Good Practice

Supporting Further Education Students with Caring Responsibilities

Resource title: Supporting Students with Caring Responsibilities: A Resource for Colleges and Services to Help Young Adult Carers Succeed in Further Education
Published: 2015    Author: Carers Trust and NIACE

This resource enables further education colleges and services supporting young adult carers to gain insight into the challenges this group of students face and find practical tips, guidance and case studies to help staff establish and embed support for student carers.

Key points

  • Draws together some of the good practice further education colleges have already begun to develop.
  • Makes practical recommendations for how further education colleges can support students across the student life cycle.

This practical resource has been expanded and developed from a shorter publication, produced in early 2015 by Carers Trust and NIACE. It is designed for use by managers and staff working in further education colleges. It will increase awareness and understanding of young adult carers and their specific needs. It outlines who young adult carers are, the challenges they face and how their caring roles can impact on their education. It draws together some of the good practice that is already being developed in a number of colleges, often in partnership with local carers services, and makes recommendations for how student carers can be supported to sustain their participation in learning, achieve their potential and succeed.

We hope that this resource will further drive the momentum for acknowledging and supporting this student group within colleges. We hope that it will inspire and assist colleges to develop their own approaches and that the good practice already taking place will become more consistent and embedded across further education. This will ensure that students who are caring for others – who in many instances have overcome very difficult circumstances and who will have acquired extremely valuable skills along the way – are able to reach their potential and succeed.

See also  Supporting Students with Caring Responsibilities: A Resource for Further Education Providers
to Help Young Adult Carers Succeed in Further Education in Wales.