Meet other people like us (general)

Being an estranged, orphaned, refugee or care-experienced student can be an isolating experience. However, there are ways to meet other people from similar backgrounds. We've put together a list of the ones we know.

Student-Specific Groups (National)

All Of Us Student-Led Community

The This Is Us Student-Led Community is a national platform for estranged and care experienced students of all ages and at any stage in their university journey (foundation, undergrad, masters, postgrad, etc). It is a community run by students and hosted by the Unite Foundation for students in Higher Education (uni, HE college, degree apprenticeship etc) in the UK. 

This Is Us Community: https://thisisusatuni.mn.co/ 

Read more: https://thisisusatuni.org/this-is-our-community/

Uni:fy is a virtual community of care experienced people, of all ages, who also share the experience of University Life. Whether you are in your first weeks of student life or you are further along in your higher education journey, Uni-fy is for you.

The group is a safe space for you to share your experiences and to provide mutual support and advice to make the most of being a student. Our groups are very informal and you can chat as little or as much as you'd like. 

Website: https://www.reesfoundation.org/unify.html

There is also a Care Leavers at Uni Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/careleaversatuni/ 

NewGrad have a private Facebook group for Estranged students & graduates to connect with one another. 

The link to this group is: https://t.co/vDERj5bqdg?amp=1

Their twitter post is here: https://twitter.com/newgraduateuk/status/1296383838361473024 

Estranged Students' Network (ESN) is a UK-wide, student-led network, aiming to support and assist estranged students navigating academia. It was founded by two estranged students, Sarah Ezzeddine and Jake Pickering. 

"As estranged students ourselves, we have witnessed first-hand the inevitable challenges posed to estranged students throughout their academic progression."

LinkedIn ~ Insta: @estrangedstudentsnetwork

General Communities/Groups for CE, E and Refugee people (National)

National Discord Group

If you're care experienced or estranged & interested in connecting with other CE&E individuals, there is a friendly national Discord! This is a peer-led community providing an opportunity for socialising, sharing our experiences & peer support.

Join the group: https://discord.com/invite/VnK88Nc 

Or find out more here from the group's founders: Chloe-Louise and Artie.

The Gold from Stone 

The Gold from the Stone Foundation has a simple mission: to make sure that no care leaver feels alone. They also run 'The Christmas Dinner': an annual project founded by the poet Lemn Sissay OBE for communities to provide an amazing Christmas Day for care leavers aged between 18 and 25 – one they’ll never forget.

Find out more here: The Gold from the Stone Foundation 

Care Leavers Group

Come and join us & network with care leavers around the world. 🌎  We hold monthly meetings, games, quizzes, have guest speakers and many more exciting events to look forward to.✨

Find out more on their twitter: @LeaversCare

r/EstrangedAdultChild: A community for adult children where a conscious decision to estrange from parents has been made. Estrangement primarily occurs when there is physical/emotional abuse, differing expectations about family roles, neglect and clashes based on personalities or value systems. (Parents of Estranged Adult Children are not welcome to participate in this sub.)

Website: https://www.reddit.com/r/EstrangedAdultChild/

IMO is for teenagers in care and for care leavers. It is somewhere you can share stories, experiences and achievements, get and give advice and meet other people.

They share blogs, vlogs, podcasts, etc from teens in care/care leavers, as well as opportunities for care leavers, like jobs and apprenticeships, and freebies.

If you’ve got a problem, you can also call Help at Hand for advice on 0800 528 0731. Help at Hand is a free advice and assistance service for teens in care and care leavers.

Website: https://imohub.org.uk/

Be Inspired is an event that seeks to Inspire, Empower and Equip care experienced young people, who want to take hold of their future, learn about different career opportunities and connect with each other.

The first event took place in August 2019 and after the overwhelmingly positive feedback from young people, speakers, panel guests and performers as well as exhibitors, we decided to bring the experience back.

Website: http://www.beinspiredonline.org.uk/ 

BECOME have a chill, hang out for care experienced people on Tuesday evenings. 

For more info, give them a call 0800 023 2033 or text Tasha on 07393 721 292.

The Care Leaver's Association: If you need advice, support, guidance or just someone to talk then please come along to the meeting closest to you. The meetings are relaxed, informal get-togethers providing a chance to socialise and meet other care leavers.

Career/Workplace Communities/Groups for CE, E and Refugee people

Care Creatives is a network for Care Leavers & Estranged people working in Film & TV .

To find out more or to get in touch: 

Association of Care Experienced Social Workers exists to support those with lived experience working within social care. 

Twitter: @_ACESCW 

Email: acescw100@hotmail.com

BASW Article: Plans for association of care experienced social workers | www.basw.co.uk 

CERAE is a cross-governmental network which aims to provide a community and shared space for all care experienced Civil Servants and those who grew up without ‘traditional’/typical family structures to be a part of, if they so desire. This includes people who have been in foster care, who are Care Leavers, who were homeless youths, orphaned, in kinship care, experienced youth estrangement that may be ongoing (e.g. young people who were disowned for being LGBT+, escaping domestic abuse, leaving their religion, etc.) and others who may have fallen through the gaps of LA care and some of the stricter definitions of ‘Care Leaver’. 

Sign-up: Email them