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SalaryJob Title: Independent Travel Training (ITT) Travel Buddy
Salary: £24,294.00 - £25,979.04 pro-rata,
Hours: 18.5 Hours/week (average)
Contract: Two years in first instance
Location: Central Leeds, with extensive citywide travel on public transport
As an ITT Travel Buddy, you’ll thrive on empowering young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to learn how to travel independently on public transport.
It’s not about being a training or travel expert – you’ll soon learn the job-specific things. It’s about being good with people and wanting to help young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) gain more independence.
Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.
About you
As an ITT Travel Buddy, you will bring:
- A determination for young people with SEND to gain independence.
- Good interpersonal skills, with an ability to build relationships with young people and a wide range of other people and professionals.
- A reliability that young people can depend on
- An ability to work flexibly, often including ‘split shifts’ and with annualised hours.
About the role
Independent Travel Training (ITT) is a Children’s Transport project. It gives young people who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) the skills to travel independently and safely on public transport.
This is an exciting time for our service as we’re creating a new team that you could be a part of.
On appointment you’ll first take part in our level two award in skills for teaching Independent Travel. Our training programme is highly regarded, and we train professionals nationwide. In fact, we’re the training provider of choice for local authorities across London, through Transport for London. So, you know you’ll get the best training available, and you’ll be working for a nationally recognised, award-winning service.
Led by our brilliant ITT Co-ordinators, you’ll take young people with SEND through a tailor-made Independent Travel Training programme. This involves a four-stage process which will include:
- Meeting the young person at home or school and accompanying to their destination
- Teaching road and bus safety skills
- Beginning to let the young person to lead and make their own decisions as their training progresses.
- Judging a young person’s competence to travel independently.
It’ll generally take you about 4-6 weeks to get a young person through training. Once you have trained a young person, you will be allocated another young person to train.
You’ll liaise with schools, transport officers and parents along the way, with every day being different. This job is right if you’re reliable, determined to help young people with SEND fulfil their potential, if you like variety in your work and can work flexibly.
The work can be seasonal, so we’ll be offering you an ‘annualised hours’ work pattern, working an average of 18.5 hours a week. For example, you may be really busy during the summer holidays and at other times of the year you may be working fewer hours or, sometimes, none at all. With annualised hours, however, you’ll still have a consistent monthly salary, but with a more flexible work pattern.
Children’s Transport is based in the Assets and Access Service, which plays a central role making sure all children can access education and learning in fit for purpose settings across Leeds; The service leads on a wide portfolio:
- Capital Maintenance & Building Compliance – Ensuring Schools are Safe, Warm and Watertight
- SEND and Alternative Provision Place Planning – Providing an inclusive and accessible infrastructure for learning across the city.
- A clear vision of asset requirements through an Inclusive Asset Strategy
- Access to free, impartial, and confidential advice for parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
- Access to learning across the city through accessible learning environments and the Children’s Transport offer.
As a part of the Children’s Transport team, you’ll be joining an excellent team of staff who love their work, and you’ll be brilliantly supported from the start. Service managers go the extra mile to support staff with career progression. Your office base will be Merrion House in the city centre, but you’ll spend little time there as you’ll be out & about the city meeting schools, young people & families.
What we offer you
We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:
- a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
- membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
- flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements.
- a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities.
- a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further.
How to apply
Apply for this job online. Please upload your CV and complete a personal statement of no more than 500 words
Read our guidance for further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application.
For more information please read through the job description, take a look at our page on the council website, and to discuss the post in more detail contact mary.gillespie@leeds.gov.uk.
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s barred list will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds. Leeds City Council is ranked 70 on the Stonewall Equality Index 2023. We are also an Age friendly employer, a Mindful employer and a Disability Confident leader.
All new Leeds City Council appointments are made subject to the satisfactory completion of a six-month probationary period.
This role is based in the UK. Employment is conditional on confirmation of the right to work in the UK - either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK and the role does not meet eligibility for sponsorship, please consider carefully whether you meet the eligibility to apply.
Job Description
Job Purpose: To work directly with young people who have special educational needs and disabilities who are participating in Independent Travel Training (ITT). As a Travel Buddy you’ll follow a personalised learning plan to teach them the skills to travel to school or college independently on public transport. This will improve their outcomes and reduce their reliance on the council and others to transport them to school, college or to make other journeys.
Responsibilities:
- Establish and deliver Independent Travel Training programmes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and disabilities (SEND).
- Teach young people the skills they will need to travel independently.
- Observe and monitor young people’s Independent Travel and prepare written reports of their progress.
- Liaise with and provide professional advice to, parents/carers; and other professionals involved with the child.
- To liaise with carers, schoolteachers, and others as appropriate, and prepare reports that will support young peoples’ transition to Independent Travel.
Ensure the safeguarding and protection of young people and assist management in doing so as appropriate. - Ensure the safeguarding and protection of young people and assist management in doing so as appropriate.
- Work with high levels of accuracy for tasks such as checking documents and recording information.
- Advise, instruct, check work, and assist in the induction/training/mentoring of others.
- Use own initiative and judgement where appropriate, promoting positive outcomes and solutions for children and young people.
- Work on your own, manage your own workload and use your initiative to adhere to time scales and deadlines.
- Analyse and collate data and use it to support the production of travel plans, risk assessments and reports.
- Understanding of, financial, audit, confidential and operational requirements of Children & Families services, and the impact on its day-to-day work.
- Work flexibly and working across the city, depending on service demand.
- Support and motivate young people by showing awareness of their individual interests and preferences, by introducing them to a range of different experiences through Independent Travel.
- Communicate effectively and professionally verbally, non-verbally and in written form, including the use of IT.
- Work directly with young people in accordance with ITT plans and education health & care plans.
- Engage and motivate young people for Independent Travel when they are transferring to other settings.
- Work with ITT Co-ordinators in contributing to reviewing and amending Travel Training plans, risk assessments and maintenance of files and other administrative tasks.
- Maintain a record of each ITT candidate’s daily progress.
- Work co-operatively with colleagues to ensure an efficient and effective service.
- Liaise and participate with other professional groups involved with young people.
- Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
- Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities as necessary to ensure up to date knowledge and skills.
- Improve own practice through observation, evaluation, discussion with colleagues and development programmes.
- To work collaboratively with colleagues, knowing when to seek help and advice.
- Contribute to the overall ethos, work, and aims of the service by attending relevant meetings, training days/events as requested.
- Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures e.g., child protection, health, safety and security, confidentiality, and data protection, reporting all concerns to an appropriate person.
- Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, and promoting the values, standards, and equal opportunities of Leeds City Council.
- Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment or victimisation and any form of abuse of equal opportunities, ensuring compliance with relevant policies and procedures.
- The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and this role will be expected to work within these parameters.
- The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.
Qualifications:
It is an essential requirement that the post holder holds a Level 3 qualification relevant to work with children and young people or adults in the learning or social care field or if you do not hold this qualification, you must be able to demonstrate equivalent knowledge and experience.
PERSONAL SPECIFICATION ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS: It is essential that the Candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities: Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate on the application form that they meet all the essential requirements.
Method of Assessment will be through one or more of the following Application Form, Test, Interview, and Certificate
Skills Required
- Able to support the development of children and young people who have SEND.
- Able to effectively lead children and young people who have SEND through ITT learning programmes.
- Able to safeguard children and support them to develop their resilience.
- Able to work in partnership with school staff, parents and carers to support children’s learning, development and wellbeing.
- A flexible approach to working hours with the ability to change working patterns as required.
- Able to use ICT packages, including Word and Excel
- Well-developed interpersonal and communication skills with a wide range of people including face-to-face, telephone and written communication skills.
- Able to complete risk assessments and implement extra risk control measures under your own initiative as appropriate.
Knowledge Required
- Knowledge and understanding of practice in Safeguarding children and Local Safeguarding Board procedures.
- Of the applications, systems and IT programmes utilised by Children & Families services, or similar, and being able to accurately record and retrieve information.
Experience Required
- Of working in partnership with other agencies, parents, and carers.
- Of professional employment in work with children, young people and/or vulnerable adults and families in a learning or care context
- Of working on your own and using your initiative to adhere to timescales and deadlines
Behavioural & other Characteristics required
- Committed to continuous improvement.
- Ability to understand and a commitment to Leeds City Council Equal Opportunities Policy.
- To carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health & Safety Policies.
- Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities to ensure up to date knowledge, skills and continuous professional development.
- Understand and embrace our values, behaviours, and codes of conduct.
