Care Aware @ Borders College

At Borders College we are committed to promoting, supporting and safeguarding the wellbeing of students who are care-experienced and student carers. We work closely with you and the people who support you to offer impartial advice and guidance to enable you to attend a college course and achieve your goals.

As a student at Borders College we will ensure that you have a named contact who will support you during your time at College. Your named contact will support you to overcome any additional barriers created by any life circumstances which may affect your attendance, progression and achievement on your chosen programme of study.

What does being care-experienced mean?

• Care-experienced student – A student who has been looked after by a local authority at any time during their life.

This includes adoptive children who were previously looked after.

• Care Leaver – A young person who was looked after on or after their 16th birthday and who is aged under 26.

• Looked after – A child or young person currently looked after in a formal arrangement with a local authority, typically, but not always, involving compulsory supervision arrangements following a children’s hearing:

• Foster care

• Kinship care

• Residential care, residential schools and secure units

• Compulsory Supervision Order with no condition of residence (Looked after at home)

• Compulsory Supervision Order with a condition of residence (Looked after away from home)

What does being a student carer mean?

A student carer is anyone who “provides unpaid care for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support.” (Carers Trust Scotland.)

As a College we are committed to widening access and providing equal opportunity to all student carers to reach their full potential. Wherever there is disadvantage, which creates barriers to learning for student carers, the college will make adjustments and provide services to ensure that quality of access and opportunity is preserved.

What support is available?

Your named contact will support you by offering advice, advocacy and guidance on many issues, which you may face, including:

• Provide support and guidance on your funding entitlement and the funding application process.

• Offer on-going support and guidance to help you to overcome any obstacles that arise or could become a barrier to success.

• Help you to access additional support services when required.

• Monitor your attendance and progression and meet with you during the academic year, where required.

• Offer you support to plan your next steps, whether to another course with us; moving on to university; employment; or taking on something new.

For more information please contact our Care Aware Co-ordinator: