Sheffield Hallam University’s outreach and student support teams have received an award for their work to support student carers. 

The team received the ‘Caring for Carers’ award during a ceremony at the Lord Mayor’s Parlour in the Town Hall as part of Carers Week, an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges that carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK.

The award was presented by the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Denise Fox.

Sheffield Hallam’s teams were nominated jointly with the University of Sheffield by the charity Sheffield Young Carers for the initiatives both universities have put in place to enable young carers to access higher education and support student carers once they get to university.

The event was also attended by a number of adult carers from across the city who had nominated professionals who had made a special difference to their lives.

There are 443 students currently studying at Sheffield Hallam who have been identified as having caring responsibilities. The most common issues raised by students are balancing finances and securing placements, alongside their caring role.

Jess Inglis, Learner Enhancement Manager in the Student Transition and Progression team, who collected the award for Sheffield Hallam, said: “We are very proud to have received this award and to be recognised for the support we offer to carers.

“Being nominated alongside The University of Sheffield for both our outreach activities and the on-course support we provide to carers really highlights the collaborative way in which we work across the institutions and the city to support students with caring responsibilities.

“Our outreach and widening participation team recognise that young carers can face a particular set of challenges which mean that university might seem unobtainable to them.

“The work we do aims to raise their aspirations and show them that it is achievable and then demonstrate the tailored support that is available once they are studying here.

“Hearing from carers at the awards ceremony about the challenges they face and the massive difference that timely support can make has really inspired us to continue to develop and improve our services to student carers.”

Sheffield Hallam University has also been recognised as a Carer Friendly University by Carers UK. You can find out more about the support available to carers at Sheffield Hallam here and on our dedicated blog page.