Estrangement Full-time students 2022/23

Estrangement

Full-time students 2022/23

What is family estrangement?

Family estrangement generally means physical

and emotional distancing between family

members. Estrangement occurs when no

emotional support or parental guidance is

provided, and the relationship breaks down.

You may no longer have a relationship with

your parents, have very limited communication

with your family occasionally or have no

communication at all. This is known as family

estrangement.

Some parts of Student Finance England funding

(SFE) i.e., part of the Maintenance Loan, are

income assessed based your parent’s income if

you are under the age of 25. This means that

you are considered a dependent student and

you must provide evidence of your parent’s

income. However, if you are estranged from

your parents, there is an exception to this rule,

and your Student Finance can be assessed

against your own income as an independent

student (on the grounds of estrangement)

which normally means that you would get the

maximum amount of maintenance loan.

How can estrangement happen?

Estrangement can take many forms and be for

many different reasons; often resulting in the

relationship being irreconcilable where the

parent and child stop communication.

Estrangement might be from just one member

of the family, but can often mean

estrangement from the entire family, or even

the entire community. This can cause a number

of very difficult feelings, which may feel difficult

to manage and affect your well-being.

How can I apply to be assessed as an

independent student due to estrangement?

If you are claiming independent status on the

basis of estrangement, SFE consider you as

being estranged if you can demonstrate that

you are ‘irreconcilably estranged’ from your

parents on or before the 1st day of the

academic year for which you are applying for

funding.

And/or

you have had no contact with your parents for

a period of one year on or before the 1st day of

the academic year for which you are applying

for student funding

you can demonstrate in another way that you

are irreconcilably estranged from your parents.

This means that for the short to medium term

you don’t see that you will be able to resume

your relationship with your parents. It’s more

about the likelihood of the situation being

irreconcilable than the actual period of

estrangement.

However, if you become estranged during an

academic year, it may still be possible for SFE to

accept that you have become estranged.

Contact Student Advice to discuss your

circumstances if this happens.

Please bear in mind that if you normally live

with one parent only and you become

estranged from that parent, SFE will expect you

to also have no contact with your other parent

in order to be assessed as an independent

student and they will require evidence of this.

The Student Finance England Process of

Applying as an Estranged Student

• Student applies for funding and

indicates estrangement

• Estrangement declaration form

available on student's account to

download and complete

• Student passes estrangement

declaration form to a third party to

complete

• Third party completes form and returns

it to the student

• Student sends form to Student Finance

England and case is passed to the

Independent team – you can also

upload your scanned form to your SFE

online account via the Digital Upload

section

• Independent team review form and if

acceptable re-assess the student's

application

• If form is not acceptable an email will be

sent to the student detailing why and if

applicable, requesting further evidence

• A revised notification letter is then

automatically sent, and a manual letter

issued to confirm that estrangement has

been awarded

In place of the estrangement declaration form,

Student Finance England can also accept a

letter from an independent third party

confirming:

• Their relationship to the student and

the length of time they have known the

student

• The reasons for estrangement from

both parents and when this occurred

• Current contact levels and if

reconciliation is likely with both parents

If you do not have third party evidence of your

estrangement, a case worker / telephone

appointment route may be offered by SFE.

Once you have been assessed as estranged by

SFE, you will receive an email confirming you

have been awarded independent status on the

grounds of estrangement. The email should

have an attachment PDF letter confirming your

status and you can also present this letter when

you apply for the university Estranged Students

Bursary. Keep your letter somewhere safe.

* Please note – if you would like a copy of the

SFE Declaration of Estrangement form, you can

also email us requesting this

studentadvice@westminster.ac.uk

What evidence should I give to SFE?

SFE will require confirmation of the

estrangement from a professional person

outside your family who knows about your

circumstances, for example a Teacher or Social

Worker, Doctor, Counsellor, Housing Support

Worker, Police or Student Welfare/Adviser at

College/School. Student Finance England need

to build a picture of your family estrangement.

They can either complete the Estrangement

Declaration Form or provide a letter.

However, often students who are estranged

from their parents have not had any contact

with a professional person in relation to the

estrangement, so it can be very difficult to get

such a letter. You can also submit alternative

documents such as a Court Order, forced

marriage or FGM order

Students sometimes ask someone who knows

their situation and is not a member of the

family to provide a letter although this is often

less effective than the supporting letter from a

professional person.

The supporting document should be on headed

paper, if possible and the person must normally

have historic knowledge of your situation as

well as being able to verify that you have not

had any contact with your parents for a

substantial period, or they should be able to

confirm details of any recent estrangement.

You should not be expected to provide any

statement that would compromise your

personal safety or in doing so if it would

present significant harm to your emotional

wellbeing. Student Finance England assessors

will look at cases on an individual basis.

If you have difficulty in providing robust

evidence as described above, SFE can contact

you directly to discuss and help you to review

other possibilities. If you are contacted by SFE,

you will be given a named Estrangement

Assessor who will be a consistent point of

contact. If no or minimal evidence of

estrangement can be sourced, a telephone

review will be arranged at a convenient time to

enable SFE to make their assessment.

What information should I include on my SFE

Estrangement Declaration Form?

You will need to explain the nature of your

individual estrangement on this form. This does

not mean that you are saying you will never be

able to resume your relationship with your

parents, it is just saying that you don't currently

have contact with them, and don't expect to for

the foreseeable future. SFE will not show this

form to your parents.

You should mention on your form the

circumstances that led to the estrangement,

when this happened, how it happened i.e., did

you move out and if so where did you go etc.

Mention your situation now (e.g., do you have

any contact with your parents at all, if so, how

often and by what means – phone/email/in

person) and why you feel that the situation is

now irreconcilable.

If you find this process difficult, a Student

Adviser can offer help and guidance with doing

this.

Am I required to prove my estrangement

every year?

Students who have a telephone review to

confirm their estrangement (i.e., who were

unable to provide full third-party evidence) will

be contacted in the following academic year to

seek any updated evidence. If this is the case

and you are unable to provide further evidence

of estrangement in the subsequent academic

year of your course, you will be contacted again

to confirm your circumstances through another

telephone review.

Other students who can provide evidence, will

be asked to complete a Declaration of

Estrangement form each academic year and

have this signed by a professional who can

confirm continued estrangement.

SFE Confirmation Letter of Estrangement

You should automatically receive an email

attached letter confirming estrangement from

SFE. You can also request a letter confirming

that you have been assessed as independent on

the grounds of being estranged by ringing SFE

on 0300 100 0607. SFE staff will then refer your

query to the Independent team in order to

process your letter within a few days. Once

received, you can use this letter as evidence of

estrangement when applying for the university

Estranged Students Bursary.

(See example letter at the end)

What should I do if my Student Finance

application has been refused?

Please contact Student Advice as soon as

possible. An Adviser can help you appeal

against the decision or request a reassessment.

You may be required to submit further, more

detailed evidence.

Is there any financial support for estranged

students from the University of Westminster?

The University of Westminster is committed to

supporting estranged students and recognises

that the transition to university and becoming a

student can be challenging, especially as an

estranged student. Consequently, if you are

identified by SFE as being estranged, you may

be eligible for the university Estranged Students

Bursary of £1,000 each academic year. You can

apply after you have enrolled on your course.

You must provide SFE evidence that you have

been assessed as estranged – an SFE letter or

email confirmation of this is acceptable.

If you think you may be eligible, please contact

the university Student Funding team for an

application form

studentfunding@westminster.ac.uk

T: 020 3506 6989

What other help and support is available from

the university?

The University of Westminster recognises that

the transition to university and becoming a

student can also be an exciting prospect but

may sometimes be challenging for young

people studying without the support and

approval of a family network.

You can read about detailed support offered by

the university here;

www.westminster.ac.uk/study/current-

students/support-and-facilities/student-

advice/support-for-estranged-students

Westminster Living Expenses Support Scheme

(LESS)

The university offers additional support to

students who are experiencing financial

hardship through the Westminster Living

Expenses Support Scheme. This is a non-

repayable grant and applications are means

tested. Estranged students are given priority

when applying to this fund.

You can read about detailed support offered by

the university here;

www.westminster.ac.uk/study/prospective-

students/fees-and-funding/undergraduate-

student-funding/living-expenses-support-

scheme-less

Unite Foundation Accommodation

Scholarship –

The University of Westminster is delighted

to have a partnership with the Unite

Foundation. Each year, Unite offers several

full accommodation scholarships for Care

Leavers and Estranged students to live in

Unite Hall accommodation for the duration

of their course. Applications close 8 June

2022 for the academic year 2022/23.

An opportunity not to be missed!

For detailed Information & Guidance and

also the application form, please see;

https://thisisusatuni.org/unite-foundation-

scholarship/

Or Contact:

E: studentfunding@westminster.ac.uk

T: 020 7911 5000 ext. 66989

Career and Employability Service

The University Careers team is here to help you

find the right job, choose a fruitful career, or

enhance your employability while at the

University of Westminster. They provide help

with searching for vacancies, drafting job

applications, preparing for interviews, and

finding volunteering opportunities. They also

offer advice and guidance in relation to

choosing a career path, finding job

opportunities, writing CVs, completing

application forms, preparing for interviews, and

preparing for psychometric testing.

The Career and Employability Service also

offers a valuable Mentoring programme. A

mentor facilitates personal and professional

growth in an individual by sharing the

knowledge and insights that have been learned

through the years. Simply put, mentors are

people who help others to succeed. Our

schemes are designed to widen the aspirations

and enhance the personal effectiveness of

students. With the help of mentors as role

models, students can build a solid foundation

of skills from which to launch a variety of

successful careers.

Priority is given to Care Leavers and you find

out more about this by contacting Janet

Willoughby, Careers Consultant;

E: J.Willoughby@westminster.ac.uk

T: 020 7911 5184

Student Accommodation

The university student accommodation office

can offer priority Hall accommodation for

estranged students which can be all year round

(including vacation periods) and for the

duration of your course.

Please contact E:

studentaccommodation@westminster.ac.uk

T: 020 7911 5817

The Academic Learning Development Centre

Aims to support you in your learning and

academic development. Their role is to help

you reach your academic potential. The centre

offers one-to-one academic skills tutorials and

workshops in a number of areas, like essay

writing, presentations, and critical thinking.

You can read about detailed support offered by

the university here;

www.westminster.ac.uk/study/current-

students/support-and-facilities/academic-

learning-development

Free Interview Clothes

If you are attending job interviews, you may be

aware that appropriate interview clothes are

essential but can be costly. The university has

collaborated with several organisations who

provide free interview clothes and aim to

empower clients to achieve economic

independence by providing a

network of support, professional attire, and the

development tools to help clients thrive in work

and in life. You will need to provide evidence of

your interview in order to be referred.

If you would like a referral to one of these

organisations, please contact: Janet

Willoughby, Careers Consultant;

E: J.Willoughby@westminster.ac.uk

T: 020 7911 5184

The organisations we collaborate with are;

Smart Works (for women)

www.smartworks.org.uk

Suited & Booted (for men)

www.suitedbootedcentre.org.uk

Student Advice Service

For information and assistance with applying

for Student Finance as an independent student

on the basis of estrangement and information

about the university Estranged Students

Bursary of £1,000 p.a.

Please contact: E:

studentadvice@westminster.ac.uk

T: 020 7911 5000 Ext 66080

Student Funding Department

For information and application forms for the

university Estranged Students Bursary of £1,000

p.a and the university Hardship Fund called

Living Expenses Support Scheme (LESS) You

may be eligible to apply for both funds.

Please contact: E:

studentfunding@westminster.ac.uk

T: 020 3506 6989

Counselling Service

For personal and emotional support in order to

help you deal with the difficulties that

estrangement can cause, you may find it

helpful to talk confidentially to the university

Counselling Service.

Please contact: E:

counselling@westminster.ac.uk

T: 020 7911 5000 Ext 6689

Standalone

Standalone is a charity that supports people of

any age who are estranged from their family.

They can offer guidance and support around

issues such as finding accommodation and

applying for Student Finance as an independent

student.

Standalone run meet-up groups, therapeutic

groups, and a mentor programme to connect

people for ongoing emotional support. They

also have an online support group for students

where you can meet others in the same

situation and talk about your experience of

student life without a family network.

You can join this group via their website

www.standalone.org.uk

Note

Please keep in mind that you cannot claim

independent status just because you don’t get

on with your parents or have had a

disagreement with them or because you don’t

live with them, or because your parents don’t

want to give details of their income to SFE, or

they refuse to provide financial support to you.

You must be estranged in accordance with the

guidelines above.

External Funding - Grants (these don’t need to

be repaid)

Some organisations help young people in need by awarding

grants. Read websites carefully for full eligibility details before

applying. Usually, grants are made if you have tried all other

options.

Buttle UK

Awards grants of up to £2,000

to estranged young people

aged 16-20 for support with

education, employment, and

training, setting up home, and

improving emotional and

physical wellbeing.

Applications should be made

by statutory or voluntary

organisations on your behalf.

www.buttleUK.org

Lawrence Atwell’s

Charity

Awards grants of £100-£1,500

to young people aged 16-26 to help with training courses,

including buying equipment, living expenses during the course

and fees for tuition, enrolment, or exams.

https://www.skinners.org.uk/atwell/

The Prince’s Trust

Awards grants for young people aged 17-25, working fewer

than 16 hours, or in education for fewer than 14 hours per

week, to help with getting into work, education, or training;

loans are also on offer to help you start a business.

www.princes-trust.org.uk

Turn2Us

Is a grant search tool. Enter your postcode for info on grants

you could apply for.

www.turn2us.org.uk

Family Action Educational Grants

www.family-action.org.uk/what-we-do/grants/educational-grants/

The Mary Trevelyan Hardship Fund

https://www.ish.org.uk/financial-support/

Struggling to pay utility bills?

Some major providers have debt relief funds. See which ones,

and how to apply at

http://www.charisgrants.com/

Student Advice also has a book ‘The Guide to Educational

Grants’ and you are welcome to book an appointment to look

through this.

Feb22/AMG

EXAMPLE LETTER OF SFE ESTRANGED STATUS