ITT Travel Buddy

As our next ITT Travel Buddy, you'll be part of the Children's Transport Service, who support thousands of children and young people to access education. Your input as a Travel Buddy is imperative, you will be providing young people with skills that are life-changing and that will best prepare them for adulthood. Please see some reviews of our service from one of our families and young people below: "The ITT project has been brilliant to my daughter and the whole family all together. I didn't think that I would ever be able to let my daughter walk alone to school but after the completion of the training I am more at ease now. I can't thank her Travel buddy enough for the support and care she has provided to my daughter". "I found ITT helpful, and I enjoyed the training on the bus to get to college and how to cross the roads safely. I was very nervous about travelling to college using public transport, but after the training I am now capable of travelling to and from college on my own"., 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. With safety at the front of your mind, you'll give learners increasing independence by gradually reducing the supervision they receive while travelling in a planned way. You'll then feedback on each child's progress to the ITT Co-ordinator, parents and school as appropriate. You'll be an advocate of ITT, promoting participation in the scheme and gaining the confidence of young people, carers and professionals in the field to ensure that young people with SEND have the best possible opportunity to achieve travel independence. Working closely with an ITT Co-ordinator, you'll advise when each learner is nearing completion of their programme and close to being successfully signed off as an independent traveller. You'll assist the ITT Co-ordinator in prioritising which young people will enter the scheme and support continuous monitoring, recording and evaluation of the scheme. You'll be flexible around the needs of learners, frequently working at the time children need to travel to and return from school and working on a pattern of annualised hours according to the seasonal needs of the service and the needs of young people. 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.
• 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 staff
• 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., Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct.
• Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
• Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council equality and diversity policies.
• Carry out all duties having regard to an employee's responsibility under Health and Safety Policies.
• Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities.
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
• Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.
• Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity policies of Leeds City Council.
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.
• The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.
  
  As an ITT Travel Buddy, you will bring to the role:
• Leadership skills to effectively train children and young people who have SEND through ITT learning programmes.
• Have a flexible approach to working hours with the ability to change working patterns as required.
• Well-developed interpersonal and communication skills and an understanding of some challenges that young people with SEND may face.
• The ability to complete risk assessments and paperwork digitally to ensure that children and young people are safe.
• The ability to work on your own, adhere to timescales and problem solve on the go., 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., Able to effectively lead children and young people who have SEND through ITT learning programmes
• Able to support the development of children and young people who have SEND
• 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 of the applications, systems and IT programmes utilised by Children & Families services, or similar, and being able to accurately record and retrieve information
• Knowledge and understanding of practice in Safeguarding children and Local Safeguarding Board procedures
• Experience of professional employment in work with children, young people and/or vulnerable adults and families in a learning or care context
• Experience of working in partnership with other agencies, parents and carers.
• Experience of working on your own and using your initiative to adhere to timescales and deadlines
  
  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.
  
  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