The prospect of embarking upon a college or university course can be a daunting one for anybody these days, with the cost of tuition fees and student living rising. For care leavers, who may not have very good experiences of the education system and who will usually lack the support of a family to fall back on, it can be even more intimidating.
However, education is an important and valuable asset and the right of every young person. Therefore, if a care leaver wants to pursue it after the age of 16 or 18 they should.
The next few pages are aimed at providing as much advice and information as possible to help care leavers who are considering, or are currently enrolled on, a further, or higher education course.
Eligibility Terms
Care Leaver Definitions
Eligible: young people aged 16 and 17 who have been looked after for at least 13 weeks since the age of 14 and are still being looked after.
Relevant: young people aged 16 and 17 who have been looked after for at least 13 weeks since the age of 14 and who have been looked after at some time after their 16th birthday, and who have now left care.
Former Relevant: young people aged between 18 – 21 who have been either eligible or relevant children or both. If, at the age of 21, the young person is still being helped by the responsible authority with education or training, then he or she remains a former relevant child’ Young people who go back to education or training under the age of 25 are also entitled to having their pathway plans switched back on and will be entitled to services as a ‘former relevant’ young person.
Qualifying: young people who leave care after 1st October 2001 after the age of 16 but who are not eligible or relevant because they did not fulfil the 13 week criteria left care before 1st October 2001 were accommodated, in a variety of other settings, for example residential education, or mental/health provision or private fostering.
Further Education (below University level)
Aged 16-18?
What financial support will I get?
If you are under 18 you will be entitled (if you are an ‘eligible’ care leaver) to a living allowance from your local authority which may be the same as any benefits you may be entitled to (jobseekers allowance/income support). The local authority will support you in your placement or provide somewhere suitable for you to live entitled to
If you are 19 years old or under you will also be eligible for a bursary of £1,200 a year from your college through the 16-19 Bursary Fund scheme which replaced the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)
As a care leaver you may have special priority at your college to receive a Access to Learning Grant and other funding from your LEA so it is worth having a chat with Student Support Services and explaining you are a care leaver see:
See the information in the Further Financial Support in Further Education section which outlines general support available for all students that you can expect on top of your care leaver entitlements.
What support will I get from my local authority?
Your Personal Education Plan (PEP) and Care Plan should inform your Pathway Plan which should be written with you and your personal advisor to help you plan for the future. It should contain statement of your career aspirations and ambitions and outline the support that will be in place to get you to where you want to be. This includes supporting you in a full time HE or FE course past your 21st birthday.
To help you get on successfully in education/training they should look at paying for:
• Registration fees
• Course fees
• Exam fees
• Equipment you need
• Course books
• Activities with the course
• Transport to and from the course or you place of work
• Any clothes or uniform you need to do the course or job
You will be entitled to support from your leaving care team if you are in full time education or training until you are 25 years old. Your local authority should have a clear policy outlining the support available for young people including what sort of financial support you can expect and what your accommodation arrangement will be including over the summer holidays.
Aged 18-25?
What financial support will I get?
You will be entitled to claim Income support and housing benefit until you are 21 if you are studying non-advanced education (below degree level) and you have enrolled/accepted on the course before your 21st birthday. You can continue to claim until the course finishes.
If you are 19 years old or under you will also be eligible for a bursary of £1,200 a year from your college through the 16-19 Bursary Fund scheme which replaced the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)
If you are over 19 you can claim an Adult Learning Grant but it will affect any other benefit.
As a care leaver you may have special priority at your college to receive a Access to Learning Grant and other funding from your LEA so it is worth having a chat with Student Support Services and explaining you are a care leaver see http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/StudentFinance/Typesoffinance/DG_171615
What support will I get from my local authority?
If you are a ‘Former Relevant’ young person (see definitions above) your leaving care team should encourage you to be involved in education or training or to pursue employment. To help you do this they should look at paying for:
• Registration fees
• Course fees
• Exam fees
• Equipment you need
• Course books
• Activities with the course
• Transport to and from the course or you place of work
• Any clothes or uniform you need to do the course or job
You will be entitled to support from your leaving care team if you are in full time education or training until you are 25 years old. Your local authority should have a clear policy outlining the support available for young people including what sort of financial support you can expect and what your accommodation arrangement will be including over the summer holidays.
Over 25 years old?
What financial support will I get?
Adult Learning Grant
To be eligible for the ALG, the course must lead to your first full level2 or first full level 3 qualification. (level2 qualifications are equivalent to 5 or more GCSEs at grade A*-C or NVQ level 2) (level3 qualification are equivalent to 2 A-levels or NVQ level 3).
You must also be studying full time – an average of 12 hours per week and attending college regularly
You can claim up to £30 per week dependent on your income prior to the start of the course.
For more information see: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/AdultLearning/Fina
ncialHelpForAdultLearners/Adultlearninggrant/index.htm
Higher Education (University level)
To find out key information about what Universities have to offer you to you are as a Care Leaver you should use the Propel website.
If you want to find out about outreach activities being ran by universities for young people in care you can use the NNECL website. The NNECL website is also a very good resource for proffessional’s who want to better support those with Care Experience.
What financial support will I get?
If you are a care leaver and entering H.E. before the age of 25 you are entitled to a one off bursary of a minimum of £2,000 from your local authority (above and beyond anything else you are entitled to).This may be paid in a lump sum or instalments. Timing of payments may be agreed. This does not have to be repaid.
You will be able to apply to a Government service called Student Finance Direct for Tuition Fee and Maintenance Loans to cover your living costs for more information see www.studentsupportdirect.co.uk .You have to repay your loans in small instalments once you start earning.
University Bursaries – institutions have their own eligibility criteria and have bursaries limited to a number of qualifying students. Care leavers are often classed as a priority group. You can find this information out on the Propel Website
Disabled Students’ Allowances and other financial help
If you have a disability you may be entitled to extra financial help towards the costs of the following:
- specialist equipment
- non-medical helpers
- extra travel costs
- other extra course-related costs due to your disability
Disabilities covered include long-term illnesses, mental-health conditions or specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia.
If you qualify for Disabled Students’ Allowances, they’re paid on top of any standard student support you get. They are not affected by your household income, and you don’t have to pay them back.
For further information see
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/EducationAndTraining/HigherEducation/DG_10035904
BENEFITS:
Most full-time students can’t claim income-related benefits but you may be able to claim if you:
are a single parent
have a partner who is also a student – and one or both of you are responsible for a child
have a disability, and qualify for the disability premium, severe disability premium or income-related Employment and Support Allowance
If you have a partner who is not a student and they’re eligible for any income-related benefits, your partner can claim on behalf of you both.
Part-time students
Part-time students can apply for income-related benefits if they’re on a low income and meet the certain conditions.
For further information see: