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UK literature consistently shows that care-experienced young people face lower educational outcomes than their peers (Harrison, 2017). Despite the barriers they face, care-experienced students are resilient. Rather than a lack of ability, it is often the disruption they face in their education journey that impacts their attainment and ability to achieve the necessary grades to go to university (Harrison, 2017). Once in higher education, Thomas (2015) suggests a feeling of belonging and fitting in is essential to both academic success and continued progression in higher education. With a little extra support to manage their studies, these students can thrive.

What does ‘care-experienced’ mean?

The definition of being care-experienced is to have spent at least 24 hours in care by the age of 18 (The Children Act, 1989). This includes with a family member who is not the parent (kinship care), as well as foster care, adoption or residential care.

Being in care can mean many things. It can mean moving away from parents, living with strangers and sharing community spaces with people you don’t know and don’t like. It can involve disruption, changing school, leaving friends and having no control over your own life. Moreover, this can all happen without warning.

The impact of being care-experienced

Being in care introduces a level of disruption into a young person’s life which can remain for many years and even into adulthood. Then, when people leave care, often at 16, they have little adult support and are therefore forced to navigate complex adult responsibilities, such as managing a housing budget,  paying bills and buying groceries. If they are willing to engage with it, providing additional support for care-experienced young people can be hugely beneficial.

Educational attainment: the background

According to research (Connelly and Chakrabarti, 2008; Connelly and Furnivall, 2013) educational attainment of young people in care has varied depending on their living situation: living with family, fostered or residential care. Research by Tudor (2024) showed this was still the case over 10 years later: the more disruptive the living situation, the more impact there was on grades.

Educational outcomes are unequal for care leavers in comparison to the general population (Baker et al, 2021). According to Harrison (2017), care-experienced students account for just 12% of enrolments across both standard university age (18-21) and mature cohorts. However, the latest data from Scotland show that there have been improvements in attainment and progression in care-experienced students (The Scottish Government, 2026).

Care-experienced students account for just 12% of enrolments.

Types of support needed at university

So, what can be done to support care-experienced students? It is important to remember that care-experienced students often do not have the same social capital as those who grew up within their birth families. Putnam (1995) defines social capital as the support and trust built through social networks. By not having contact or having reduced contact with family members, care-experienced students can have a reduced social capital: they do not have the ability to phone their parents or family members to ask for support; they are unlikely to be able to return to the family home during the academic holidays; they are likely to be working in order to support themselves financially; and they are also often older than the traditional university age of 18-21 and have a family to support and plan studies around.  

Care-experienced students may therefore need different types of support to be successful in higher education. This could be financial, academic and/or pastoral support.

Financial support/funding:

Financial support will enable them to manage their household budgets better and therefore feel more at ease to continue their studies.

Academic support:

It is important the student lets the university know of any additional needs that they may have. This may be neurodivergence (e.g. dyslexia, autism, ADHD), mental health conditions, or physical impairments. Letting the university know allows them to put support in place, which will hopefully help them be successful in their studies.

For students who require academic support the next step is to consider whether the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) is appropriate. Applying can feel daunting for the student, so it is important to reassure them that this is designed to support them as they study. Each UK Nation has its own DSA agency, but DSA can provide support for:

• specialist software  
• a mentor
• a chair
• a desk
• a specific monitor which will help them manage their studies teaching adjustments, such as lecture notes in a specific colour prior to the lecture or tutorial; feedback in a specific format; additional tutor support.  

Pastoral support:

Ask the student if they would like to be able to talk to someone. This empowers them to say yes or no but lets them know that there is help available to them if and when they require it.