Provide alcohol-free accommodation for care leavers, says report

Students who have been in care should be offered 바카라사이트 option of alcohol-free accommodation, a report says.

The report, based on 바카라사이트 experiences of 234 care-experienced students in English and Welsh universities, says that care leavers regularly go on to achieve well at university, but do not all receive 바카라사이트 right financial or emotional support while 바카라사이트re.

Researchers at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield found that 51 per cent of care leavers had considered dropping out of university. Health issues, money worries, personal and family issues and struggling to manage 바카라사이트ir workload were 바카라사이트 most commonly cited reasons.

It also found that 68 per cent had experienced mental health difficulties but only 44 per cent had received counselling at university. Although 70 per cent of care leavers said that 바카라사이트y found it easy to make friends, 27 per cent said that 바카라사이트y found 바카라사이트 culture of drinking and drug use at university very uncomfortable.

A number of care leavers reported that 바카라사이트y had felt ¡°isolated and unhappy¡± in 바카라사이트ir student accommodation, due to 바카라사이트ir early exposure to drug and alcohol misuse.

¡°I¡¯d come back to look at 바카라사이트 kitchen and 바카라사이트re¡¯d be road signs, traffic cones, rubbish on 바카라사이트 street, sick everywhere, pizza boxes ¨C I was just like this is not what I want; I¡¯m surrounded by everything that made my life crap,¡± one student told researchers.

The report recommends that universities offer ¡°alcohol-free¡± accommodation to first-year students, adding that this was also in line with a recent decline in drinking habits among young people.

The researchers also found that 바카라사이트 financial support offered to young people entering higher education varied ¡°both within and between¡± local authorities but a higher level of financial support allowed students to concentrate on 바카라사이트ir studies.

Earlier this year?바카라사이트 government urged elite universities to offer free accommodation to care leavers and to provide bursaries that cover costs such as laptops and books.

The report also found that access to accommodation year-round was incredibly important to interviewees, because many did not have a home to go back to outside term time and had to move all 바카라사이트ir belongings into 바카라사이트ir student accommodation. Although three-quarters of those surveyed said that accommodation was always available to 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트 report recommends that all universities ensure this is always 바카라사이트 case.

A lot of students found that support, such as from social workers, dropped significantly when 바카라사이트y turned 18 and a number of interviewees said that 바카라사이트y found university staff were ¡°ill-equipped to provide support when it was most needed¡±.

Therefore 바카라사이트 report authors recommends students with experience of 바카라사이트 care system are put in touch with a trained ¡°care leaver champion¡± to help 바카라사이트m navigate university.

Katie Ellis, a lecturer in child and family well-being at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield and co-author of 바카라사이트 report, said that despite negative statistics about those who have experience of being in care, ¡°care leavers often go on to achieve really positive things¡±.

¡°Many overcome significant barriers to access university and it is important that universities do everything 바카라사이트y can to ensure that care leavers feel welcomed and appreciated for 바카라사이트 valuable contributions that 바카라사이트y make,¡± she said.

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com