Agenda item

Consideration was given to a report which was due to be determined at the Cabinet and Commissioners’ Decision Making Meeting on 16 April 2018 in respect of the Home to School Transport Policy. The report outlined the outcome of the consultation on the Home to School Transport Policy for Rotherham, including post-16 students and children with Special Educational Needs or Disability (SEND) and provided recommendations for the service provision.

Members sought clarification as to who would provide the independent travel training. It was confirmed that the intention was to have an in-house independent travel training offer. It was confirmed that this was in place already and that some of the special schools in the borough also provided training themselves. It was noted that it could take over a year to train a young person to travel independently.  

In response to a query as to whether the recommendations for personal travel budgets were sufficient given the potential for a higher budget saving, it was explained that people can have access to personal travel budgets at an earlier stage if they wished. It was noted that individual circumstances would be subject to annual review and individual conversations would be needed to evaluate need.

Members advised that the service needed to learn from buddying schemes to ensure that people with learning disabilities were enabled to have the best life that they could have and be independent. In response, it was explained that officers had worked with some people who had been the most vocal in respect of previous issues, but change was required although it was recognised that a more transitional process would be appropriate. Wyatt – Buddying scheme need to learn from. Needs to be a desire that people with ld have the best life that they can have. Need to get them out independently where they can.

Assurances were sought that young people with mobility issues would automatically quality for home to school transport if they were in receipt of Personal Independent Payment because of a mobility issue. Officers gave an undertaking to respond on that point outside of the meeting.

Members expressed the view that the assessment matrix could be open to interpretation and queried who would decide whether a condition was moderate or mild and whether applicants would be required to supply evidence. It was confirmed that assessments were completed by the Corporate Transport Unit with information supplied from officers in Adult Care and Children’s Services. It was confirmed that the matrix model had been adopted by Middlesbrough BC and this was considered the most appropriate model for the borough.

In response to a query as to whether the trial period was long enough, it was explained that the service felt that it was sufficient and it would commence from 1 May 2018.

Members were supportive of the authority delivering training in-house and queried whether any modelling had taken place in respect of the cost to the Council of providing taxi services against what the private sector cost. It was indicated that there were figures to indicate how much had been spent and that officers had been asked to review how transport was provided to identify whether a taxi was the best approach or whether a shared arrangement would be more appropriate.

Resolved:-

1.    That Cabinet be advised that the recommendations be supported.

2.    That Cabinet be recommended to investigate the cost/benefit feasibility of operating an in-house transport service for those requiring home to school transport rather than reliance on taxis.

3.    That a further report on the policy’s implementation be submitted to Improving Places Select Commission in six months’ time.