of BC – “B would not have got to this point without the help and support of his travel trainer. His confidence is growing and I am feeling very proud”.
- Parent of CB – “Absolutely fabulous service, delighted with it. Life changing in so many ways
- Parent of SF - “From the beginning to the end I’ve been extremely pleased with the way Steph was encouraged and supported in the travel training sessions. S has gained confidence and she is enjoying her new-found independence. I would like to thank Damien for his support and patience while helping S”.
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Useful Links
For further information, please use the following links - and if you have any further questions, please email us and we'll get back to you as soon as we're able