Care leavers conference

Welcome to the 2021 virtual Care Leavers Conference, delivered by North Yorkshire County Council and the University of York.

This event is all about celebrating the successes, achievements and aspirations of our care experienced young people. Throughout this event, you will have opportunities to get involved in activities and workshops and listen to inspirational talks from guest speakers. There will also be an awards ceremony in the afternoon. We hope this year’s virtual conference will not only be enjoyable but also help you to make the most out of what the Leaving Care Team and our partner agencies have to offer.

The day is aimed at young people aged 16 to 25 who have left or are preparing to leave care, as well as invited guests, professionals, businesses and partner agencies. You should have had a Just Eat voucher provided via email so you can order yourself some lunch. There will be plenty of time for you to get to know other young people and staff who are logging on whilst in various virtual break out and activity rooms.

On this page you will find today’s programme, along with some useful information about support for care leavers, and life at university. All of this content will be available after the conference too, so don’t feel like you need to look at it all today.

We really hope you enjoy your day and should you have any questions or need support there will be a member of staff ready to assist you in each of the virtual spaces.

Contact us

Access and Outreach

outreach@york.ac.uk
+44 (0)1904 323529

Stuart Carlton

As your Director of Children's Services I am responsible for all children and young people’s services within the county. I am delighted that York has been able to support us in our virtual conference again this year. I’m sure we will all have a fantastic day and many thanks zooming in and taking part.

Martin Kelly

As the Assistant Director for children and families in North Yorkshire, I feel privileged to be responsible for many great services that support our young people, including those who have left care. It is important to me that we give you the best support as you move into adult life. It is also essential that we work alongside others who are important to you so that you have a network that remains with you well into your adulthood.

This conference is a great annual event where we are able to celebrate your achievements, as well as meet together, even if that is virtually. I am really looking forward to this day and cannot wait to hear about and to celebrate your achievements.

Councillor Annabel Wilkinson

I am the North Yorkshire County Councillor for Swale Division, North Yorkshire. It is my privilege to be the Young People’s Champion and Chair of the Looked After Children’s Members Group. I seek to raise awareness of all young people’s views and concerns, whilst making sure you have the best opportunities in life. Over the past 18 months, life has been especially challenging and you should be proud of all you have achieved. Congratulations! I am sure everyone will have a wonderful day.

Councillor Janet Sanderson

I represent the County division of “Thornton Le Dale and The Wolds” in the east of the county where I live with my husband and three cocker spaniel dogs. As the executive member for Children’s Services, I am responsible for (I am only naming the areas relevant to care leavers) all Looked After Children in our care and Care Leavers along with Foster Care and Adoption Services. I am sorry we can’t be together in person but I am really looking forward to Zooming along with you and wish you all the very best for a great conference day.

The Four Leaving Care Teams

Hambleton and Richmondshire (North)

The team in Hambleton and Richmondshire cover Thirsk, Northallerton, Richmond, Stokesley, Great Ayton and the areas in between. Working in the team is one manager (Liz), two full time caseworkers and three part time caseworkers. There is also access to more specialist help from workers who may cover other teams too.

Knaresborough (West)

The team in Knaresborough cover Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon and the surrounding area. Working in the team is one manager (Kate) and six caseworkers. There is also access to more specialist help from workers who may cover other teams too.

Selby (South)

The team in Selby covers Selby, Sherburn in Elmet and the surrounding area. Working in this team is one manager (Julie) and four caseworkers. There are other more specialist workers based here too who provide support to multiple teams.

Scarborough (East)

The team in Scarborough covers Scarborough, Whitby, Malton, Pickering and the surrounding areas. Working in this team is one manager (Jonny) and seven caseworkers. There are also more specialist workers working with the team who may provide support to other teams too.

Our dedicated contacts for care experienced students

Vanessa Conman (Access and Outreach Team): Vanessa’s role is to support care experienced young people before they start at university. Email vanessa.conman@york.ac.uk for more information and support.

Fran Hornsby (Student Support Team): Fran’s role is to support care experienced students once they are a University of York offer holder and throughout their time here. Email student-independent@york.ac.uk for more information and support.

Find out more about the support available for care leavers.

Want to find out more about university?

Support for care leavers

All universities offer a package of support for care experienced students, but this varies between institutions, so it’s a good idea to do some research. Visit the Propel website to find out more.

At the University of York the support for care experienced students includes:

Outreach activities and support, including our On Track programme
A VIP travel package if you’d like to visit us and stay overnight
A pre-entry bursary of up to £250
Application and personal statement support
Free gym membership at York Sport
Support when you first arrive
A care leavers bursary
Free campus accommodation (up to £130 per week) and flexible contracts
Study skills support
Emotional support
Social events, both online and in person

Find out more about how the University of York supports independent students.

How York supports care experienced students

Here at York we are committed to providing the support our students need so that everyone has the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Find out more about how we support our care experienced students throughout their time at York, from application to graduation.

Jargon buster

At university, the teaching methods and methods of assessments might vary to what you have previously experienced in school or college. There are terms which you may have heard of before, but feel unsure about what it actually means in practice. We hope this Jargon Buster will be useful as you begin thinking about what university-level study entails.

Accommodation - University owned accommodation where most students live in their first year. Usually each student has their own bedroom and there is a shared kitchen. Student accommodation could also be referred to as "halls of residence".

Bachelor of Arts (BA) - A degree course that focuses on arts and humanities subjects e.g. English Literature, History, Languages.

Bachelor of Science (BSc) - A degree course that focuses on the sciences e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Maths.

Campus-based university - A university that is situated on one site, with student accommodation, teaching and research facilities and social events located all together.

City-based university - A university that has buildings all around the city, so not everything is in one place. For example, you may have to walk to a different street or part of the city for teaching or to go to the library.

Commuting student - Students who travel to and from university for their teaching and to socialise.

Contact time - Time spent with members of university staff. The main examples are lectures, seminars and labs.

Dissertation - Typically completed in your final year, an extended essay ranging from 8,000 to 12,000 words. This provides a really exciting opportunity to delve into a specific subject area that really interests you and to do your own research.

Freshers’ Week - Your first week as a student. This is a really exciting week, involving lots of introductory talks, social events and taster sessions. This week is designed to introduce new students to their university and course.

Higher Education (HE) - The level of education you undertake after you have completed post-16 studies (such as A-levels and BTECs). You might study a HE course at a university, in a further education college or with an online provider.

Joint Honours Degree - A degree that allows you to study more than one subject, such as Maths and Music, French and Law, Criminology and Sociology. Although you would be studying two subjects, you graduate with one degree.

Lecture - A talk given by a member of academic staff about their research, ideas and theories to a large group of students, typically taking place in a large hall. Lectures usually help to guide independent learning and understanding of a particular topic.

Module - A class that you take as part of your course. You will have modules that are compulsory and others that you can choose yourself. They often last for a term or sometimes a full year and offer a chance to focus on something that you really enjoy and want to look at in more depth.

Postgraduate - A higher level of study for graduates who have completed and graduated from an undergraduate degree course.

Prospectus - A book or online document containing general information about a university, as well as specific course information.

Research Intensive University - A university committed to carrying out brand new research in the hope of making new discoveries. The research is carried out by academics who then teach students about their research.

Seminar - A lesson that involves a smaller group of students who meet, with an academic tutor, to discuss a subject in depth. The discussion could expand on the topic of a lecture or your own reading. Typically, you would be expected to prepare for a seminar by doing allocated work in advance. Seminars provide a good opportunity to ask lots of questions.

UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), is the main application service for higher education courses. The UCAS website also provides lots of useful information on applying to HE, student finance, choosing a course and place to study.

Undergraduate - The first level of higher education study, someone doing their first degree.