By Lara Nelson, Policy and Advocacy Intern:
National Care Leavers Month (November) is about empowering and celebrating care leavers across the country. It aims to raise awareness of the problems care leavers often face and encourages their voices to be heard. This National Care Leavers Month is exciting, as for the first time, it runs over a month instead of a week!
Another campaign that runs throughout November is #TickTheBox. Run by our friends at The Fostering Network, this campaign is a great example of encouraging care-experienced young adults to be proud of their past and to use it to thrive as they begin their journey into higher education. For lots, education is a sense of stability and belonging. However, for care-experienced people, the education pathway can look different.
#TicktheBox encourages young adults to state their care-experience on UCAS applications so they can access and receive support to help them thrive as students. The aims of the campaign are to help raise aspirations for those that have had care experience, to celebrate good practice from educational institutions and to bust common myths surrounding care-experienced individuals.
Educational journeys for care-experienced students certainly do differ from those without a care-experienced background. Care-experienced students can face frequent interruptions to their education, such as moving schools and home environments. This can affect learning and the ability to focus on school. Statistics show that care-experienced young people attain much lower GCSEs compared to non-care-experienced students. It’s so important to note the fact that when basic housing and emotional needs are not met, then educational development is often hindered and falls behind.
At 18 years old, a time when many young people begin thinking about university, care leavers must manage their move out of care and often lack a safety net and financial support as they transition into adulthood. While most young people rely on parents, care leavers are left to navigate financial concerns alone. Despite universities and colleges offering some financial support and bursaries, some care leavers are not aware of their entitlement or how to navigate access to support services. With all these barriers, it is perhaps unsurprising that care leavers are under-represented across universities and undergraduate populations throughout England and Wales.
However, with the right support, accessibility and opportunities, care leavers can thrive in higher education. In 2023, 28% of care-experienced graduates had gone on to further study six months after graduating, compared to only 25% of non-care-experienced graduates. This is a great achievement and reflects the theme of this year's National Care Leavers Month ‘Rising as Me’, where the challenge of the education system has transformed into confidence for care leavers and shows evidence of great achievements.
We need a world where care leavers only face the same issues as other young people and do not feel like ‘an other’ in any part of the system. Education is so important for all young people and shouldn’t be undermined by an individual being in the care system.
Care-experienced students thrive when there is access to peers, educators and mentors who see their potential. Policy makers and services must continue to support and listen to young people and do all we can to advocate for an improved education system. All care leavers should be encouraged to #TickTheBox and be supported to access their rights and entitlements. Remember, there is always support if you need it.
If you’re a young person leaving care and looking for support, contact our free helpline on 0808 808 1001.
