2.2 The impact of caring on the student experience
The more you know about the different experiences carers have the better you will be able to provide personalised and flexible support to student carers.

Transcript: Video 2.1 Impact on study
[Impact on study]
[Impact university had on carer and cared for]
Activity 2.2 The impact of caring on study
Having listened to Rebecca, Charlotte and Bethany discuss their experiences of caring while at university (Video 2.1), let’s take some time to reflect on the impact caring can potentially have on the students you are working with.
This activity draws on a range of experiences, some of which were shared by student carers who took part in The Student Carer Experience in Scotland research, carried out by Carers Trust Scotland (Martin, 2020).
As you complete the activity, think about how your reflections could shape the polices, practices and care plans you have in place or could develop for student carers.
In the left-hand column is a real-life experience from a student carer.
In the middle column we would like you to reflect on how you think this experience may impact the student.
In the right-hand column we would like you to reflect on how having this understanding may influence the support you give the student carers you work with.
We have started you off with an example.
Experience | What impact might this experience have on a student carer? | In your role, how might knowing about this help you to support student carers? |
‘I chose to go to a University close to home so I could still help out. It’s hard to switch off from worrying about mum and dad while I’m out at University.’ | Example: When in class, carers can feel stressed and anxious about what’s going on at home and feel out of touch. Carers will often spend time emergency planning so that they have strategies for responding to unforeseen incidents that occur while they are not with the person they care for. This can impact on their concentration and participation when learning as well as their health and wellbeing. | Example: check in with carers at the start of term to plan strategies for dealing with emergencies that may arise while they are in class. Be more patient if they seem distracted. |
‘I know people stay behind and go to the library. But sometimes you can’t because you’ve been away since 9 a.m. You need to go home and get stuff done.’ | ||
‘Mum struggles a lot with her health so I end up doing a lot of care for my little sister, school pick up and drop off.’ | ||
‘We get no additional funding as carers. We don’t qualify for carers allowance and we often need to take on part time jobs. It’s like leading a triple life and it’s not practical mentally, emotionally or physically.’ | ||
‘I think the most important thing for Universities to know about supporting students with caring responsibilities is to make it explicit that there is support available. I didn’t know till I had nearly finished my course.’ | ||
‘Even though it was a question on the application form, no-one has actually asked me about my caring role. No-one has contacted me about it.’ | ||
‘You can’t always do the same things as other students; it’s harder for me to meet uni friends socially.’ | ||
‘Sometimes it's hard to ask for help and you can sometimes feel like a failure if you can't cope’ |
2.1 What student carers bring to university