Leicester College recognised for commitment to young adult carers

Both young and adult carers can be affected by the impact of juggling their caring role with other responsibilities such as employment and education.

The practical and emotional implications of a caring role can be both stressful and demanding. The reality for many carers is that they may neglect their own needs. Some carers experience poor health, may disengage from education or leave employment.

All of these factors can impact their learning and their success on the course. So, to ensure that we encourage and retain young adult carers in further education, it is vital that we support our students through their carer journeys.

Achieving the standard

Leicester College has a well-established support process in place for young adult carers and this has recently been recognised for its success by the Carers Federation.

The Federation’s Quality Standard in Carer Support (QSCS) has been developed by carers to provide accreditation and training for organisations. Following a stringent assessment, Leicester College has again been awarded the QSCS.

Naomi Sykes, QSCS Development Worker at Quality Standard in Carer Support commented: “The QSCS helps to raise awareness, remove some of the barriers for carers, develop appropriate policies and procedures and improve access to support. It demonstrates good practice in supporting carers in the wider community.

“I am delighted that Leicester College has achieved the QSCS reaccreditation. Leicester College continues to show good practice and commitment to its young adult carers.”

A person-centred approach

Talking about the College’s approach, Sharon Drury, Student Support Co-ordinator at Leicester College continues: “Every student has different needs and therefore the support that is given will be person-centred and individual. We complete a support plan with the young adult carer students, so the appropriate provision is put in place.

“The College aims to empower students and encourage independence to prepare for life beyond college. We see support as a balance between making adjustments for the student and exploring alternative solutions to issues to help students develop self-support strategies and skills.

“We are so proud that we’ve achieved the QSCS again. The report highlighted a number of positive observations about our processes as well as examples of best practice. We’ll continue to build on this strong platform to ensure a more streamlined and cohesive support process.”

For more information on our support for Young Adult Carers, click here or contact the Young Adult Carer Team at YACService@leicestercollege.ac.uk