Motion passed 20th - 24th April 2020 (Student Council)

 

FVSA Notes:

More and more each academic year, Students are coming forward as being classed as Care Experienced or Estranged. This is becoming more apparent with the work that I have being doing with a few Care Experienced groups notably Stirling Champions Board where there is a handful of Students that fall into this bracket. What makes these Students so different isn’t because they have a learning disabilities or physical disability but because these young people have had to leave their family home through no fault of their own. They have been placed in care either with another relative or with a family that they don’t know. From the start these young people are at a disadvantage and they will find many obstacles will block their path in life. Once at an age where they are old enough they will move on from their Foster Carer/Carer to supported lodgings and or their own tenancy where they will be required to be independent.

Life is hard enough for these young people so what I would wish to happen is the support and guidance as well as funding is as streamlined and seamless as it can be during their time at College. They are arguably the most vulnerable Students that we have and as a College where we are all “Corporate Parents” my wish is to help these students achieve here at College.

Many Students that are Care Experienced already don’t have a good experience of life at FVC where they are unsure of what support/bursaries that they are entitled to. They also feel that FVC does not do enough to listen or support them in their studies compared with other institutions let alone the High Schools that they have come from. This in effect makes them feel unwanted, disengaged and wanting to leave the courses that they are on without completing it. They feel they have very little in the way of engagement from the College, they have never met the College’s named Corporate Parent and at the most they only have the SA to turn to which has been commented upon.

 

FVSA Believes:

1. That streamlining the current bursary/finance system would allow these Students some peace of mind making sure that they know what they are entitled to claim for bursaries or grants. Keeping this streamlined will also make sure that all Student Funding Staff are singing from the same hymn sheet and not giving the Students conflicting information.
2. By inducting CE Students making sure that they are quite clear on the correct lines of engagement or who they should turn to in times of need would help get an answer to issues quicker as they feel that they often go round in circles before they get an acceptable answer.
3. That there is a knowledge gap with Staff both teaching and support as to what CE is. Making sure that funding realise that these Students require more help and support than that of a mainstream student as they will have appointments to attend such as with a Social Worker, Housing Support or Psychologist that can’t always be made for days off or when College finishes. Through this, the CE Students are quite often penalised.

 

FVSA Resolves:

1. In the same vain as the Carers Charter, I feel that having a Care Experienced Charter would be to the benefit of FVC.
2. By having a streamlined funding document specifically for CE Students making sure that they are getting the funding and monetary assistance that they are due.
3. By educating Staff at yearly training making sure that they know what CE is and what makes them so different but also making sure that staff get things right first time.
4. By inducting the CE Students making sure that they know their points of contact should they require signposting and making sure that they know who the College’s Corporate Parent is, what they are responsible for as well as having a regular focus group that the CE Students can voice their good or bad experiences making sure that FVC comes up to scratch in line with other institutions.
5. By continuing to work with CE students, Who Cares Scotland, Falkirk Champions Board as well as Stirling Champions Board to share best practice.
6. By making sure that College makes changes to the self cert’s allowing more for CE students than the entitlement that mainstream Students get.