Better Care to Learn is campaign against public sector cuts that disadvantage parents and carers and also aims to improve access and support for parents and carers at RHUL.
So far we have managed to introduce a student parents and carers representative in the SU and aim to create a support group system for parents and carers to enable them discuss ideas that could be passed through the SU and college to make life at university better for them.
With the help of the union we conducted a study to find out more about student parents and carers at Royal Holloway. Some of the things we found out were:
- 80% had thought of leaving University. They stayed due to the drive to be able to get a good job after University to provide for their children or due to approachable tutors and an interesting course.
- The stresses of their commitments had lead to weight gain, panic attacks, fatigue and poor immunity to colds such as tonsillitis.
- The older Students who appeared more settled relied on their lecturers and tutors only for academic support, and some were in the 20% who had never even mentioned their dependents to the academic staff.
Read the full results from the study here.
The progress of this campaign can be found in the following articles:
If you want to get involved please email rhulparentscarers@gmail.com
