3.2 What makes a difference for student carers?
Knowing where to go
Student carers don’t always know where and how to access support at university. Making sure you promote the support that’s available can make a huge difference. Proactive contact with student carers before they start and during their student experience means they will know who to contact.
While information about support available for student carers is available on university websites, it may be hard to find. Talks or presentations from Student Services or referrals for support from teaching staff can be more effective. Student carers may find it easier to engage with support that is proactively offered rather than seeking it out.
Reaching out to student carers can make them feel that their circumstances are taken seriously and encourages them to engage. Knowing in advance what support is available for carers in advance, for example flexibility about deadlines, can relieve stress and anxiety and avoid crisis situations.
Student carers on proactive support:
‘They didn’t wait for me to look into it. They called me, and that was so much more useful than having to dig in a website to find what you need.’
‘It did take a weight off my mind.’
Socialising