University of Sunderland is committed to supporting care experienced students. This is the collaborative, whole-institution response evidenced through the Care Leaver Covenant.

University of Sunderland is a Partner of Access UNEE, formerly the North East Raising Aspiration Partnership (NERAP). Access UNEE is a long-standing collaboration of the five universities in the region (Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside) who fund pre-16 outreach activity where economies of scale and added value are gained through a collaborative approach. This activity focuses on joint representation visits to pre-16 schools highlighting the higher education opportunities in the region, and specific targeted work to support care experienced students and young carers throughout their educational journey.

To ensure support for care experienced students is sustained throughout their higher education journey, all five universities are signed up to the Care Leaver Covenant as a regional partnership via the existing Access UNEE Partnership. This means that students who choose to study at any of the university Partners will be guaranteed continued support to access, succeed and progress.

University of Sunderland along with the other four Partner universities have committed to offering a level of support that is consistent at each institution. All care experienced students get the same core access to interventions aligned to the Care Leaver Covenant core outcomes, complemented by additional bespoke support where offered within individual institutions.

As a Partnership, we have adopted the broader definition of ‘care experienced,’ as this term is inclusive of the range of care settings someone may have experienced.

Our definition of care experienced is someone who, at any stage of their life, and for any length of time, has been in care e.g., looked after by the local authority. This includes the following:

• spent time in the care of the local authority (e.g. foster care or children’s home)
• privately fostered
• ‘looked after at home’ under a supervision order
• in kinship foster care (where a friend or family member becomes the foster carer). Kinship care through a formal arrangement, recognised by a Local Authority, and could be prior to a Special Guardianship Order.

Core offer

Student

Pre-entry support

Access UNEE-

• Choices Together Progressive programme from Year 7-13.
• Accompany students to any open days, interviews etc where appropriate. Cover expenses for getting to and from campus and lunch where needed.
• Tailored UCAS and Student Finance application support via the Choices Together progressive programme.
• Offer advice and guidance and CPD sessions for student support workers, parents/carers, local authorities, and virtual schools around UCAS and Student Finance.
• Work with the five Partner universities to develop and maintain the core offer. Facilitate regular working group meetings and maintain a Teams group to allow easy communication.
• Provide a comprehensive virtual school/Local Authority contacts list and detail local offer for each area, all in one place. Ensure that this is regularly maintained and kept up to date.

University of Sunderland-

• We aim to ensure that anyone leaving care has the right support to ensure they reach their full potential at University. Our We Care team provide information, advice and practical support to care experienced students at each stage of their student journey. This support is available as and when needed, from pre-application through to graduation and beyond.
• We have a dedicated web page for care experienced students go.sunderland.ac.uk/care-experienced as well as a direct email account care.contact@sunderland.ac.uk and telephone number 0191 515 2216.
• We are responsive to the needs of our care experienced students and our We Care team provide bespoke support based on individual circumstances.
• We offer visits to our University campus, individual tours and meetings with a named contact. We can offer specific advice relating to university applications, student finance, wellbeing and accommodation options.
• Care experienced students are eligible for our university supported entry routes and guaranteed contextual offer.

Post-entry support

Accommodation

University of Sunderland-

• We give care experienced students priority status, reassurance and security when applying to and staying in accommodation through our 52-week accommodation offer.
• We offer moving in day support, help to settle in and a welcome voucher on arrival.
• We provide social activities during vacation periods.

Financial support

Access UNEE-

• Finance and budgeting sessions as part of Choices Together progressive programme.

University of Sunderland-

• Our University of Sunderland Bursary of £2,000 is paid in four instalments of £500 each academic year. This is available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students.
• Access to the University of Sunderland Student Support Fund.
• Signposting and named contact in our Student Financial Guidance team.
• Advice on other externally funded scholarships and bursaries that may be available.
• Budgeting guidance and advice.

Wellbeing support

University of Sunderland-

• Contact made when a student registers confirming the wellbeing and support services available.
• Individual referrals made for mental health support where appropriate.
• We provide care experienced students with pastoral support and have named contacts in support services who offer information and personalised support. These include the Student Financial Guidance team, Wellbeing, Students’ Union, Disability Support and Graduate Prospects.
• We provide training and development for University staff to learn more about care experienced students and raise awareness of the support we offer. This includes key events such as confirmation and clearing and open days.

Graduation and beyond

Access UNEE-

• Attend graduation ceremonies where appropriate.
• Work towards setting up a care experienced alumni network, offering support to alumni but also supporting new students coming through. Sharing knowledge and continued support for alumni.
• Celebrate successes with case studies on the Access UNEE website.
• Collect and monitor detailed data around continuation, attainment and progression outcomes of care experienced students.

University of Sunderland-

• We provide a graduation support package – free gown hire, photography package, tickets and support are available at each graduation ceremony.
• Support with next steps including interview preparation, finding accommodation and further study options.
• We extend support to full-time postgraduate students providing a bursary of £2,000.

Employment

Access UNEE-

• Careers and employability sessions included in the Choices Together Progressive Programme.
• Consider hosting a work experience placement/voluntary opportunity to support Access UNEE delivery.

University of Sunderland-

• Personalised support and guidance when applying for Student Ambassador positions at the University. Care experienced students are also guaranteed an interview.
• Our Graduate Prospects team, offer guidance and support on CVs, interviews and assessment centres. They also advertise placement opportunities, part-time jobs and graduate employment. This service is available for up to three years after graduation.
• We have a named contact in our Graduate Prospects team, introduced during Freshers’ Week and working with students throughout.
• We have signed the Care Leaver Friendly Employer Charter to support those with care experienced to thrive as employees of the University.

Community

University of Sunderland-

• We provide care experienced people with a network of support through key relationships with local authority staff, leaving care workers, virtual school staff and other contacts.
• We support local authorities by offering higher education training to staff and foster carers to raise awareness of our support offer. We host conferences for foster carers and virtual schools.
• We can attend PEP meetings to support care experienced young people to progress to higher education.
• We support our staff to be active members of regional and national networks to raise the profile of care experienced young people and ensure we offer the best possible support. We currently work with local authorities; Northern Care Leavers Activities and Student Support (NorthCLASS); National Network for the Education of Care Leavers (NNECL); virtual schools and other external organisations. We are members of NNECL and have achieved the NNECL Quality Mark.