Event report - Supporting Care Experienced Young People to Progress into, and Succeed in, Higher Education
On 7th November, Linking London held an event exploring some of the key barriers faced by Care experienced young people (CEYP) in accessing HE and being successful once there and what we can do as a sector to try to address these, drawing on examples of existing good practice.
The event began with a warm welcome from Andrew Jones, Director of Linking London, before delegates heard from Anne-Marie Bird, Services Manager at Become & Scarlett Manley, Advice and Support Assistant at Propel. In their presentation, they highlighted the major obstacles CEYP face when accessing HE, including financial, technological, emotional, and educational challenges, highlighting some of the support universities and local authorities currently provide to help CEYP navigate these barriers. They then shared what Become and Propel do to support CEYP, some support they provide include one-on-one advice, HE and FE workshops, the Uni Ready Programme, and free coaching services.
Following this, Suzanne Humphreys, Linking London Uni Connect Student Engagement Co-ordinator at NCC Havering Colleges Sixth Form, spoke on their long-term targeted work to support CEYP learners with their plans post course. Suzanne outlined some of the support the college offers such as financial support for travel and lunch and making them aware of what bursaries and scholarships are available. Suzanne highlighted the critical role of continuous, tailored support—such as one-on-one sessions and in-house counselling designed for CEYP—in helping these learners succeed.
Karen Western, Widening Access Officer at Brunel University London, followed with an insight into her experience supporting CEYP through successful transitions into HE. Karen provided an overview of Brunel’s widening access initiatives, including financial support, various activities for CEYP, and their 'Inspire' mentoring scheme, which pairs young people in care with mentors to help them navigate their journey into higher education.
We then welcomed an undergraduate student from Brunel University London to talk about their experiences as a CEYP student who has made the transition onto Higher Education. The student reflected on the educational challenges they faced prior to university, their motivations for pursuing higher education, the difficulties encountered during the application process, the support they received, and what ultimately helped them succeed.
During the Q&A session, delegates had the opportunity to engage with the speakers, asking questions about effective strategies for supporting CEYP in higher education. Topics included suggestions for helping CEYP thrive once they are in university, tips for reaching a wider audience with information, and strategies for effective engagement and communication with CEYP.
You can find a detailed summary of the Q&A session along with presentations on our Partners’ Area.
The event concluded thanking all participants for their valuable contributions throughout the afternoon.
Further Information
Recording and resources
To view the recording and presentation slides from the day please click here. This link will take you to the Linking London SharePoint Partners' Area. You must be a Linking London member to access this section of the website. If you do not have access, please email info@linkinglondon.ac.uk.