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Care Leavers, Care Experienced & Estranged from Family

The University of Cumbria use the Student Finance England (SFE) definition for care leaver.

Generally, you’re a ‘care leaver’ if at any point from the age of 16 to the first day of your first academic year, you have not been under the legal care of your parents; and, for three months or more, you have been in the custody or legal care of, or have been given accommodation by, a local authority (LA).

You can apply for student finance as a care leaver if:

  • You have not been under the legal care of your parents and for at least three months, you have been in the custody, legal care or have been given accommodation by an LA and the care ended on or after you turned 16 and before the first day of the first academic year of your course.
  • You must also not have returned to the care of your parents between the age of 16 and the first day of the first academic year. However, you could still qualify as a care leaver if you’ve returned to live with your parents, but are still under the care of the LA. For example, if you have returned to your parental home for a trial period of reunification but are still receiving the same support from the LA, then you can still qualify as a care leaver for student finance purposes.

Read the SFE Care Leaver Guide to find out more.

Care experienced means you have spent time living with foster carers under local authority care, in residential care (e.g. a children’s home), looked after at home under a supervision order, or in kinship care with relatives or friends, either officially (e.g. a special guardianship order) or informally without local authority support.

At the University of Cumbria we want to ensure that all students, who wish to, are able to access higher education and that they can participate effectively in all areas of university life.

Who is an ‘estranged’ student? Young people aged 25 or below, studying without the support and approval of either parent due to a breakdown in their relationship. This might be biological, step or adoptive parents, or possibly wider family members who have been involved in your care.

The University of Cumbria offers dedicated support to students estranged from their family including:

Dedicated support contacts

We will support you through both your entry into university and during your time with us.

  • Pre-entry advice and guidance on applying for university and completing personal statements. This can be offered by email or telephone. Contact outreach@cumbria.ac.uk to ask for help or to arrange a telephone appointment.
  • Once you are here (post-entry) there is a wide range of additional support available to you, as outlined below. See the My.Cumbria pages for more info, or ask a question using the Student Enquiry Point.

 

Am I eligible for support?

Available support

Additional financial support / Money Advice Service

  • As a student who is estranged from their family, you will be prioritised for the Cumbria Bursary which could be up to £1000 per year for each year of a three-year full time degree.

    To be eligible, for consideration, you must give consent to share financial information on your Student Finance application, which must have been assessed prior to the start your course.

  • You will also be able to access pre-entry information regarding extra funding you may be eligible for, budgeting techniques and any other queries you may have. More information can be found on the Money Advice Service webpages and the Money Advice FAQs.

  • The Student Support Fund is available to estranged students experiencing financial difficulty or unexpected financial emergencies. Visit the Student Support Fund web page for more information and to download an application form.

 Accommodation

  • We have a wide range of accommodation available across our campuses and rooms are available for the whole year (365 days) at Carlisle, Lancaster and Ambleside. See www.cumbria.ac.uk/accommodation to find out more. 

 Academic support

  •  Head Start is a short online course designed to bridge the gap into higher education. It introduces you to:
    • Effective learning approaches
    • Accessing and evaluating information
    • Academic writing
    • Referencing

You will be invited to join Head Start before you arrive at university. See Head Start for more information.

  • Skills@Cumbria is an online academic skills platform which is supplemented by specialist Academic Skills Advisers who can support you with your studies.

 

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