Care Experienced Students
Lincoln Bishop University is deeply committed to fostering an inclusive and compassionate academic community, aligned with our core value as a Church University.
We actively work to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and promote positive relations across all groups. These principles guide our approach to supporting students from care-experienced backgrounds, recognising the unique challenges they may face and ensuring equitable access to education and opportunity.
Lincoln Bishop University is a member of the National Network for the Education of Care Leavers.
Our Commitment to Care Experienced Students
Lincoln Bishop signed up to the Care Leaver Covenant in 2018 and we are also a member of the East Midlands Care Leavers’ Support Network (EMCLS).
We encourage our care experienced students to disclose their background early, via UCAS, during enrolment, or at any point throughout their studies, to ensure timely, personalised, and sensitive support. All disclosures are handled in strict accordance with data‑protection principles, ensuring confidentiality and appropriate support pathways.
What is a Care Leaver?
A care leaver is a young person who meets all of the below:
- they've have been in the care of, or have been given accommodation by, their local authority
- their time in care lasted at least 13 weeks
- their time in care ended after they turned 16
- in most cases, they've not returned to the care of their parent(s) prior to the first day of the first academic year of their course
There are some cases where a child is in the care of their local authority but live at the parental home. For example, a living together trial period.
If a student lives at home but stays in the care of the local authority for three months after they turn 16 and before the first day of the first academic year of their course, they won't be considered under their parents' care.
In this case, they'll be considered as independent when it comes to getting student finance for living costs. If they're considered a care leaver but live in their parent's home, their student finance will be based on their own income, and they’ll be eligible for the parental home rate of Maintenance Loan.
Support Available at Lincoln Bishop
Our dedicated Student Advice & Wellbeing team coordinates a comprehensive package of support, which includes:
Care experienced students are prioritised for accommodation and are guaranteed year round housing, provided applications are submitted in a timely manner. The University also supports continuity of existing foster arrangements wherever possible and offers assistance in securing private-sector housing when needed.
You will be given a named contact for any issues arising before or during your studies.
Students who meet the statutory care leaver criteria are no longer means-tested and will receive the full maintenance loan, as administered by Student Finance.
Students who are care leavers can apply for an enhanced bursary of £3,600. If you wish to apply, you will need to provide details of your Leaving Care Service, or other relevant agency, in order to establish your eligibility for the bursary.
The enhanced bursary is designed to reduce the need for care leavers to take out student loans to cover their living costs, although they remain eligible to apply for the loans if they wish to. The Lincoln Bishop Bursary is payable alongside the funding provided by your funding body, e.g. Student Finance England (SFE).
Care Leavers may also be eligible to get:
- funding from the Local Authority that was responsible for their care. To apply for support, students should contact their personal advisor, social worker or case worker
- financial support from their university or college, for example fee waivers or cash awards
- support from their university or college’s advice centre or student union
There are also organisations that provide support for care leavers and students who are estranged from their families:
Care leavers are a priority in the allocation of accommodation and 365-day accommodation will be guaranteed, providing the student’s request for accommodation is timely. We will ensure effective liaison for the continuation of existing foster care arrangements wherever possible.
Effective assistance will be given in securing private sector housing, if required, with housing rights advice available from the Student Advice & Wellbeing Team. At Lincoln Bishop, we also offer 10-week post-graduation accommodation to support you transition to into further studies with us or employment.
Our Admissions team makes contextual offers available to care experienced applicants, in order to both encourage entry onto their programme of study, and take the pressure off final results.
Our Ongoing Objective for Supporting Care Leavers
In alignment with our institutional values and strategic goals, Lincoln Bishop University is working to:
- Strengthen targeted support pathways that enhance academic success and wellbeing for care leaver students.
- Improve data collection and analysis to better understand the experiences and needs of care leavers across the student lifecycle.
- Continue reducing any disparities in progression, retention, and graduate employment outcomes for care leaver learners.
- Expand training and awareness across staff teams to ensure inclusive and informed support for care leavers.
Further details on upcoming objectives, implementation measures, and future developments will be published as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and continuous improvement.
Support after Graduation
We offer 10-week post-graduation accommodation to help support you transition into further studies with us, or into employment.
FAQS
[Help support students who've been in care]
You will be asked to send evidence that shows you were looked after, or have been given accommodation by, your Local Authority. Usually you’ll be asked to send a letter from your local council or care authority. This letter should confirm you:
- were under the care of your Local Authority
- have now left the care of the Local Authority
- are a care leaver as defined in the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000
You’ll only have to provide this evidence once at the start of your course.
Contact Us
Who to Contact
Lincoln Bishop’s named contact for students from care is:
Phil Davis
Head of Student Support
T: 01522 583602
E: phil.davis@lincolnbishop.ac.uk.
You can also contact Phil through your Leaving Care Adviser (or similar advocate) if you wish by asking them to use the above details.
If you would prefer to speak to a female adviser, just let us know by emailing studentadvice@lincolnbishop.ac.uk
Phil can be contacted about any aspect of higher education, whilst applying for a course, or during study and his primary role is to:
- Act as your personal contact before and during your studies
- Liaise with your Local Authority and/or Leaving Care Service to ensure your needs are considered
- Ensure you access all relevant support at Lincoln Bishop
- Keep in touch with you at key points in your studies so you can discuss any issues which may have arisen