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CPD: An Introduction to Supporting Estranged Students - Southern Universities Network CPD: An Introduction to Supporting Estranged Students - Southern Universities Network

Lesson 1.2: What is Estrangement?

Estrangement

The definition for an irreconcilable breakdown in the relationship with one or more family members. The estrangement can be from one or both parents and/or another family member. This might be their biological, step or adoptive parents, or possibly wider family members who have been involved in their care. There is no involvement of a local authority/corporate parent.

Care Leaver

This term includes all students who are recognised by their local authority as a care leaver and as such are eligible for statutory support. 

Kinship

The definition for a child/young person who lives full time with a relative who is not their parent e.g. aunt/uncle, grandparents, older siblings, etc.

Care Experienced

This definition includes all students who can be reasonably verified as having been in care at any stage up to the age of 18 but are not always recognised as care leavers. Includes those who were adopted (from care) before the age of 18. 

Formal Kinship care

This refers to being ‘Looked after’ by the local authority and placed with kinship foster carers.

Informal Kinship care

This term means there is no local authority involvement. The individual has usually chosen to live with their relative.

Key thing to note here is that there are three groups, these are kinship care, statutory care and estranged.

Care experienced is the umbrella term in referencing any young person who is or has been in local authority care.

Estranged or estrangement is usually informal and not supported by any statutory body or local authority. However, there can be cross over between care experienced and estrangement.

When talking about care experienced young people and estranged young people it can get a little bit confusing with where the differences and cross overs lie. Below is a brief explanation of the overlaps between care experienced and estranged students:

Formal kinship – there is no cross over with estranged students when the arrangement is formalised. This is because the kinship arrangement will have gone through the state system therefore the student would be classed as care experienced. Instead of being in state foster care, they are living with family who are acting as the foster carer.
Informal kinship – this is where the young person is being looked after by family/friends but this is not formally arranged by the state or local authority. There is some cross over with estranged students. They may be estranged from their parents but not the rest of their family.
Statutory care leavers come under the care experienced group. To be considered a statutory care leaver the young person must have been in formal care 13 weeks after the age of 14 but also should still be in care up until the day of their 16th birthday. On the day of their 16th birthday, they would have to have been in care for at least 13 weeks to be a statutory care leaver. Policy definition is that estranged young people are not statutory care leavers
Those who have been in care but are not statutory care leavers these young people can be classed as estranged if they still do not have a relationship with their parents but have left the care system before they become eligible to be classed as a statutory care leaver.

CPD: An Introduction to Supporting Estranged Students

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