New Student Carer Coordinator at SERC

Marie Jameson has been appointed new Student Carer Co-ordinator at SERC.   Marie, who has been with the College for over 16 years, is delighted to take on the role which sees further development for Student Carer Support available at SERC.  Marie will work across all Campuses from her base in Bangor.   

Recognising the need for additional Student Carer support, SERC applied for and achieved the Carers Federation Quality Standard in Carer Support accreditation in 2021.    

There are over 8,500 (Action for Children, November 2020) young people across Northern Ireland who currently take on an unpaid caring role which impacts on their education, well-being and careers. Most Student Carers do not self-identify as carers and therefore miss out on vital support or have little knowledge of their rights as carers.     

At SERC, we are working with the South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust and Action for Children to provide comprehensive support for Student Carers. The College has a dedicated Student Carer policy, developed with Student Carers, ensuring their rights are recognized and that Student Carers can access all available support.   This includes, for example, the SERC Student Carer card which means Student Carers can easily identify themselves to tutors, without them having to explain every time they must step out of class, for example, to take a call relating to their caring role. 

SERC students can receive confidential support by contacting studentcarers@serc.ac.uk - The Student Carers team, assess each carer’s personal situation and identify what support mechanisms are available through SERC and via the South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust and Action for Children which includes access to free courses, networking sessions and financial support. 

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