Helping people with experience of care stay the course
Paul Carberry reports on the support available for further education
In January we were pleased to host the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, as she visited our STAY project in Glasgow. STAY supports students from a careexperienced background to succeed in college, whether that is through practical or emotional help.
This service is needed. We know that care-experienced young people face a disadvantage. Government figures show that 93 per cent of young people in Scotland who left school went on to a positive destination – such as college, university, training or employment.
Unfortunately, just 76 per cent
children in care had that same positive destination – a gap of 17 per cent. Furthermore, figures from the Scottish Funding Council regarding successful completion of full-time further education courses at college show there is a gap of 15.6 per cent between care-experienced students and their peers.
Action for Children has a strong history of supporting and working with care experienced young people. We have projects across Scotland aimed at providing skills and learning opportunities, which develop confidence in young people, so that they can begin the next stage of their learning journey. However, some of the young people who we have supported, who went on to college, have come back to us to say they didn’t complete their course.
Sadly, this scenario is all too familiar. Despite the availability of traditional student support services at colleges, it seemed to us that a vital support network was missing for care-experienced young people.
To help these young people make the most of their potential and talent, we have worked in partnership with the colleges to design our STAY service. On her visit, the First Minister met a number of students who we currently support and heard a range of challenges they have faced. This included lack of support in school
Our STAY service is about providing community-based support for students on issues that often occur outside the college campus. We know these can negatively impact on their college life, whether that be housing matters, family and relationship problems or mental health and wellbeing concerns.
To date, we have supported 96 young people. Of that group, five dropped out of college but we signposted those young people to our employability services here in Glasof
gow. STAY aims to provide a safe space for students to be open and honest about their situation so we can better understand them and give them the practical, emotional and flexible support they need to succeed at college. When I met support workers, I was pleased to hear them say they wouldn’t turn away students not identified as care-experienced but who have chaotic lifestyles that could cause them issues with their studies. At Action for Children, we wouldn’t turn anyone away who needed our support.
I am really looking forward to STAY becoming an integral part of the student support provision – the success of the service, will be careexperienced students fulfilling their potential. Colleges wishing to find out more about STAY and how it can benefit their students can email Scotland@actionforchildren.org.uk.
Action for Children Scotland works directly with more than 20,000 children, young people, parents and carers each year. With 87 services in Scotland, we are in communities where you live and work. We help transform the lives of thousands of children and young people each year and we’ve been doing so for more than 60 years. For more information, visit www.actionforchildren.org. uk or follow us on Twitter @actn4childrscot.