Sheffield City Council has approved a new proposal to help young people with Special Educational Needs learn how to travel independently. 

This revised proposal allows families with post 16 students with SEND to make their own decisions about travelling to school. The options range from a Personal Travel Budget to travel training with one-to-one support.

There has also been a proposed increase in the fees for young people on Taxi and Minibus Provision but this is still subject to consultation.

Mark Sheikh, head of service for business strategy, said : “It is not only the right thing to do in terms of outcome but it’s also preparing them for adulthood as well as making sure they’ve got the necessary skills ready for when they are going out into the wider world.”

The aim of this proposal is to help young people become more independent and have a fair access to education while being financially sustainable for the council.

Initially, parents of post 16 students were offered a Personal Travel Budget as default option. 

This was revised due to a consultation in January this year due to significant concerns raised from the committee. 

These concerns were the impracticality of the idea, the possible financial burden for families, the negative impact it could have on young people’s education and well-being, and the safety concerns of public transport.

Councillor Toby Mallinson, said: “Individual training is so important because it is very hard for parents to take that step themselves as well as the young person and having a trusted professional to help with that is really useful. 

“I would urge that there needs to be safe guards, I have been taught in special education. There are many young people who aren’t ready for it. 

“It’s so important that the assessment process is fair, reasonable and doesn’t allow anyone to fall through the gaps or to be executed from education because they simply can’t do it. 

“But on the other hand, it does need an approach which brings both parents and young people out and gets them to consider what they might not have considered before.” 

This proposal comes after the increasing difficulty to provide travel support for those who need it, specifically those over 16, due to rising costs and increasing demand for the service.