Its purpose is to support young people and their families and carers by providing information and tips on how to travel independently, having a safe and successful journey.

When you break a journey down there are several important elements which all aid a successful journey. Learning to complete these elements not only boosts a young person’s confidence, but may also open up wider opportunities to them in the future. This may help them with the transition to high school, if they have never been on a bus before, or considering different college courses to which transport may have been a barrier.

It is aimed at supporting young people who will be able to travel independently at some point, to promote independence and confidence.

For young people with SEND we understand this training may be more challenging. Whilst the toolkit may provide some helpful tips and resources, Suffolk County Council do offer Travel Training to young people and adults with SEND, using a 1:1 specialist trainer.

Click here for further info on the Travel Training Service.

• It builds confidence and independence

• Young people can attend more educational and social activities alone or with friends

• Young people do not have to rely on others, like specialist transport or parents and carers to take them places

• It gives young people greater life choices

• It helps young people feel safer in their community

• Cover all the topics below that are included in this toolkit to provide a complete training experience

• Have patience

• Allow mistakes

• Don’t make assumptions

• Keep progressing, taking little steps if need be

• Check how your young person is feeling

• Stay calm

• Road Safety

• Stranger awareness

• Personal Safety

• Planning a journey

• What to do if something goes wrong

• Planning is key. Plan the journey from home to the destination, and the return journey. This is vital as the route may vary. As a parent or carer you should try the route first.

• The quickest route may not be the safest route.

• If the complete journey is too much for you young person, break the learning down into smaller steps and just take one part at a time. Maybe just the walk to the bus stop. Or to help build confidence you could try a walk to a local shop or friend’s or relative’s house first.

• It’s ok to repeat parts of the training to make sure they are fully understood. It is also good to refresh training at different times of the year, such as the winter when the evenings are darker.

• Involve the young person and include their views and ideas into the training. Encourage them to make decisions.

• Let your young person make mistakes. Mistakes happen and with this training they will have been given the skills to deal with them.

• Practice the skills at various opportunities. Maybe when out shopping, allow your young person to pay for items on your behalf or ask a shop assistant for help.

To help make this training a success for your young person, below are topic areas with further information and resources to help you prepare them for their next steps. You can choose to cover all the sections or just the parts you need. There are printable sheets if you find the information more helpful to take away. And a final checklist so you can check your young person’s knowledge to help you decide if they are ready to head out independently.

Information specifically for young people can be found on the I’m a Young Person page. A great place to get started is by watching our ‘How to catch a bus‘ video.