New measures to improve Sheffield’s provision of travel support for young people with special educational needs are being introduced by the city council.
The incoming changes aim to make SEND Travel Support more flexible, inclusive, and better suited to the needs of individuals through the introduction of Personal Travel Budgets (PTBs) and ‘Travel Trainers’ – professionals who can teach young people how to travel alone.
The council’s current approach to SEND travel support includes providing taxis and minibuses, but councillors argue that this does nothing to improve the capabilities of young people to travel independently.
Councillor Toby Mallinson, a member of the city’s Education, Children and Families Policy Committee, said: “The proposal is to create more of an off-ramp for young people with SEND who have capacity to learn to travel independently between the ages of 16 and 18, rather than a cliff-edge at 18.
“Professional Travel Trainers can provide reassurance to parents and develop independence skills in young people to their great benefit.
“Trainers are experts at discussing the individual challenges with parents and children and planning coaching sessions with them to train them in how to cope with common situations. An example would be what to do if you miss your bus stop.”
Sheffield Council has overspent its SEND travel support budget by £7m, so the changes are also projected to reduce the council’s overall costs. However, councillors say this is not the primary aim of the changes.
“SEND transport is one of the biggest stressors on the council’s budget. The council needs to find ways to mitigate the spiralling costs. the cost of a PTB is much less than that of a place on a minibus or a taxi,” Coun Mallinson added.
Coun Mallinson also expressed his concern for the future of SEND travel support. He said: “The 16-18 age group has no statutory right to transport support. If spiralling costs of SEND transport are not mitigated, and the council went bankrupt, non-statutory funding like this would be axed.”
Information regarding SEND transport provision can be found on the City Council’s website: https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/
