Support for care experienced students and care leavers
Birmingham City University provides advice and support from application through to graduation to those who are care experienced or care leavers.
We're here to help you throughout your course, helping you navigate any concerns you might have about your finances, accommodation or your studies.
If you are a care leaver or have experienced care, please review the information below to see what support is available to you.
What do we mean by “Care Leaver” and “Care Experienced”?
To provide support, we use the following definitions. If you don't meet all of the points below, but still want to discuss your support needs, please reach out to support@bcu.ac.uk who will be able to guide you further.
Care leaver
We define a care leaver at BCU as someone who meets all of the following points:
- Aged under 25 on the first day i.e. (1st September) of the first academic year in which their current BCU course began; and
- Is eligible for Care Leaver Personal Adviser Support from their Local Authority because they are a Care Leaver who is pursuing higher education; and
- Was in the Care of a UK Local Authority for a period of at least 13 weeks, and this period started before and finished after their 16th birthday.
Care experienced
At BCU, care experienced means you meet all of the following points:
- Is a BCU student of any age; and
- At any stage of their life, and for any length of time, has been in care e.g., looked after by the Local Authority.
Been in care may include:
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Time in the care of the Local Authority (e.g., foster care or children’s home),
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Privately fostered,
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‘Looked after at home’ under a supervision order or in kinship care (living with friends or relatives). Kinship care could be through a formal arrangement (e.g., prior to a Special Guardianship order), or through an informal arrangement, without Local Authority support.
Support for current students
Care leavers and care experienced
Current students can find full details of the support available for Care Leavers and care-experienced students on iCity (requires University login).