The University of Chichester recognises the fact that students coming to university from a care background may need additional support whilst at university. We have therefore developed a Care Leavers Package for eligible students. This optional package offers these students year-long accommodation (at current rates), a bursary and wellbeing support to help them fulfil their potential whilst studying with us.
Who is eligible?
In very general terms, a student is eligible for the Care Leavers Package if you are under 25 and have been ‘in care’ with any local authority for at least 13 weeks since the age of 14.
However, this is not a hard-and-fast rule and any student with a care background may apply. The University’s Review Panel will consider each application on a case by case basis.
What do we offer?
The University of Chichester’s package for those with a care background consists of:
- A Care Leavers Bursary - currently £300 per annum
- The offer of University accommodation 365 days a year charged at the current rate (subject to campus accommodation requests being received by our Accommodation Office by 31 May)
- A named Student Advisor throughout your stay at University.
In addition, the University has appointed a Care Leavers Coordinator to provide a central point of contact. Advice and guidance are offered during the admissions process and throughout the course of study at the University.
Please see our Care Leavers leaflet for more information:
- PDF version:
- Doc version:
How do I apply?
Please register on our Student Support Portal (this is the system you will use throughout your time with us to book appointments with our services and to find guidance and help on a number of topics). Once you have logged into the portal you will find a tile to our 'Care Leaver Support Pathway' where you can tell us about your time in care in confidence.
Confidentiality
All communication with our Care Leavers Team is strictly confidential and we have a discrete email address (clc@chi.ac.uk) for this purpose. When required we will ask whether we can share this information (by means of a disclosure form) for example with our Finance and Accommodation offices.
DATA PRIVACY STATEMENT
All information you provide will be processed in full compliance with current Data Protection legislation and with the University’s Privacy Standard. Please see the University Data Protection Policy web pages and the Student Support and Wellbeing Privacy Notice for further information.
The information on this form will be used for the purpose of assessing your status as a care leaver and providing appropriate advice and support and will only be accessible to the Wellbeing team within Student Support and Wellbeing. To provide you with the best possible support, appropriate and relevant information may be shared with other members of staff within Student Support and Wellbeing, such as the Student Money Advice Service. The information will be held in a confidential, secure electronic form on University premises and will be retained for three years after you leave the University when it will be securely deleted.
More information on your rights under current Data Protection legislation can be found in the Student Support and Wellbeing Privacy Notice.