Welcome to January's issue of GHWY's Care to Go Higher newsletter.
We hope you all had a good break over the festive period. To ease you into 2023 we bring you some good news stories about care-experienced young people and foster carers, including a card that offers discounts on many fun activities.
As always, we're looking for news stories, resources or upcoming events to promote. If you have anything to share from your organisation then please get in touch with Susan Darlington.
We are excited to have launched our new website, which includes revamped content and resources for care experiencedand estranged learners.
We have created a clean, modern design and improved site navigation to help users find exactly what they’re looking for and better represent who we are as an organisation.
In addition, we have developed exciting new functionality so that users can take part in our series of e-learning experiences. This encompasses teacher and advisor CPD, and student online taster days.
With the first newsletter of the year we wanted to focus on some good news for care-experienced young people and foster carers.
There are some great steps forward being made in different areas and some fantastic resources that we wanted to spread awareness of to kickstart your new year with a bout of positivity!
Thesse include the John Lewis Christmas advert for 2022 and its Happier Futures programmes; the Unite Foundation Scholarship; and the Max Card, a discount card for those with SEND or looked after children.
The student panel at SUN's recent Estranged Students CPD Conference highlighted the importance of the language we use if we want to reach the young people with whom we work.
Those on the panel spoke eloquently about the support that had helped them to succeed on their HE journeys. They also highlighted the gaps they still had to overcome, particularly around the lack of awareness about estrangement.
Significantly, they advised that they preferred the term ‘independent student’ rather than ‘estranged student’. They felt the former was empowering and had more positive connotations.
Propel, which is a service dedicated to care-experienced students, can deliver free workshops at in-person events and online.
It offers four core sessons that can be delivered at any point throughout the education journey of young people: rights and entitlements in higher and further education; how to apply for higher and further education; skills for higher education; and student finance and UCAS in detail. Contact them for further information.
Its website also collates of the universities and colleges in Britain, showcasing their courses, what support they offer care-experienced students and any entitlements such as grants and accommodation.
HE events can help young people to plan the next steps on their educational journey. They offer an opportunity to visit campuses, talk to staff and current students, and learn more about what courses are available. They are free, with in-person as well as online options usually available.
When: Thursday, 23 February between 5-7pm Where: North Street campus Who: Leeds College of Building
Meet the College's team, tour the workshops, speak to students, learn more about the courses on offer and see the resources and facilities that are available.
When: Saturday, 21 January between 10.30am-1pm Where: Taylor Hill Animal Centre Who: Kirklees College
Find out more about the College's curriculum areas in: Animal Care; Agriculture; Countryside; Dog Grooming; and Landscaping/Horticulture. Staff will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.
UCAS and the Unite Foundation have produced a new report, Next Steps, that explores the experiences and aspirations of care-experienced students in their progression to HE. It found that 60% of HE applicants from a care background received no guidance specific to being care-experienced during their application journey.
The BBC responded to the report by looking at the journeys of two care experienced graduates.
Recent polls have shown that roughly a fourth of those surveyed are not speaking to a member of their family.
The surveys also indicated that the family is undergoing some of the most rapid changes in history, with the breakdown of the traditional nuclear unit, and that this has contributed to estrangements.
Political divides have further frayed family ties.
Support offered to care-experienced young people by our members
Our spotlight features highlight what support our 13 member institutions offer to care-experienced young people. They detail care leaver contacts, financial support, and bespoke campus tours among other things.
Each 'what support we offer' feature is regularly updated to ensure that content is up to date, which makes them a valuable resource when guiding your young people through their HE journey.
Take a look at some of our free resources, which can be used to support care leavers and estanged young people to make informed decisions about their future.
GHWY's collaborative Care Leaver Covenant includes information about what our 13 members offer to care leavers, along with useful tips and links. It is reviewed every year to ensure that its information is kept relevant, with addtional details being available online.
Our free resources pack is designed to help you support care-experienced young people to make informed choices about their educational future. It will encourage you reflect on your own role as someone with influence and provide tips and activities to get the conversation going with young people.
Our collaborative Stand Alone Pledge includes information about what our 13 members offer to estranged young people, along with useful tips and links. Additional information will be added to our website soon to include further support details.
Our resource bank holds a wide range of free and informative materials for various audiences to access. There includes sections on wellbeing in education, employability essentials, online taster days, and useful links.
