Support for care leavers and care experienced students at ARU

Our Student Advice Officer Team is Tristan, Terry, Eleanor and Tony. One of them will be your main point of contact depending on where you're studying.

If you'd rather speak to a male, let us know and we can arrange for Tristan to be your point of contact.

Tristan Lee
Student Advice Officer
Chelmsford/Writtle

Terry May
Student Advice Officer
Peterborough

Eleanor Marsh
Student Advice Officer
Cambridge

Tony Prance
Advice Services Team Leader

If you've let ARU know about your care experience^ this information will be passed on to us. We'll support you when you start studying here.

When you start at ARU we'll:

• meet you at a special welcome event for Care Leaver/Care Experienced students
• check in with you during your first six weeks at ARU
• talk you through all the support available to you
• agree what you'd like our contact to look like (for example, a monthly phone call or email check in, a less regular check in, or simply keeping you up to date with our monthly newsletter)

We can also refer you to specialist services, if relevant and with your consent.

We're here to support you through your ARU journey, and you can always get in touch with us on [email protected].

^When you apply to study at ARU, you can let us know about your care experience by:

• ticking the box on your UCAS form to let us know that you’re leaving local authority care
• contacting our Outreach Team directly before you arrive (you or your local authority can do this)
• ticking the box on your ARU registration form to say you are a Care Leaver/Care Experienced
• being assessed as a Care Leaver by Student Finance England.

We know that some students don’t feel comfortable declaring that they're a Care Leaver/Care Experienced. They're worried they'll be treated negatively. Please be assured that this is not the case at ARU. You can contact us at any point in your studies and we'll be happy to help. Email [email protected]

We send out a monthly newsletter summarising the support on offer to Care Leaver and Care Experienced students at ARU.

There's so much on offer, and we know this can feel overwhelming. So, we use this newsletter to highlight opportunities, deadlines, events or relevant information across the year.

You'll get this newsletter in addition to any check-in phone calls or emails that we've agreed.

If you’ve been in local authority care on or after your 16th birthday, you'll be eligible for University-managed accommodation in Cambridge, Chelmsford and Writtle.

You're eligible for this accommodation:

• throughout your studies
• all year round (regardless of whether you start your course in September or January).

You'll have two accommodation contracts each year. For example if you start in September, you'll have an initial let (September-June) and a summer let (June-September). You may need to move rooms between lets, but you won't be left without accommodation at any point.

Let us know your Care Leaver status by contacting the Residential Service Team or emailing the Student Advice Officer Team at [email protected] who can support you with this.

Explore our accommodation:

• University-managed accommodation in Cambridge (under ‘Campus accommodation and university houses’)
• University-managed accommodation in Chelmsford
• University-managed accommodation in Writtle

If you have any questions about accommodation, both the Residential Service Team and the Student Advice Officer Team are happy to help.

As a Care Leaver starting university, you should receive a £2,000 Higher Education Bursary from your local authority.

The bursary is usually paid in instalments over the duration of your course. It can help with the costs of university life.

All local authorities must pay this bursary. It's available to any Care Leaver who starts a higher education course on or after September 2008 and before their 25th birthday.

Some local authorities choose to provide support in excess of £2,000. This can take the form of help with housing costs, a weekly allowance, or support towards tuition fees.

We suggest contacting your local authority to find out what they offer.

University students are often eligible for funding ('student finance') to help pay tuition fees and cover day-to-day living costs.

The two main loans are the Tuition Fee Loan (for tuition fees) and the Maintenance Loan (for living costs).

You apply for funding through Student Finance England, who will work out whether you're classed as an independent or dependent student.

• Students who are married or have dependent children at the start of their course are automatically classed as independent.
• Full-time students under 25 might be classed as independent or dependent. Dependent means you're dependent on the household income of your parent/s or legal guardian/s.
• Under 25s are usually classed as dependent but, if evidence is supplied that shows you've spent time in care or are estranged from your parents, you can be assessed as independent. This usually means maximum funding.

If you've studied in higher education before, this might also affect your funding. Sometimes if you had to leave your previous course due to 'compelling personal reasons' you can be granted additional funding.

For more information about student finance:

• see our Help with finances pages
• contact our Money Advice Service on [email protected].

If you apply to live in ARU accommodation, we'll ask for a deposit to secure your room.

Please contact Debbie on [email protected] or 01245 684288 if you're struggling to pay the deposit. Debbie can discuss if we can defer payment until you receive your student funding.

If you're planning on renting privately, we can't move the due date for any deposits. However, in exceptional circumstances we may be able to pay any Care Leaver’s Bursary early.

Our Money Advice Service can tell you more about:

• student funding and bursaries
• how to apply and what you may receive
• money management and making your money go further.

You can speak to them if you're already studying here, or if you're thinking about applying. Email [email protected].

We have a Hardship Fund if you find yourself struggling financially during university.

It's a non-repayable grant and Care Leavers and estranged students are a priority for it.

You can find out more on My ARU, our student intranet (ARU login required).

We also have funds to help with the cost of diagnostic testing and any costs associated with Disabled Students' Allowance, placements and internships, overseas experiences such as field trips, and more.

While you're a student at ARU we offer:

1. A named Careers Adviser as your first point of contact
2. A careers appointment when you start your studies
3. Resources to help with CV and letter writing, interview preparation, and more
4. Support to find temporary work and internships through ARU Temps
5. Access to our Career Centre, which continues after you graduate
6. Mentoring at ARU programme, giving you access to a professional contact
7. Career events and workshops
8. Support to explore your career options through faculty and school career pages and individual career appointments
9. Placement support, if you're studying a course that includes a placement year
10. Enterprise support if you're thinking about starting your own business or developing a bright idea
11. Specialist support in your final year and when you graduate, from a Graduate Development Employability and Careers Adviser

Interested in promoting ARU's employability and careers services?

Care Leaver students are prioritised for the role of Employability Activator.

Employability Activators are students who help promote the professional self-development services and resources that we offer.

They're vocal about sharing their personal experiences and thoughts on the importance of building employability skills while at university. They encourage other students to build these skills and think about their future.

Find out more
Read more about the Activator role here: https://arul.ink/employability_activators

How to apply
Send your CV to Katie Johnson: [email protected] (and don't forget to say you're applying from the care leaver community).

Help others to learn more about ARU and make informed decisions about their future.

At ARU, our team of Student Ambassadors helps to support campus and virtual events. They give an insight into their course, and life as a student at ARU.

We're looking for Care Leaver students to join our Care Leaver Ambassador team. As part of this team, you'll help to reassure and encourage students who are applying to university.

This role is paid and fits around your studies. It can help you develop skills in:

• public speaking
• delivering subject-based sessions
• communicating with a range of students from different backgrounds.

Find out more

• Email [email protected]
• Or drop into ARU Temps, our campus recruitment agency, when you start studying here

As a graduate, you'll have lifelong, free access to our Alumni Careers Centre.

Careers Centre resources include:

• graduate job searching function
• e-learning materials
• Labour Market Information tool
• dedicated graduate scheme page
• events, webinars and workshops.

For three years after you graduate, we also offer:

• careers advice, including one-to-one appointments with a dedicated Graduate Development Employability Adviser 
• help with your CV, job searches, applications and interview preparation
• job fairs, webinars and networking.