PR 3191
North Lincolnshire Council has teamed up with Lincolnshire County Council to produce a Parent and Carer Support Pack being launched on Friday 12 October at St Hugh’s Communication and Interaction Specialist College, Scunthorpe at 2.30pm.
The pack is to give advice to parents and carers of young people with learning disabilities on how to support them to develop independent travel skills.
The purpose of the pack is to reassure and give advice to parents/carers about young people’s personal safety when travelling on their own and to give details of independent travel training in North Lincolnshire. It is set out in a number of categories such as getting started, getting there safely and getting help.
As well as the support guide there is also a quick reference leaflet which parents/carers can keep with them at all times. This handy leaflet contains answers to frequently asked questions and lists useful numbers.
One of the key features included in the Parent and Carer Support Pack is the new Extra Care Card. This is a card that the young person can carry with them when travelling alone. They can show it to operators of public transport such as bus and train drivers to make them aware the passenger has a disability. There is also a space on the card where details of the disability can be given. The overall aim of this is to make the drivers aware that a person may need help during their journey.
Tony Gosling, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said:
"The Support Pack is a really useful aid for anyone who looks after a young person with disabilities.
"Being able to travel independently holds a lot of advantages. It can make a young person more streetwise, improve their communication skills and also help them cope better in a situation where their carer may not be there to guide them. For these reasons the council wishes to encourage parents and carers to support young people to develop independent travel skills.
"All of the information contained in the pack is valuable advice for any parent/carer of a young person with a disability."
For further information please contact: Carrie Young on 01724 296345, email carrie.young@northlincs.gov.uk.