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Are you a carer? A carer is anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support.
If you are uncertain as to whether you are a carer on not, you can contact Carers Trust Scotland for some advice.
If you are a carer considering applying to the University or you are already registered as a student, please contact our named Student Carer contact by emailing StudentCarers@gcu.ac.uk who will be able to advise on support for Student Carers. The University has also produced a Student Carer Policy and Plan to enable us to support students during their studies.
Some examples of flexibility that may be offered are:
- Recognising the need to arrive late or leave early in order to place your cared for person(s) in appropriate daytime care
- Agreeing periods of authorised absence and making arrangements for you to catch-up on lectures/tutorials missed for reasons relating to caring responsibilities to ensure that you are not at an academic disadvantage
- Providing timetables, wherever possible, at least one month in advance to allow you to make necessary alternative care arrangements and recognising that you may not be able to attend academic activities in the event of late changes to timetables
- Ensuring that you have adequate opportunity to make up missed time e.g. through access to any missed materials, or rescheduling of practical activities
- Taking account of caring responsibilities on courses which require an external placement. Priority should be given to ensuring the placement is within reasonable travelling distance to accommodate care arrangements
- Providing at least a few weeks' notice of placements to allow the arrangement of alternative care
- If viable, consideration of a transfer to part-time study (Please note that international students in the UK with a Tier 4 General Student Visa are not permitted to change to part-time study).
Funding for Student Carers
SAAS have created this document specifically for Student Carers to advise on what funding might be available to you.
You can also speak to our Student Funding Team who can advise on what funds could be accessible for you.
External Support for Student Carers
HOPE have created this fantastic guide for students who are supporting ill or disabled family members. It is written by young people and offers tips for students in similar situations.
The Open University offers these free online modules for carers and for managers supporting carers in employment.
There are many support services for carers in Scotland. Details for some of them are outlined below: