The Care Leavers Network exists to support students who are care-experienced or estranged from their family while at university.

This is a student led space to meet others who are care leavers or estranged, and influence change at the university and UPSU around the support of students who have these lived experiences.

As the Network is led by students, you can do whatever you feel is best to run it, whether that be lobbying for change, meeting to discuss lived experiences, or holding social events

Support for Care Leavers from the University of Plymouth

The university offers a range of support for students who are care leavers. This support is through the Student Hub, and exists to support you from the beginning to the end of your student journey. You can find more information about this support here: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/student-life/services/student-services/care-leavers.

The University of Plymouth is also a signatory of the Care Leavers Covenant, meaning that it commits to providing additional support to those leaving care. You can find out more about the Covenant, and Plymouth’s agreement here: https://mycovenant.org.uk/opportunities/university-of-plymouth

Other Support

UCAS also have an explainer about what support you may be eligible for as a student care leaver. You can find this here: https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/individual-needs/care-experienced-students.

The National Network for the Education of Care Leavers (NNECL) is a charity that exists to transform the educational outcomes of young people with experience of being in care. They have a long list of resources to support care leavers at university, and a Student Voice Network to feedback and support their work, as well as a space to talk to other students at other universities that are care leavers. Their website is here: https://www.nnecl.org/.