1. The Stand Alone Pledge: Developing support for Estranged Students
NNECL 2017
The Stand Alone Pledge:
Developing support for Estranged Students
Susan Mueller
Project Director

2. 1 in 5 UK families are touched by family estrangement and its consequences. Family estrangement affects people of all ages, backgrounds and stages of life. Students: ‘disadvantage’ due lack of family support Ipsos Mori survey 2014 for Stand Alone: The Prevalence of Family Estrangement

3. Reasons for family breakdown among HE students
What are the reasons for family breakdown?
From: Hidden Voices: Family Estrangement in Students (Stand Alone, 2016)

4. An Estranged Student is defined by SLC as:
A student is eligible to be considered for independence on the basis of being estranged if they have not had verbal or written contact with both biological, adoptive parents or their only living parent for a significant period of time and the estrangement is irreconcilable.
SLC will as far as possible, satisfy themselves that the estrangement and the student’s circumstances are genuine and that reconciliation in the future is highly unlikely if not impossible.

5. UCAS
Drafting ‘estranged’ question on new Apply Platform from 2018/19 application cycle (tbc)
Differentiation between ‘estranged’ and ‘care leaver / care-experienced’

8. 14% of estranged students had suspended or withdrawn, mainly due to their financial struggles
33% were affected by homelessness before starting HE
Estranged students suffer most from loneliness and isolation
74% became estranged between the ages of

9. What are pledging universities putting in place?
Outreach:
New ways to reach estranged young people through working in the community, in particular with housing associations, key contact for estranged students, student ambassador outreach.
Finance:
Bursaries and priority for other funding streams
Accommodation:
Deposit waivers and university acting as a guarantor
Mental health and wellbeing:
Mentoring support, peer support through structured groups and informal get togethers, no cap on number of counselling sessions
Raising awareness and breaking down stigma:
Staff training, VC/PVC meeting, students consultation to influence change
Student Union estranged student solidarity campaign week

10. Differences and similarities between
‘Estranged’ and ‘Care Leavers/Care-experienced students’*
Estranged students often have unstable family backgrounds similar to care leavers/care-experienced students But they have removed themselves without the intervention of a local authority.
There are more HE students officially recognised as estranged than there are care leavers.
No local authority statutory support or recognition for estranged students who have not been in local authority care. They often rely on informal support from friends, partners, extended family.
Both care leavers and estranged students experience stigma and lack of understanding of their situation.
Identification of estranged students is more difficult than statutory care leavers.
Both care leavers and estranged students are less likely to enter HE at age 18 than the average student.
Both care leavers and estranged students three times more likely to drop out.
Both care leavers and estranged students are more likely to have taken on more debt than then the average undergraduate. Overall, estranged students struggle with higher financial pressures than care leavers.
Estranged students more likely to experience homelessness, especially during the summer months/holiday periods.
Estranged students and care leavers are less likely to have access to work placement opportunities then the average student.
Understanding and support from university staff is rated highly by both estranged and care leavers as one of the most important factors in their university experience.
There is a lack of understanding of estrangement as well as having been in care among (academic and support) staff at HEIs.
*Data from New Starts Report, Stand Alone 2015 and Moving on Up report, NNECL 2017

11. What would you like your institution to implement?

12. Allow Students Who Are Estranged From Family
To Claim Housing Benefit In Summer

13. Please ask your VC/PVC to take the Stand Alone Pledge Thank You!

14. www.thestandalonepledge.org.uk www.standalone.org.uk @StandAloneHE