Hello! We are EaCES (pronounced ee-ay-cez) - that stands for Estranged and Care Estranged Students.

Our mission is to provide a central space that signposts to support and guidance that is accessible to our community in all areas of our lives, with a particular focus on supporting access to further and higher education. You can learn more in our About Us page,

Supporting your students in the Winter Holidays - we co-created a Practical Guide for all Higher Education staff (also good for FE staff too!) to help you support your care experienced and estranged students in the Christmas period. Read it here!

You can share our free poster, email it or print it out! Poster PDF and image available here. Display it in your Student Advice Centre, at events you run, up on your nearest noticeboard etc. The poster, like all of our resources, is free and always will be. You have nothing to lose and your students have a lot to gain!

Ass of April 2024 we have agreed with Stand Alone to take on the running of Estranged Students Solidarity Week (November, annually) and also Stand Alone's HE Contacts List of key staff in universities and colleges, which is now hosted on our EaCES website. Any staff who wish to check this out can here and you can update it at any time by emailing us.

Why we are here

We are aware that not all Education Providers have taken the Stand Alone Pledge, or similar pledges to support EaCE students. We know that there are often complications to signing an agreement - which might seem to be the ideal solution - so we are here to help bridge this gap in support so that our community of students need not be disadvantaged compared to their peers!

Barriers which EaCE students may be facing

EaCE students have to face  many barrier compared to their peers during higher education. Some of which are things which are just normal to many others that it can be hard to identify or realise would be a struggle if you are not an EaCE student yourself. A more in depth list of issues and support we suggest for students can be found in our EaCES handbook but some of the more common ones are listed below.

Accommodation related struggles

• Not having someone to help moving to University/moving house in between tenancies.

• Not necessarily having a home outside of University.

• Not having anyone to act as a guarantor.

Finances

• Even just applying for a student loan in the UK - there are 4 different bodies depending on a student's previous address (which they may not be returning to after starting University) and each body has a different process and different maximum loan.

• A lot of EaCE scholarships/grants, like the Unite Foundation scholarships, are only available at certain universities which can mean students have to choose between doing their dream degree at their dream university and having financial stability.

• Hardship loans (or similar) from University, College or Conservetoire may require the student to have under a certain amount in their bank account. For an EaCE student having to plan ahead and support themself all year - this figure may put them further into a danger zone than another student.

Mental Wellbeing

• Not having anyone in a parental role for day to day guidance.

• Isolation during holidays when other students typically go home.

• Struggles around forming new connections/relationships.

The EaCES Handbook is a virtual guide written by over 90 estranged and care experienced students (EaCES) - as well as those from orphaned, refugee and kinship-care - to bring together information and advice to help other students from the same background: including official support, our own experiences, and practical tips. The Handbook is designed to support students like us pre-entry, throughout our time in higher education/ apprenticeships and post-graduation.  

UCAS recommends our handbook and signposts to us on their website:

• Going it Alone (support for Estranged Students)

• Supporting Care Experienced Students

Although we initially designed this handbook for students, a lot of the information in here is helpful to all care experienced, refugee and estranged people - it is a hub that may be helpful to anyone growing up and into adulthood with limited family support.

We really value your input helping us understand struggles which Further and Higher Education Providers might be having when offering support to EaCES or things that you have in place which are working. All of our resources are created by people sharing both their struggles and solutions so please get in touch with your side of this!

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