Supporting your foster child(ren) in preparing for university

Only 18% of care-experienced young people go to university, compared to 45% of the general, no-care experience population.

If you are considering fostering, or are already a foster carer, you might be wondering what you can do to encourage your foster child to consider, or apply to go to, university. Here are some tips from us at Beacon Fostering to help with supporting your foster child in their university journey, from open days to applying and eventually starting university.

Open days and research

Accompany your foster child to university open days and applicant visitor days. This will give you an insight into what to expect from higher education, as well as the opportunity to ask questions to campus ambassadors and staff.

You will also have the opportunity to meet and interact with other parents and carers and their children, and there is also financial advice available regarding bursaries and grants for care-experienced young people.

Applications

Usually, your child’s school will help with their completion of university applications through the service UCAS. However, assistance from carers is also encouraged, specifically in regard to the personal statement. This is where the applicant writes about why they want to study a particular subject and showcase their interest and career aspirations.

Since there is a limited amount of characters (including spaces) in this section of the application, it’s important to make sure that you cover the essentials and get straight to the point.

Websites such as UCAS and Prospects have useful tips on how to write a personal statement. Beacon Fostering also has a network of carers and councilors that can provide support during this time.