Defensive Driving & Fleet Training instructors are 'Passenger Assistant Training Scheme - PATS' accredited trainers

• is designed for anyone who has care or supervision of passengers travelling by road - in cars, taxis, minicabs or large buses
• is relevant to volunteers as well as paid staff
• covers legal, practical and safety issues - a comprehensive training package
• aims to improve passenger safety by providing the skills and information for passenger assistants to understand and meet the needs of their passengers

• Membership is FREE
• Access to PATS training is gained by your organisation becoming a PATS member
• Membership is open to schools, voluntary organisations, healthcare providers, commercial transport companies, community transport operators and council departments
• PATS training is firstly given to the person in your organisations who will be responsible for training your passenger assistants
• This person, called a Passenger Assistant Trainer, then has the skills and information to train passenger assistants
• PATS training is divided into different sections, called modules. These relate to different aspects of the work which passenger assistants usually do - some work only with children, others with adults who have disabilities, and so on
• Before they are trained passenger assistants must have their training needs assessed, taking into account any training they have already had and the needs of the passengers they work with
• Written material is available to support all training courses. PATS has also produced a Passenger Assistant's Handbook
• As a PATS member your organisation must accept the certificates of passenger assistants who were trained by other PATS members as evidence of the training they have already received

These are the PATS modules:

• Module A: The Role of the Passenger Assistant - Minimum 3 Hour Course
  This is the 'foundation' module because it is a starting point for further training. It covers the role and responsibilities of a passenger assistant, including legal, practical and safety issues
• Module B: Assisting Passengers with Disabilities - Minimum 2 Hour 35 Minute Course
  This module includes boarding and alighting from vehicles and safety information concerning wheelchair users. It is very similar to the relevant part of MiDAS - the training available to minibus drivers
• Module C1: Supervising Children and Young People with Special Needs - Minimum 1 Hour 20 Minute Course
  This includes supervising children and young people with learning difficulties, autism, physical disabilities, sensory restrictions and emotional or behavioural difficulties
• Module C2: Working with Adults Who Require Care and Supervision - Minimum 1 Hour 20 Minute Course
  This includes adult passengers with learning difficulties, dementia, physical disabilities, sensory restrictions and people in mental or emotional distress

These modules are all designed to be delivered by Defensive Driving & Fleet Training instructors.

1. Appoint a Passenger Assistant Trainer

This is the person who will train your passenger assistants so it is vital that the right person is selected for the job. It is essential they have good training skills. Someone who is very knowledgeable won't necessarily make a good trainer unless they have the ability to pass on the information and skills to other people. So select your Passenger Assistant Trainer on the basis of their good presentation and training skills as well as their relevant experience.

Defensive Driving & Fleet Training instructors train passenger assistants on your behalf.

2. Assessing the training needs of your passenger assistants

Defensive Driving & Fleet Training instructors assess the training needs of the passenger assistants, taking into account:

• Any training they have already had
• The needs of the passengers they work with

We will help to identify which PATS training modules they need to complete.

3. Training your Passenger Assistant Trainer

Defensive Driving & Fleet Training instructors have attend training courses to deliver Modules A, B, C1 and C2. After successful completion of the theory assessment at the end for the course, a 4 year trainer's certificate was issued.

4. Incorporating your organisation's policies and procedures in the training for your passenger assistants

Different organisations will have different working arrangements - for example reporting systems, who does what on the vehicle - and different types of equipment. Defensive Driving & Fleet Training instructors take this into account when preparing to run a course, so that the general advice in the PATS modules is tailored to your organisation - the duties of your passenger assistants, the procedures and practices they follow and the types of vehicle and equipment they work with.

5. The Passenger Assistant Trainer trains the passenger assistants

Defensive Driving & Fleet Training instructors are able to run PATS training courses. The passenger assistants need to successfully complete a multiple choice theory assessment at the end of their course, before they are issued with a certificate. They can also be issued with a Passenger Assistant's Handbook.

6. Keeping up to date

Defensive Driving & Fleet Training instructors receive refresher training every 4 years to ensure that their skills and information are up to date and up to standard.

Passenger assistants do not have to renew their certificates in this way but their manager must review their training needs periodically, to identify whether any change in circumstances means that they need additional training.

PATS may also send out information or updates to Defensive Driving & Fleet Training instructors from time to time, when legislation or best practice changes. This information will be disseminated to Defensive Driving & Fleet Training trained passenger assistants.

Q: Is PATS only for paid staff? What about volunteers?
A: PATS is for paid staff and volunteers. Each organisation has a duty of care - to volunteers as well as paid staff. So PATS training is equally relevant to volunteers.

Q: Is PATS relevant for drivers too?
A: Yes, especially if the driver also acts as passenger assistant, or where the driver and passenger assistant work together closely as a team.

Q: Can PATS modules be taken at different times?
A: Yes. Module A is the foundation module, the starting point for further training. A passenger assistant can add other modules at any time. For example, if they currently work with children with special needs but their job changes to include older people with dementia they will need to add module C2 to their existing modules A, B and C1.

Q: Do all of our existing passenger assistants have to be retrained to PATS standards?
A: This is recommended but is not a requirement of PATS membership. It is for your organisation to assess the training needs of your passenger assistants.

Q: If I recruit a passenger assistant who has already been PATS-trained by another organisation, do they need any further training?
A: You must accept their PATS certificate as evidence of the training they have received. But they will need some local familiarisation as their duties, procedures, vehicles and equipment may be different from where they worked before.

Q: How long will it take to train passenger assistants?
A: For Defensive Driving & Fleet Training instructors to deliver the modules to passenger assistants will take at least:

• Module A: 3 hours
• Module B: 2 hours 35 mins
• Module C1: 1 hour 20 mins
• Module C2: 1 hour 20 mins

These times exclude lunch and other breaks. Individual trainers may take longer depending on their personal style, practical demonstrations and the size of the group of passenger assistants they are training.

For full details of all courses and fees please e-mail or telephone 029-20613930 with your enquiry.