Independent and Estranged Students

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Lesley Carbro

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Contents

Independent Reasons Evidence

Requirements

Overview of

Estrangement

The Role of

Estrangement

Assessors

How to Contact the

Independent Team

Q&A

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Independent

Reasons

• Estranged from both parents

• Care Leaver

• Self Supported for three years prior to

start of course

• Parents can’t be found/unable to

contacted

• Both parents deceased

• Sponsoring parent deceased

• Parents outside EU and is not practical to

contact

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Evidence Required

Reason Evidence

Parents can’t be found/Not

practical to contact

Letter from a professional person confirming:

•

Medical conditions which prevent the sponsor(s) from providing financial information and;

•

Confirmation that there is no Power of Attorney or Deputyship Order in place

Estrangement

Letter from a professional person or estrangement form confirming:

• Their relationship to the student and length of time they have known the student (usually 12 months, but we can look at

this on a case by case basis).

•

Confirmation of the student’s estrangement from both parents and when this occurred

•

Current contact levels with the student’s parents and if reconciliation is likely.

Care leaver

Letter from a local authority, social worker, or leaving care team confirming:

• The student is a care leaver

• That they were looked after by a local authority

• The dates they were in care

• That they have not returned to the care of their parent(s) prior to the first day of their AY.

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Evidence Required

Reason

Evidence

Both parents deceased

Both parents death certificates & student birth certificate. If the student is unable to provide this, we can

accept a letter from a professional person.

Contributing sponsor deceased

The death certificate of the contributing (linked) sponsor.

Parents abroad (jeopardy/not

practical)

Letter from a professional person confirming parents live outside of the EU and:

Assessment of their financial circumstances could place them in jeopardy o

r it is not reasonably practical to

contact their parents or send them money.

Self support

Three years worth of financial evidence (e.g. P60s, final payslips, HMRC statements, DWP statements)

We also need a breakdown of their employment history to ensure a full 36 months is covered, if this has not

already been provided when the student applied.

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Acceptable

Third Parties –

“Professional

Person”

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Self Support

A student can apply as independent on the basis of self support if they can provide evidence which shows they have

supported themselves for any period of 36 months before the first year of their course.

A student must be able to prove that they have earned enough to support themselves during the period in question

using income or savings acquired from employment, self employment or benefits.

Evidence we can accept (this is not exhaustive):

• P60s / Week 52/53 payslips / Month 12 payslips

• Statement of earnings from Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) / Statement of earnings from employer

• A letter from the local Job Centre Plus/Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) confirming specific periods of

any/all benefit entitlement received. Acceptable benefits: PIP, DLA, UC, ESA, JSA.

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Care Leavers

• A care leaver is someone who from any point from the age of 16 to the first day of the AY;

• has not been under the legal care of their parents,

• and for three months or more, they have been in the custody or legal care or have been given accommodation by a local authority –

including being placed in foster care.

Evidence:

• A Letter from a local authority, social worker, or leaving care team. The evidence should confirm they are in or

have left care and confirm the following:

• that they were looked after by a local authority,

• the dates they were in care and;

• that they have not returned to the care of their parent(s) prior to the first day of their AY

We are unable to grant care leaver status for students under the care of another family member, or have been in supported housing (such as

YMCA), however these students may be independent for another reason.

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Example of

third part

letter -

Evidence Care

Leaver

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Overview of Estrangement

What is Estrangement?

• The relationship between student and both

biological/adoptive parents has irreconcilably broken

down and reconciliation is highly unlikely

What is not Estrangement?

• Parents are refusing to provide financial information

• Student has moved out of the family home

Evidence Requirements

• A Complete Estrangement Declaration form

• Or a Signed and Dated Letter from a professional

Person

• The Evidence must confirm:

• The third party’s relationship to the student and the length of

time they have known them,

• Confirmation of the student’s estrangement from both parents

and when this occurred and;

• Current contact levels with the students’ parents and if

reconciliation is likely.

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Estrangement Form

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Example of

third part

letter -

Evidence

Estrangement

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Independent Status Awarded – Duration or for Academic Year

• When the student is initially awarded independent

status they will receive confirmation on a letter

confirming the Independent Reason and if this for

one 1 Academic Year or Duration of Studies.

• Estrangement may only be awarded for 1 AY if:

• The Estrangement is recent

• Reconciliation may be likely

• Standard evidence could not be provided and has been

awarded following a telephone review with an

estrangement assessor

Independent Reason Evidence Needed Every

Year?

Parents cant be found Yes

Estrangement Sometimes

Both Parents Deceased No

Sponsoring Parent

Deceased

Only get this for one year

then will move to another

independent reason or

become dependent.

Parents Outside EU Yes

Self Support No

Care Leaver No

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Independent Status Awarded

Independent status granted for the duration of studies

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Quiz time

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Would you award Estrangement Status?

POLL QUESTION

Answers:

Yes – For 1 Academic Year

Yes – For Duration of Studies

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Would you award Estrangement Status?

• In this situation we would award Estrangement Status

• There has been no contact with either parent for 12 months

• There is no chance of reconciliation

• We would award for duration of studies

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Would you award Estrangement Status?

POLL QUESTION

Answers:

Yes – For 1 Academic Year

Yes – For Duration of Studies

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Would you award Estrangement Status?

• In this situation we would not award estrangement because:

• The evidence only mentions mother and not both parents

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The Role of Estrangement Assessors

• Estrangement assessors reviewed cases for student who cant provide evidence for estrangement.

• Once a student is assigned an estrangement assessors they will stay with that student throughout their

study.

• Telephone reviews with students to award estrangement who:

• Are unable to obtain a professional person to reference their circumstances

• Have very recently become estranged and have not shared these circumstances outside of their family

• The circumstances are particularly sensitive and confidential, and therefore nobody of a professional nature is aware

• They have lost contact with the professional person who was aware of their circumstances

• A Student can be referred to an Estrangement assessors by:

• Calling our Contact Centre and explaining they cannot provide the standard evidence

• Provide a cover letter explaining they are applying for independent status but do not have standard evidence

• Emailing Estranged@slc.co.uk

The estrangement assessors do not review all estrangement cases, that vast majority will be reviewed by the independent team

using evidence provided by the student which we have covered.

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Estrangement Assessor Process

Qualifying Student is

identified and passed

to the Caseworkers.

Student can provide

standard evidence after

conversation.

Student assessed by

using evidence

received.

Caseworker emails

student to arrange a

telephone review.

Unable to provide

evidence. Decision

based of telephone

interview

If awarded will be

awarded for 1 AY.

Prompted to inform a

professional person to

provide standard

evidence following

year.

Returning customer will

always be directed back

to the caseworker to

review the application

Standard Evidence will

be requested this year

Independent Status

Awarded - Duration

Telephone review

complete. Decision is

made on awarding

Estrangement from

telephone review.

Notifies student that

independent status has

been awarded.

Sends email confirming.

Can be used for bursary

purposes at HEP.

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Customer Journey

Applies for 22/23 SFE

application as

estranged.

Passed to

estrangement

assessor

Unable to provide

evidence and rings

the Contact Centre

for advise.

Contacted from

estrangement

assessor

Completed telephone

review

Independent status

awarded for

estrangement.

Makes HEP aware of

situation

Applied again 23/24

with supporting

evidence from HEP

Rings caseworker to

make them aware

and they have their

application assessed

Independent Status

Awarded - Duration

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Contacting the

Independent

Team

• Independent_Student_Enquiries@slc.co.uk

– Inbox for complex queries, and urgent

cases, particularly sensitive cases, or to

send estrangement declaration forms which

have been unable to be signed from HEPs.

• Estranged@slc.co.uk

or 0300 100 0034 – for

referrals for qualifying students to be

assigned an estrangement assessor, or for

general queries for students who have

already been assigned an estrangement

assessor.

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Question time

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