Students with caring responsibilities

Your Student Experience and Support Officer will be your dedicated contact, and they can offer tailored, individual and sustained support prior to arrival and throughout your time as a Keele student.

If you would like support and advice prior to your arrival please get in touch with the support team, who can answer any questions and concerns you may have and can also help to make any arrangements you need to ease your transition to university. You may wish to make an appointment with your Student Experience and Support Officer in your first few weeks at Keele to have an informal discussion about how we can support you throughout your time at University.

Peer support schemes

Find out more about the diverse peer support schemes at Keele.

Juggling your caring responsibilities with your university studies can be very tiring and place demands on your physical and emotional wellbeing. It is important that you look after yourself as well as those that you are caring for.

At Keele we offer a range of services to help students who are struggling with personal and emotional issues.

Student welfare

The Student Experience and Support Team can offer advice and guidance on a range of different issues that you may face at University. If you would like to speak to an adviser you can contact them by phone, email or attend one of the daily drop in services. For more information email student.services@keele.ac.uk.

Counselling and mental health support

University can be an exciting time but it can also bring with it stress and challenge. The Counselling and Mental Health service can offer you one-to-one support and appointments as well as workshops and group work.

Disability Support & Inclusion

If you have a disability, including specific learning difficulties or mental health and wellbeing issues the Disability Support & Inclusion team can advise on a wide range of support to meet your individual needs. It is a good idea to contact the team before you arrive at Keele University to discuss any support you may need.

Keele Health Centre

Keele has it’s own GP surgery based on the Keele campus. Keele Practice serves the whole of the Keele University Campus, Keele village and certain areas in Newcastle.

For more information or to register as a patient visit www.keelepractice.co.uk

Keele Bursaries and Scholarships

Here at Keele we offer a number of bursaries and scholarships to support our students. For more information on what financial support you may be entitled to please visit Student Financial Support.

Carer's Allowance

If you are a part-time student with caring responsibilities then you may be eligible to receive carer's allowance. 

Adult Dependants' Grant

If you are a full time student who is caring for an adult who depends on you financially, you can apply for an Adult Dependants’ Grant. This is additional funding on top of any other Student Finance entitlement. Eligibility is based on your income and the income of the adult dependant, as well as other personal circumstances.

Council Tax

Full time students are exempt from paying council tax. If the person you are caring for meets certain criteria they may also be exempt from council tax. It's important to check the latest guidance on the Government council tax website.

Academic mentor

Every student is allocated an academic mentor who is there to support you with both academic and any personal issues that may arise. Students are invited to initial academic mentor meetings when you start your course, and we recommend that you discuss any responsibilities you have which may have an impact of your studies or your ability to attend classes.

Exceptional circumstances

From time-to-time we understand that you may experience difficulties in keeping up with academic work or with attending classes if problems occur at home with the person you are caring for. In these cases, you can complete an Exceptional Circumstances form to request another assessment opportunity at a later date.

Timetables

If you have clashes between your timetable and your caring responsibilities you should discuss this with your department to see if it’s possible for alternative options to be put in place. It may not always be possible for timetables to be changed, but by talking this through with appropriate staff in your department or your Student Experience and Support Officer, other solutions may be available.

Exam arrangements

As a student with caring responsibilities, we understand that you may find it difficult to attend exams scheduled at certain times of the day. Therefore, if due to caring responsibilities you are unable to attend University examinations on a particular day of the week, or at a certain time of day, you should complete a Caring Responsibilities Form and submit this to the Examinations Team. Please see the Student Records and Examinations webpages for further information.

Carer's assessment

By law, anyone who 'regularly provides a substantial amount of care' is entitled to an assessment of their needs, which will help you find out how you can balance your own health and wellbeing with your role as a carer. Contact the social services department for the area in which the person you're caring for lives to set up a meeting. The assessor will help you to identify and access the support you need.

Support in your local area

Carers' Centres are independent charities that deliver a wide range of local support services to meet the needs of carers in their own communities. All Carers' Centres provide, either by telephone, drop-in or outreach surgeries, the following core services:

• Information and advice - about all issues affecting carers, including benefits, breaks, respite and support services, carer assessment procedures, aids and adaptations.
• Emotional support - by providing opportunities for carers to talk through their concerns, both individually and in group sessions, with staff, trained volunteers and other carers who understand their situation, thus helping to alleviate isolation and stress.
• Community consultation - Carers' Centres can have a strong influence on local policy, planning procedures and outcomes. They can also ensure that the local carers' voice can be linked in to the regional and national decision-making bodies.

You can find more information about your local service on the Carers Trust website.

National organisations supporting carers

Nationally there are a number of organisations that campaign for better support for carers and work to raise awareness, these include:

• ‌Carers UK
• Carers Trust