York Independent Living and Transport Skills YILTS

York Independent Living and Transport Skills (YILTS)

The York Independent Living and Transport Skills (YILTS) Team is a service provided by the City of York Council.

YILTS provide travel training for young people aged 11 to 25 with Education, Health Care Plans (EHCPs) to support them to travel independently between home and school or college.

We aim to ensure that training is provided at a time that is right for young person and we understand that this will vary depending on the nature of a person’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and the route that they need to travel.

We accept referrals from families, schools and involved professionals.

We’ll discuss the transport options with families at a face-to-face meeting once we have agreed to work with a young person (bus route, walking options or cycle route). This allows us to find out more about what they can already do and suggest how families can help develop independent skills themselves and understand what barriers they face.

We’ll then carry out 4 or more practical sessions on the chosen route and proceed with travel training if, after these 4 sessions, we feel that travel independence is possible.

We look at 5 key skill areas – all based around the actual route that the student will need to take:

1. bus skills – for example, finding the correct stop, stopping the bus and using a bus pass
2. pedestrian skills – such as finding a safe route and using assisted crossings, road crossing
3. sense of place – knowing your way around the area you live in and those places you’ll need to spend time in such as where you change buses
4. life skills – for example, using a mobile for communication and tracking buses, asking for a ticket
5. keeping safe – how to behave when out and how to manage when things don’t work as planned

Read more about transport to school or college provided by City of York Council.

For more information, contact either Peta Hatton by email: [email protected] or telephone: 07789874738. Alternatively, contact Claire Rhodes by email: [email protected] or telephone: 07771785627.

The transport team can also be contacted by email: [email protected].