Student Carers Week

That the Parliament acknowledges the Student Carer Learning Exchange events delivered by Carers Trust Scotland on 27-28 October 2020, and the launch of Carers Trust Scotland’s Student Carer Experience in Scotland research on 29 October; welcomes the launch of the research evidencing the experience of student carers at college and university; acknowledges the learning exchanges as opportunities for practitioners working with student carers to share practice and learning gained through the Going Further and Going Higher for Student Carer Recognition Award journeys; recognises the important unpaid caring responsibilities that student carers have for a family member or friend with a disability, mental illness and/or addiction problem; considers that student carers are not always recognised by education professionals as undertaking a caring role; understands that student carers face unique challenges in their learning journey, from application stage through to concentration, attendance and studying for their courses; appreciates that having unpaid caring responsibilities can have consequences on the experience of studying and on the positive destination options after studies; understands that student carers are four times more likely to drop out of further education than students who are not carers; believes that student carers can greatly benefit from dedicated support provision, and considers that appropriate policies and practices in the further and higher education sector should be endorsed to ensure that student carers are better supported and have a fair chance to be successful in their own education and achieve their true potential in all aspects of their lives.