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The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, has updated a handbook aimed at higher education professionals supporting care experienced students, with recommendations designed to help young people access, succeed in and complete higher education.
The handbook, Supporting care experienced students: A handbook for professionals working in higher education, was originally published in October 2024 and updated in August 2026. It has been developed with young people from the Children’s Commissioner’s Care Experienced Advisory Board, alongside insights from professionals working in the sector.
The updated handbook highlights the ambitions of care experienced young people and sets out practical proposals for higher education institutions to help them achieve their educational and career goals. Its recommendations are based directly on the experiences and views of care experienced young people.
Higher education institutions receiving government funding are required to develop Access and Participation Plans addressing the needs of groups less likely to access higher education. The Office for Students identifies young people from care experienced backgrounds as a group that may benefit from access and participation measures.
The handbook is intended for professionals across different types of higher education provision, including smaller institutions and distance learning providers. It aims to help institutions identify the challenges faced by care experienced students and develop more inclusive and supportive policies and practices.
Its recommendations cover the student journey from pre-admission through to completion of studies. Areas addressed include financial assistance, social integration, career development and wellbeing.
The Children’s Commissioner said the proposals can be adapted by professionals to reflect the needs of their own students, while encouraging colleges, universities, apprenticeship providers and support networks to provide the assistance and welcoming environments needed by care experienced young people.
The handbook is intended to support a longer-term improvement in provision by helping higher education professionals understand the experiences of care experienced students and embed approaches that enable them to thrive.
