Guidance for individuals supporting a care experienced student

It’s useful to know that the definitions universities use to determine whether someone is a care leaver or a care experienced student will differ, so you will need to advise your applicant to check individual universities' websites to find out more.

We would strongly encourage you to advise them to tick the box on their UCAS application as this ensures universities contact them with information about the support they can offer.

If they are considering the University of Birmingham, we provide all care experienced applicants with a single point of contact in the Outreach Team and have a range of support available.

All our outreach programmes prioritise places for care experienced students, so we would recommend our Pathways to Birmingham programmes for students in years 12 and 13.

Arranging visits to campus

We would welcome any visit requests from local authorities or supporting groups/charities. Please get in touch to make arrangements.

We also host a Care Experienced Open Day every year in October during National Care Leavers Week, where you and your applicants can visit the campus to get a feel for the support we offer.

Concerns regarding a care leaver studying at the University

The Wellbeing Officer(s) provide practical and emotional support for students at Birmingham and will be in regular contact with care leavers at Birmingham. If you are concerned about a care leaver, please get in contact with their Wellbeing Officer immediately.

You can also encourage your students to approach Student Support in the Aston Webb Student Hub or their Personal Academic Tutor.

Wellbeing for care experienced students at Birmingham

The Wellbeing Officer(s) will provide practical and emotional support for students at Birmingham and will be in regular contact with care leavers at Birmingham. We offer enhanced support to students who are care leavers or care experienced, bringing them in line with our U18 process.

Wellbeing Officers will:

• Act as the dedicated wellbeing contact for these students within their Schools, providing advice, support and guidance
• Contact the students at the start of each year and set up an introductory meeting
• Offer monthly appointments throughout term time (these are not mandatory for the student to attend)
• Take action if a student appears to have disengaged with wellbeing or the programme
• Contact the student prior to the end of each term to discuss their plans over the holiday period and provide support details over this period

Students can also approach Student Support in the Aston Webb Student Hub or their Personal Academic Tutor.

Contact us

For any queries, please email outreach@contacts.bham.ac.uk.