New initiative for student parents and carers

**Two new drop-in services for student parents and student carers have been launched as part of welfare at Warwick Students’ Union (SU).**

The drop-in services, which come as a result of close work between the SU’s women’s officer Alys Cooke and welfare officer Ben Sundell, consist of a coffee morning for student parents and a combined advice and support session for student carers.

The coffee mornings for student parents currently take place at 09.30am on Monday mornings of the odd weeks of term (the next being Monday October 29). These events are designed to give student parents the chance to network and meet people in similar situations as themselves.

As well as being an informal event in which student parents can bring their children to play while they meet other parents, it has been emphasised that these drop-in sessions also provide an opportunity for those who think they might need more support to come forward.

The student carers’ drop-in sessions, which are being held in conjunction with Warwickshire Young Carers, are to be held in SUHQ from 11.00am to 1.00pm on Thursdays of the even weeks of term (starting Thursday October 25).

Ms Cooke explained the motivation behind the creation of these sessions, telling the _Boar_: “I think before we set up these targeted events, carers and parents were a group that actually received very little support from the union, and unlike most, aren’t represented by a student society.

“There are the University Access to Learning Hardship Funds, but these only help with the financial implications of having dependants. I’m hoping that the introduction of these new services will provide support on a number of levels for students and create a more inclusive union that can represent even more of the student body.”

When asked about the new drop-in sessions, Mr Sundell said: “On Monday we launched the first of our coffee mornings for Student Parents, after receiving a high number of responses [nearly 80] suggesting that they would be interested in such support.

“The coffee mornings are starting because the Students’ Union recognises that there is a gap here in both our services and those at the University. We aim to provide a space for student parents and those with other dependents to meet each other, to network and to receive support from our advice team.”

Rosa Sullivan, third-year chemistry student, commented: “I can’t imagine that this will have a noticeable impact on the student body at large, but having said that, I do think it’s a good idea.

“Especially since it is quite a minority of students, it is important that they can feel included and support groups could be an important part of that.”

Mr Sundell added: “I really hope that as more people hear about this, the event will continue to grow and that it will provide a lot of benefit to those who come along. Similarly, we are looking to provide support and advice for Student Carers, and this will be launched next week.”

Anybody looking for more information is encouraged to contact Ms Cooke [uc027@warwicksu.com] or Mr Sundell [welfare@warwicksu.com] directly.