STUDENTS AND TRAINEES CASE STUDIES
The following are brief case studies of young people who have been supported by the Trust through the Grant Scheme for Students and Trainees. To protect confidentiality, names and other potentially identifying information have been changed.
SANDRA'S STORY
Relations within Sandra’s family broke down when she was in the sixth form. Her father was imprisoned for nine years for drug dealing, and this put a great strain on the family, exposing other underlying problems.
Family life deteriorated and Sandra spent much of her time crying. Eventually, unable to cope with the stresses any longer, and feeling totally unsupported emotionally by her parents, she went to live with an aunt to complete her ‘A’ Levels, which she did with flying colours. She worked part-time to contribute to household expenses.
The Trust has supported Sandra with maintenance grants through her six years of study and she is now a fully qualified doctor, having passed her final Medical exams with Honours.
Sandra is thrilled that, despite all the odds, she has achieved her goal, and the future now looks very bright for her.
ANTHONY'S STORY
Anthony was born in an unstable African country. His parents sent him and his younger brother and sister to secondary school in a neighbouring country, to protect them from the volatile situation in their homeland, but when he returned home on holiday, he found the family home destroyed and no trace of his parents.
He was helped to escape by a family friend, and arrived in the United Kingdom, aged 17. The man who accompanied him booked them both into a bed and breakfast hotel, but when Anthony awoke next morning, he found that he had been abandoned.
Fortunately, the landlord referred him to social services and, after one night sleeping rough and another in a hostel, he was taken into care and spent eight months with a foster family, before moving into shared accommodation on his 18th birthday.
After a very stressful time, worrying about his family and whether he was going to be deported, Anthony was given Indefinite Leave to Remain. Despite his anguish, he continued with his education and achieved the necessary A Level results to enable him to enrol at university on a BA (Hons) Computing degree course.
Through his social worker he learned of the Trust’s By Degrees: From Care to University Research Project and enrolled as a participant. The Trust has provided him with financial support throughout his three-year course and he has now completed his studies successfully.
Thankfully, Anthony has, since then, received news that his mother, brother and sister are safe, but his father, sadly, is assumed to be dead.
CATHERINE'S STORY
Catherine’s mother had mental health problems and her father, who was estranged from them, harassed and intimidated them. The relationship with her mother was on the verge of breaking down, due to these pressures and the financial burden of trying to meet the cost of Catherine’s college studies.
Catherine was finding it impossible to study properly due to her very difficult home circumstances. The Trust’s grant relieved the tension between mother and daughter and enabled Catherine to complete her course successfully, while living at home.
Catherine is now very happy. She works for a graphic design company and recently moved into rented accommodation with a friend.
CARA'S STORY
Cara, aged 20, was in care from the age of 11 and has had no contact with her family since then. She was frequently absent from school and, before undertaking an Access course, she had no qualifications whatsoever.
At the age of 17, Cara gave birth to her daughter, Mia, and she has proved to be a very dedicated and competent mother. Cara was determined to work in the hospitality industry, and, to that end, she enrolled on a university degree course in Tourism and Hotel Management.
Cara and Mia moved into rented accommodation and they were dependent on benefits until these ceased when Cara started her university course.
Her only support had been her Leaving Care Worker. However, in addition to her student loan and child allowance, Social Services were very supportive and paid for nursery fees plus £500 per term for the duration of Cara’s course. The Trust provided ‘top-up’ grants to help with everyday living costs.
Cara recently passed her final exams and she is now fully qualified and working in a large hotel. Her Course Tutor praised her very highly for her determination to succeed in her studies while bringing up her daughter alone in a very loving and caring home environment.
JAMES' STORY
James was adopted as a baby, but both of his adoptive parents had died by the time he reached 17. He was determined to go into higher education and read Media Studies, but his financial circumstances were very difficult and he was enabled to do so only with support from the Trust.
James was described by his Course Tutor as "one of the hardest working, most highly motivated students I have ever taught......" After passing his final exams, James was overjoyed when he secured a full-time job on a local radio station.
JENNY'S STORY
Due to family pressures and violence in the home, Jenny attempted suicide at the age of 17 and then left home, becoming homeless and estranged from her parents.
After a period sleeping rough, she went to live in a hostel. Jenny secured a university place studying Psychology, but was afraid to accept it because of her dire financial situation. The Trust gave her assistance throughout her course.
Jenny did remarkably well in her final exams and she is now working as a junior lecturer at a college of further education. The rift with her parents is gradually healing, now that she is living independently away from the family home.
ADAL'S STORY
Adal stopped attending school at the age of 14, when he offended and was sentenced to three years’ detention at a youth treatment centre. On release from the centre, he re-offended and was sentenced to a further 8 months in prison. On his release, he lived in a hostel, as he was estranged from his family, and entered into a 12 months’ voluntary supervision order with the Probation Service.
With the support of his Probation Officer, Adal applied to the Trust for financial help to enable him to study five GCSEs, which he successfully completed, gaining grade A’s in all subjects. He went on, with the Trust’s support, to gain ‘A’ levels in Maths and Science subjects, achieving grade A’s in all subjects.
He is now at university reading Applied Science, and he is overjoyed that, after a difficult start, he has succeeded in turning his life around.
GINA'S STORY
Gina, aged 18, was taken into care when she was 13 and lived happily in the same foster home for five years, having no contact with her birth parents. She cannot speak about her experiences with her birth family and she was devastated when her foster father died unexpectedly from a heart attack.
A year later, Gina’s world fell apart, when her foster mother decided to give up fostering and moved to Scotland. Fortunately, a friend took Gina in and she subsequently moved into shared accommodation with other students. However, the experience of rejection was very disturbing for her.
Gina’s determination to succeed at her university studies in Art and Design saw her through. She has done very well in her examinations to date and is due to complete her degree course in 2007. Her Course Tutor wrote of Gina that she is very gifted academically and an excellent student. Throughout her course, the Trust is helping Gina with her maintenance costs.
SAMANTHA'S STORY
Samantha, who is estranged from her family, applied to the Trust following the withdrawal of her benefits when she turned 19. She was concerned that she would not survive financially until the end of her BTEC course without any income. Sam had had a difficult childhood. Her father was an alcoholic, while her mother had severe mental health problems. Her older sister was a heroin addict.
When she reached sixteen, unable to cope with the family situation any longer, Samantha left home and lived rough for some weeks before borrowing the money for a deposit on a bedsit and claiming the benefits to which she was entitled until the age of nineteen. The Trust helped her financially through the final year of her BTEC course and she then secured a university place studying for a BA Hons course in Computing.