7. Travel Assistance Options
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Travel Assistance Options
- It is important to offer a range of travel assistance options, based on the identified needs of the child or young person. The options will also take account of the Council’s duty to make best use of public resources. The options are:
- The TfL Zip Oyster card
- Independent Travel Training
- Mileage allowance
- Personal Travel Budgets, (which can be used flexible, for example to pay another adult to accompany your child to school, or for sibling childcare)
- Shared vehicles
- Taxi / private hire vehicle
- Passenger assistants
- When deciding what sort of travel assistance to provide the Council will consider the following factors:
- the age of your child;
- the distance between your child’s home and the nearest suitable school;
- whether the walking route would be appropriate for your child, either unaccompanied or accompanied;
- the type of school provision being made for your child;
- whether suitable public transport is available (e.g. for wheelchairs, specialist seating etc);
- the needs of your child and how those needs impact on their ability to walk to school safely, accompanied where necessary;
- whether your child may be vulnerable and at risk of danger
- whether your child would be a danger to other passengers, drivers or the vehicle, if they use public or other transport;
- the efficient use of resources.
The TfL Zip Oyster card
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For the majority of children and young people, the free travel available through Transport for London’s Zip Oyster card will be considered to be sufficient to meet the Council’s obligation.
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Children and young people aged up to 18 can get free and discounted travel on buses and trams in London, depending on the mode of transport. There are different schemes for different age ranges and you will need to apply for an Oyster photocard if your child is 5 or above.
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The Council expects children to make use of the free travel available and applications for this should be made directly to TfL.
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In some cases, travel by rail may be the most suitable option, and costs of an associated travelcard may be met, and this would be facilitated under Personal Travel Budgets below.
Independent Travel Training
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Independent Travel Training (ITT) is an important life skill and is shown to have a positive effect on young people's independence. Learning to travel safely supports young people to access employment opportunities and participate in social and educational activities which in turn helps them build their own lives and maintain relationships with peers.
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The London Borough of Sutton has commissioned Independent Living charity, KCIL [External Link], to provide an individualised travel training programme for 11-25 year olds, which includes:
- one-to-one personalised travel trainer support
- journey planning
- road and personal safety skills
- time management
- emergency strategies
- stranger awareness
- contactless payment methods.
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Through working closely with you, your child or young person and their school, the aims of ITT are to increase confidence, independence and choices for young people. Because of the positive outcomes, travel training will be given priority when considering suitable options.
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An expert team of travel trainers train children, young people and adults on a one-to-one basis to travel to their place of learning independently. A trainer will go with the trainee on their journey, giving encouragement and guidance until they develop the skills to travel on their own.
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A trainer will create a training plan for the trainee that meets their needs. This will take into account suitable routes. They will then visit you and your child or young person at home to talk through the plan and make sure everyone agrees with it. Your consent will always be requested before training starts.
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Criteria for successful completion of the training are based on an agreed rigorous training programme and assessment process undertaken by a qualified travel trainer. A copy of the final assessment will be provided to you. Successful completion of Independent Travel Training will be signed-off by the young person, the family and the Assisted Travel Team.
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Successful completion of ITT will usually result in the young person being able to travel to their place of learning independently and without the need for support from the Council. This is a great way to achieve one of the Preparation for Adulthood outcomes.
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While undertaking ITT, other forms of travel assistance will continue to be offered as appropriate to ensure your child or young person can attend their place of learning (e.g. where travel training takes place 2-3 days a week but organised transport is needed for the remainder).
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Requests for ITT can be made through our ITT provider, KCIL [External Link] or by contacting the Cognus Assisted Travel Team (assistedtravelteam@cognus.org.uk). More information on our current ITT offer can be found on KCIL’s website [External Link] or our Local Offer website.
Mileage allowance
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This is a sum of money paid directly to you to pay for the cost of journeys when you are able to or wish to make travel arrangements for your child yourself. The amount that you receive will be based on the distance travelled from home to school and your child’s needs.
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Payments will be made half-termly in advance. Mileage payments are not taxed and do not affect any other benefits that you may receive; the only requirement is that your child attends school regularly and on time. A mileage payment is provided at the discretion of the Council and is not an entitlement. It can be refused or withdrawn if these conditions are not met.
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A mileage payment is funded at £0.45 per mile, paid in six equal instalments across the year. The distance funded is calculated for the round trip, to take your child to school and you to then return home. Example:
Distance from home to school = 3.0 miles
Distance funded per day 2 round trips = 12.0 miles
Annual funding 190 days x 12.0 miles @ £0.45 /mile = £1,026 per year
Personal Travel Budgets (PTB)
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A Personal Transport Budget (PTB) is a flexible payment which is designed to support families in getting their child to school. It may be made available to families of children and young people with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) who have been assessed as eligible to receive Assisted Travel by Cognus (on behalf of the London Borough of Sutton).
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Why consider a Personal Travel Budget?
- Some young people feel more comfortable being taken to school by their parents, which means they arrive at school ready to learn.
- Some children and young people find travelling with other children on a shared bus difficult - this providers another option for families.
- Personal Travel Budgets provide you with the freedom and flexibility to make your own arrangements that suit you.
- Personal Travel Budgets give families control over how the money is spent.
- They are flexible and can be pooled with other parents either to create an income for families or to offer alternative solutions.
- They can be used to help your child become more independent.
- What can a Personal Travel Budget be used for?
- To buy a travel pass for public transport for you or a buddy to travel with your child.
- To pay someone to walk with your child to their place of learning.
- You may wish to ‘pool’ your personal travel budget with other parents and take it in turns to transport your children to school.
- To cover the costs of childcare for your other children while you are supporting your child to travel to school.
- To overcome any other barriers that may prevent your child from travelling to their place of learning.
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How much is a Personal Travel Budget worth?
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A Personal Travel Budget will be between a minimum of £2,000 per annum and a maximum of £7,020 (unless alternative/exceptional arrangements are agreed with the Assisted Travel Team).
One-way distance from home to school (miles)
Personal Travel Budget Allowance*
0-1.99 miles = £2,000
2 to 3.99 miles = £2,106
4-5.99 miles = £3,510
6-7.99 miles = £4,914
8-9.99 miles = £6,318
10 miles + = £7,020
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PTBs are offered entirely at the discretion of the Council. Families can request a PTB but it may not be granted if it is not cost effective for the Council to do so - for example if there are more cost effective ways of providing travel assistance e.g. your child could be placed onto existing transport at no additional cost to the Local Authority.
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For more information on Personal Travel Budgets - how they work, how monies will be paid, what terms and conditions will apply please find our full PTB policy statement.
Shared vehicles
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Where other forms of travel assistance are not possible or where assessed as necessary, the Council may provide a vehicle to transport your child to and from school. Where transport vehicles are provided, they will be provided by a suitably qualified, registered commercial provider working to contractual standards set by the Council.
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We can only help with journeys directly between home and school so your child can attend school, unless we have agreed something different in advance.
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Whenever possible, children will travel together in buses and other shared vehicles, suitable for the needs of those travelling on them. Each route will be planned on the basis of school start and finish times. Most vehicles run closely to time and are required to transport several children. The pick-up and drop-off times reflect the required timings to give the shortest possible route for all children travelling on a particular vehicle. Small changes at one point may make the journey excessively long or otherwise unreasonable for other children. We are unable to arrange times specifically to suit parental preferences.
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The Council currently offers both a ‘home to school service’ for children in receipt of vehicle transport as well as using appropriate safe and convenient ‘collection points’ at reasonable distances to and from family homes. The home to school service will only be agreed where it is deemed essential due to your child’s particular needs. This will normally be on the basis of one pick up point / address and one drop off point / address per day. Bespoke arrangements to or from, for example, a parent’s place of work or study will not be considered.
Taxi / private hire vehicle
- In exceptional circumstances, the Council may provide travel assistance in the form of taxis or private hire vehicles based on the assessed needs of your child. Arrangements of this kind will be kept under regular review and, where possible, the opportunity will be taken to move to an alternative and suitable form of travel assistance as soon as possible.
Passenger Assistants
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A Passenger Assistant (PA) is a person who accompanies children on a route to ensure their safety and the safety of the vehicle.
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In some circumstances, a PA may be provided to accompany children to school on transport provided by the Local Authority. PAs will only be provided where they are necessary for the safe operation of vehicles or the care of your child. A PA will not be provided simply because he or she does not know the driver.
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Children transported by other vehicles will normally only be supervised by a PA in the following circumstances:
- Where a child is seven years and under;
- Where a child’s lead medical professional confirms that a PA is required on medical grounds, and a health care plan is provided;
- Where a child has a behaviour, learning or communication difficulty which is such that there is clear evidence to indicate that their safety or the safety of other passengers could be compromised without provision of a PA.
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Provision of a PA at any one time does not guarantee that this will be an ongoing arrangement and the requirement for a PA will be reviewed at least annually, or more frequently in the event of a change in circumstance.
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If you are concerned that your child may find travelling without you upsetting, it may be possible to offer a Personal Travel Budget to enable you to put in place alternative arrangements more in keeping with what your child is comfortable with. Alternatively, it may be possible for you to travel with your child on the first day when he or she meets the driver. If this is the case, you should contact the Cognus Assisted Travel Team. Contact details are given in Section 12.