Carers

Who is a carer? 

Many students already have caring responsibilities when they come to university.  This can include any student who has a commitment to providing unpaid care to a family member or friend who could not cope without their support. This may be due to illness, disability, a mental health issue, or substance misuse. We are not including parents here - we have separate web pages for students with children.

A caring responsibility may be short term - such as supporting someone with their recovery following an accident, or long term - such as helping someone with a long term illness or disability. You might become a student with caring responsibilities during the time you are at university or you may have been doing this for a long time. 

If you are aged 16-25 and have a caring responsibility, you are a ‘young adult carer’. There are approximately 375,000 young adult carers in the UK, all facing different challenges and responsibilities. If you provide regular care and support to a family member, partner, or friend, you may be eligible to access additional support while studying. 

Under the Equality Act 2010, it is illegal to discriminate against a carer because of their responsibilities as a carer, or because of the individual(s) they care for. If you're looking after someone who is elderly or disabled, the law will protect you against direct discrimination or harassment because of your caring responsibilities. This is because you're counted as being 'associated' with someone who is protected by the law because of their age or disability. There is more information on the People First website.  

What support is available to carers at Queen Mary?

If you're balancing your studies with the responsibility of caring for another person, this can sometimes be challenging. Some students with caring responsibilities might think it's not worth telling the university about their circumstances, perhaps because they think it's a temporary situation, or because they don’t think it ‘counts’.  

However, all carers deal with their responsibilities alongside their education differently, and you may still find some occasional support helpful, especially if your circumstances change.  

It’s important to make sure you know where to get support if or when you need it. Knowing that you have caring responsibilities allows staff to put support in place, to make sure you get the most from your university experience. We recommend you let us know about this as early as possible, however small or major your caring role may seem to you. 

There is support at Queen Mary for students with caring responsibilities. This can include: 

• Emotional and practical support: the Advice and Counselling Service provide a wide range of support services. You can have a dedicated named  Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service so you won’t have to share your story multiple times with different staff across the university. A Welfare Adviser can help you think about how your caring responsibilities could impact on your studies and what support can be put in place.

For money and practical advice, or for student immigration advice, please log an enquiry via AskQM and include information about your query. We can reply by email or offer appointments in-person on Mile End campus, online via Microsoft Teams, or telephone with a Welfare Adviser or International Student Adviser. 

If you require Wellbeing Support, you can apply for this support through AskQM. To book an appointment with a Counsellor, a Mental Health Adviser, Student Wellbeing Adviser or a Sexual Assault and Harassment Adviser (SAHA), please please log an enquiry via AskQM.

We’re here to support you with your emotional and mental wellbeing during your time at Queen Mary so you feel able to engage and enjoy your studies. Please see our wellbeing support pages for more information.

Once you are enrolled at Queen Mary, you will be able to request a mental health and wellbeing review with one of our specialist practitioners. You can request this at any time during your studies and can access support from the team for the duration of your time at Queen Mary. 

• Financial help: financial support to student carers in financial hardship who have accessed their full government student finance but are unable to undertake part-time work as a result of their caring responsibilities. You might be eligible for help from the Financial Assistance Fund. A Welfare Adviser can also advise you about this. 

• Carers Allowance You cannot claim Carers Allowance you are in full time education. Part time postgraduate students can apply for Carer’s Allowance if: 

  • Your caring activity takes at least 35 hours a week and the person you care for receives Personal Independence Payment (PIP) daily living component OR Disability Living Allowance with the middle or highest care rate, OR Attendance Allowance OR Constant Attendance Allowance with War Pension or Industrial Injuries OR Armed Forces Independence Payment. 
  • There is information about how to claim Carers Allowance and how much it is on the gov.uk website. 

• Academic support: Contact your academic adviser or Student Support Officer. You can also read about extenuating circumstances and about Study Skills support.  
• Careers Support: As a student with caring responsibilities, you have the option of having a dedicated Careers Consultant at the Queen Mary Careers and Enterprise Centre throughout your course. Employers are looking to see that graduates have developed transferable skills and work experience alongside their academic studies. A Careers Consultant can give you one to one advice and help with building your work experience and skills throughout your time at university. Length of appointment, all students carers are eligible for extended accessible appointments of 40 minutes.  One to one appointments can be held in-person at the Careers and Enterprise office (IQ East Court, 450 Mile End Rd, London E1 4GG) or online via Teams. How to book, if you attend an appointment with a Welfare Adviser, we can make a direct referral to Careers for you. Students simply need to log in to the careers hub and book one https://qmul.targetconnect.net/unauth

External Support 

The Carers Trust offers support to those who give unpaid care to a family member or friend – find out more at carers.org. 

Students who are carers may benefit from respite support, and there is a Carers Centre in Tower Hamlets. Their services are explained on their website.  They have a specific project for young carers (up to age 25) who are caring for someone in Tower Hamlets, even if you don't live in the borough. They are providing weekly events and ongoing support, organised by Ben.

In Hackney, there is also ongoing support.

If someone in your family has a life-threatening illness, Hope Support Services can help. Visit their website for more information. 

To help you know what you are entitled to, you can read the latest Looking after someone guide from Carers UK, which gives carers the full picture of the practical and financial support available to them.  

If you are caring for someone outside Tower Hamlets, you can contact your Local Authority or the Carers Trust to find out about available support. Both should also be able to help make sure you are getting all the help you are entitled to and how to evidence your caring role.