We are pleased to share our first Corporate Parenting Implementation Report in our new reporting approach.
In Scotland we have a legal duty to support our care experienced students and to undertake the role of ‘corporate parent’ when they are studying with us.
At the University we bring together staff and students to drive this work and then set it out within a Corporate Parenting Plan.
To oversee the implementation of this work we formed the Edinburgh Cares committee (in 2018) and we now report regularly on progress annually to University Executive. The group has a slightly broader remit and oversees our work to support care experienced and estranged students as well as student carers.
A huge thanks to colleagues who have helped get the report to this stage and for all the work behind this:
Corporate Parenting Implementation Report
Some highlights from the latest report include:
- Increased our intake of care-experienced new entrants from 34 in 2021 to 50 in 2023.
- Promoted employment and volunteering opportunities to care-experienced and estranged students, raising their visibility across the University and through our partnership with the Hub for Success.
- Expanded our staff mentoring offer, with 50 current mentor-mentee pairings.
- Supported 30 care-experienced and estranged students with graduation costs since 2022, helping them celebrate their achievements. A total of 47 care-experienced students graduated over the past three years (10 in 2022, 18 in 2023, and 19 in 2024).
What can you do next?
- Training opportunities: If you would like to increase your understanding of corporate parenting there are a number of options available. You can attend our next University of Edinburgh WP training session or you could undertake the free online Open University module on Corporate Parenting which was created in partnership with all Scottish universities.
- Feed into the next progress report or future priorities in the plan: You are welcome to contact Laura Cattell, Chair of the Edinburgh Cares Committee, if there is anything you would like to feed into the plan. The committee meet regularly, and we also work in partnership with our care experienced students to drive this work. It would be great to hear about ways in which you or others at the University are already supporting care experienced students so that we can raise awareness of that too.
- Discuss the plan in your areas: Consider how and if you might have scope to contribute to the work.
Related links
View the CPP Implementation Report 2021-2024