Richard’s TITAN journey

Congratulations to Richard, who successfully completed his TITAN travel training programme last week with Norfolk County Council!

TITAN (Travel Independence Training Across the Nation) is designed to support people to develop the confidence and skills they need to travel independently and navigate everyday situations.

Before starting the programme, Richard had been eager to become more independent. He really wanted to be able to get the bus into town on his own, visit the barbers, and go to the local shops without feeling like he needed support. We had been supporting Richard to do these things but he needed a little extra guidance to build his confidence in doing them on his own – that’s when we came across TITAN training.

Now, after just 12 weeks of dedicated training, Richard can confidently get the bus to town independently, manage his own money when shopping and is more confident interacting with people in shops and out and about.

Richard said: “I love my training and am really enjoying it, especially getting the bus to town.”

During the programme, Richard was paired with a mentor who worked closely with him to practice the bus routes he wanted to master — the town centre and his day services. They practiced these journeys together regularly, with Richard taking on more responsibility each time. His mentor also helped him build confidence in managing money and handling different social situations.

At FitzRoy, we are always looking for new and different ways to help the people we support learn new skills, overcome challenges, and gain the confidence they need to thrive. This training wasn’t just about getting from place to place for Richard, but also all the new doors that his increasing independence would open. 

Deputy manager Nicole said: “Richard walked to the local barbers in the village on Saturday and the local shop this week. Prior to his training he was only able to do with staff, so he is very chuffed. The independence this has given him really means a lot to him as he hasn’t got to always rely on staff to take him. With the bus journeys, we are going to meet Richard at the other side a couple of times a month to really continue building his confidence up more.”