Care Experienced & Care Leavers

Are you under 25 and a care leaver? If so, this page offers a range of information and advice for you to explore.

Here you will find out about how to access practical and financial support, meet other students with caring responsibilities and hear about upcoming events. You can also click on the External Support tab to view a range of both local and national resources that are specifically tailored to support individuals that identify as Care Experienced or a Care Leaver.

If you have any questions about any information on this page or would like to discuss additional support/ Get involved in any upcoming events please email access@beds.ac.uk

Find more information and details on the internal support available within the university for students who are care leavers, find the the information in sections listed below.

We are pleased to be able to confirm dates for our Care Experienced drop in sessions on both Luton and Bedford campus.

Luton - Wednesday 7th February at 14.00 hosted in The Treehouse Luton.

Bedford - Tuesday 13th February at 10.00 hosted in The Treehouse Bedford.

For those students who have not yet collected their welcome voucher in September they will be available for you at the drop in sessions.

If you cannot make the drop in but would like to arrange collection of your voucher please contact Student Engagement.

The university has teams within the university who provide advice, guidance and support to students from point of pre entry to graduation from the university.

Before students join the university:

Within the Access and Outreach team Roisin Kendall, Access and Outreach Manager is the named person pre entry, working with virtual schools, leaving care teams, local authorities within Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes to support attainment, aspiration and offer on campus and virtual experiences to care experienced students from primary to adult learners returning to education.

Contact email address for any queries or support is access@beds.ac.uk

During student journey at the university:

Student Engagement Team

The student engagement team provide general advice and support to students on a wide range of issues that might be impacting on their attendance, ability to submit work and progression on their course. The teams focus is on retention and the team liaises with other support teams, academic staff and external partners. The student engagement team work along the mitigation team and can provide advice and guidance to students regarding the of the process of applying for extensions and re-assessments and reviewing applications made by students, subject to meeting the mitigation criteria. Support provided is dependent on the needs of the individual student. Student engagement can support students across the student cycle from point of entry to graduation and offer guidance and signposting to other student support teams including, health and wellbeing, mental health, counselling, community and faith and student money advice.

Contact email address for this support is studentengagement@beds.ac.uk

Student Money Team

The student money team provide advice and guidance to students including providing events including budgeting workshops, university laptop loan scheme, student finance funding advice and any other money advice support queries. Student Money team are also the point of contact for care leaver bursary queries and applications.

Contact email address for this support is studentmoney@beds.ac.uk

Local Services can provide specific advice and guidance to students who are Care Leavers.

Bedford Borough Council - Care leavers

Central Bedfordshire Council - Local offers for care leavers

Luton Borough Council – Leaving care

If you are based at our Milton Keynes, Birmingham or London sites please check out your local council pages for more information on local support for Care Leavers.

Find information on national services who provide specific information and guidance to students who are care experienced.

UCAS: If you are in care, or have experience of being in care in the past, there's lots of support available in higher education to help you with finance, accommodation, and settling in. Visit ucas.com - Undergraduate: Individual Needs for more information.
Become: Helping young care leavers get the support needed and to unleash your potential. Talk and we will listen - access ongoing coaching, help in stressful situations, providing friendly space to meet other care experienced people. For more information visit Become
Propel: Propel Service provided by Become, the charity for children in care and young care leavers. Propel is dedicated to care experienced students, we help students not only find suitable universities/colleges but also make you aware of your rights and entitlements within higher and further education. For more information visit Propel
- Free Advice Line: Talk to us and we will listen. Confidential and Independent. Freephone: 0800 023 2033. Email: advice@becomecharity.org.uk. Open Monday - Friday 10am- 5pm.
- Advice Workshops: Propel also offer workshops which we can deliver in person or online, which can be delivered at any point throughout your education journey:
  - Rights and entitlements in higher and further education
  - How to apply for higher and further education.
  - Skills for higher education
  - Student finance and UCAS in detail
Rees Foundation: Rees Foundation offers help and advice to care experienced individuals about any concern. Rees Foundation run a number of projects that can make a real difference to care experienced people of any age. For more information visit Rees Foundation
Complete University Guide: Applying to University as a Care Leaver. Complete University Guide can outline the help that could be available to you, so you can do your research before you go. For more information visit, Complete University Guide - Applying to University as a Care Leaver
This is Us Community: A place for all UK care experienced and estranged students in Higher Education, of any age. You can... chat with others, share helpful info, arrange meet-ups, organise games-night, find existing local groups near you, run day-trips/holidays, have serious conversations, give peer-support and pose questions. For more information visit This is Us
Student Minds: Student Minds is the UK’s student mental health charity. Empowering students and members of the university community to look after their own mental health, support others and create change. For more information visit Student Minds
Family Action: Listening Works offers phone, text and web chat support for care leavers aged 18 to 27. Service is open 6pm to midnight 7 days a week. For more information visit Family Action
FamilyConnect service, helping adults who have been adopted or in care find answers to questions about their origins.

Student Finance Information

You can find out what student finance is available from Student Finance England to inform your decision when you are considering applying for university.

Student Finance England provides everything you need to know about student finance if you are considering going to university.

UCAS Care Leaver webpage provides specific information to people who are in care or have experience of being in care in the past. There is lots of support available in higher education to help you with finance, accommodation and settling in.

The Student Room enables you to find out information whether you are a current university student or you are going through the application process, you'll find lots of advice and information for you including finding out what financial help is available.

SFE: Your Student Finance Journey

You decide to go to uni or college.
You find out what student finance is available from Student Finance England.
Visit our student finance zone at thestudentroom.co.uk/studentfinance or find us at ucas.com/sfe
Apply for student finance online at gov.uk/student-finance
Make sure you have your passport, bank details and National Insurance number to hand.
Send evidence.
Make sure you send us any evidence we ask for as quickly as possible to avoid delays in processing your application.
Your parent or partner provides their income details.
It’s really important that they send us these as soon as possible so you get as much money as you’re entitled to.
We assess your application.
We’ll send you a letter confirming how much you’ll get.

Start university.
You need to register at uni before we can make your first payment.
Interest is applied from the day we make your first payment.
Reapply for student finance each year.
You graduate.

You start repaying the April after you finish or leave your course, but only when you’re earning over a certain amount (£25 000 per year).
When you start repaying, you make repayments to Student Loans Company. Find out more at educationhub.blog.gov.uk
Interest rates can vary.
How much interest you’re charged will be based on the Retail Prices Index. The actual rate applied will be adjusted each year.
If your income drops below the repayment threshold your repayments will stop.
Your loan will be cancelled 40 years after you’re due to start repaying.

You can also view or download your student finance journey infographic and poster as a PDF or JPG:

Your Student Finance Journey infographic [PDF]