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Opening Doors 2012:Moving from Care event
Opening Doors: Moving on from Care – A Celebration of National Care Leavers Week 2012
Keele and Staffordshire Universities worked together to celebrate and raise awareness of National Care Leavers Week at its ‘Opening Doors’ Event on 24 October 2012. The event highlighted the experiences faced by young people that leave care or those that are unsupported by family, who either enter or are seeking to enter into higher education and University life.
The week commenced with a ‘post secrets’ activity for students who had the opportunity to look back and share their experience of their 18th birthday by posting their secret. Many students learned more about how their experience differed drastically from that of someone who has left care on their 18th birthday.
The event featured a key note address by Georgia Hyde-Dryden, PHD Researcher, Loughborough University “Overcoming by degrees; exploring care leavers experiences of higher education”. This inspiring talk provided an insight into research undertaken on how universities can better support and welcome young people from a care background. The full presentation can be found here.
The event also heard from Chris Tyler, Head of the Staffordshire Virtual School Programme; “The Virtual and The Real: Support for looked after learners, pre and post 16”. Chris spoke of the challenges experienced by care leavers transitioning from care into independent living and the impacts of this on their educational experience.
The event also heard from a panel of students from Staffordshire University with direct experience of being from a care leaver background, who spoke openly about their experiences and strategies for overcoming the challenges they faced in leaving care and attending University.
If you would like further information on the event or the work the University is undertaking in this area please contact Ian Ronald, Student Developer at Keele University; 01782 733912; i.ronald@keele.ac.uk
Background
Last year 9,950 young people left care in England aged 16 or older. The numbers leaving
care have been increasing year on year with a 22% increase in the past five years.
The latest statistics show that only 390 care leavers (6%) were in higher education
at age 19, compared to 7% the previous year. This compares to 40% of young people
in the general population at age 19 at university.
The average age of leaving home is now at least 24. This is in stark contrast to the
experience of care leavers, the vast majority of whom leave care by age 18 with
around a fifth (19%) leaving aged 16.
(From ‘Access All Areas Published on 16 April 2012. The Care Leavers' Foundation)
