Support for estranged students

Students who are ‘estranged’ are people studying without the support and approval of a family network. Students in this position often have no contact at all with their family and have removed themselves from a difficult or dysfunctional situation.

If this applies to you, we are keen to support you. We recognise that you might face particular barriers to learning if you don’t have the support of a family network.

We’ve signed up to the StandAlone Pledge to show our support for estranged students and to highlight services such as finance, mental health, accommodation and outreach.

If you are an estranged student

The guidance and support adviser in the student services team will be your named staff contact. They will provide one-to-one support throughout your time at college.

We work closely with internal and external agencies to ensure you receive the advice and guidance you might need such as:

discussing course options and help with completing the application and personal statement
arranging a visit to see the facilities to help with orientation
guidance and advice on funding, childcare, discretionary, accommodation and travel
introduction to the learning development team, if necessary
help to get other services, such as in-house counselling, pastoral support or mental health services
meeting with you regularly to review ongoing support
discussing how you are progressing and support with next steps
free yoga and mindfulness classes through the student wellbeing team

More information

For more information on help available, visit the Advice Centre and speak with a member of the student services team or self-refer by signing into the student portal and clicking on the ‘estranged’ button. This will generate a message to the guidance and support adviser. They’ll contact you to discuss support available. You can also contact Student.Support@slc.ac.uk and a member of the team will reply to you directly.