Travel assistance factors for adults

The following factors will be considered by the council when assessing the need for support services and travel assistance:

  • The extent to which the applicant can travel independently including own privately funded transport; any vehicle purchased under the Motability scheme (which the individual drives themselves, or does not drive themselves); public transport; walking with or without support; or via any other independent or naturally supported means.
  • Ability to travel independently and reablement options such as independent travel training.
  • Whether the applicant is able to access transport provided by others (family, friends, paid carer, support worker).
  • Whether they are accessing the nearest service to meet their needs.
  • The applicant’s disability, frailty or physical health.
  • Risk to self and others.
  • The individual’s mental capacity.
  • Communication difficulties.
  • Psychological factors e.g. mental health, dementia, agoraphobia.
  • Consideration of degenerative conditions.
  • Benefits that the adult receives such as disability living allowance (DLA) and personal independence payment (PIP) and that use of the mobility element of these is utilised.
  • Any other factors that may affect personal safety.

The council will also take into account the following factors relating to the individual’s mobility:

  • Ability to walk outside
  • Requirement for wheelchair / other walking aid
  • Ability to enter and leave a property
  • Ability to get in and out of a vehicle
  • History of falls
  • Ability to use stairs
  • Degenerative conditions

These lists are not exhaustive as the needs assessment will take into consideration all relevant factors and each case will be determined on its own merits, associated risk factors and assessed needs and outcomes that the adult is unable to achieve without council funded support.

People will be expected to access services that reasonably meet their needs close to where they live.  Where it is assessed that a local service can meet a person’s needs, support to travel will only be provided up to this distance and will only be provided if independent travel and public transport have been tested and agreed not to be appropriate.

If people can travel independently then they will be expected to do so. For example by walking, using public transport with help from other people, using assisted mobility which is where a person is supported to travel with an aide, adaptation, mobility allowance or mobility vehicle.

Where enablement/travel training is offered as part of the assessment this process must be completed before a final decision is made on whether the person requires support to travel to be provided by the local authority.

Refusal by the adult with care and support needs to undertake the enablement / travel training element of the assessment may bring about the end of the overall assessment process and travel assistance may not be provided.

Provision of travel assistance will be individually reviewed, along with other elements of the care plan, at least annually.