In this blog post, Michelle King-Okoye, Lecturer in Nursing Studies and co-director at the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships, along with Aigli Raouna, former Clinical Psychology PhD student, Joanna Alexjuk, a Lecturer in Counselling, Psychotherapy and Applied Social Science (CPASS), Mathilde Lotteau, second year PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology, Liam Gilchrist, second year PhD candidate studying Health in Social Science, and Magdalene Effiong, a former undergraduate student at the time of the study, highlight the experiences and challenges faced by student carers through their own personal stories. It introduces and celebrates the newly established Ambassador Scheme aimed at raising awareness and providing necessary support for student carers, showcasing their active involvement and the positive impacts of community engagement efforts. This post belongs to the Oct-Nov Learning & Teaching Enhancement theme: Engaging and Empowering Learning at The University of Edinburgh

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Student carers, as defined by Carers Trust (2024), are students who care, unpaid for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support, alongside their studies.

But what is it like for students who are caring for a loved one? Are there enough support systems in place to help them with their academic journeys?

In a recent research project led by Michelle and Aigli (see our previous blog: Students with caring responsibilities), we sought to explore the experiences of student carers from the School of Health in Social Science, asking these, among others, questions, and gaining their insights into their support needs. As part of the project, some students volunteered to participate in a support video to increase the visibility of this student group. Through this and other impact activities, students became motivated to get involved in the Ambassador Scheme and Buddy Support Group, conceptualised by Dr Michelle King-Okoye who provided support to Student Carer Ambassadors towards establishing the community group. In this blog, we are excited to introduce you to the Ambassadors through their own words, representing students from both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at the School of Health in Social Science. Let’s meet the Ambassadors Mathilde Lotteau shares her experience being a student carer and how she contributed to the awareness video. This experience changed her perceptions of the way she viewed herself, and coupled with the support she received, this encouraged her to step forward as an Ambassador for the Community Group for Student Carers. Mathilde was supported towards applying for a student led Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) grant, which was successful enabling her and the other ambassadors to move forward with this initiative.

I became a carer unexpectedly, when my brother started showing signs of a psychiatric condition. It may seem surprising, but at first it is not my brother whom I supported the most, it was our parents. No one in our family ever suffered from a psychiatric disorder, so the situation took us by surprise, and we had to adapt fast, with almost no information on what was going on with my brother. I was doing my master’s degree in clinical psychology back then, so I tried my best to use my knowledge to understand what was happening and assess the reliability of the information our parents would find online.

 Read more here

Liam Gilchrist stated that being part of co-producing the student carers’ video inspired him to become an ambassador.

There are many reasons that led me to taking on caring responsibilities while studying for my PhD at the university. It happened partly by chance, when the council housed my granny within the area of Edinburgh which I live in. I am the only family member who still lives in the city, so naturally ended up welcoming and supporting her to settle into a new life back in Scotland. Looking back over this moment in March 2020 I can see that it changed my life, but in the midst of a global pandemic and frequent lockdowns, it felt more like turning a street corner and running into a dear friend.

 Read more here Magdalene Effiong highlighted that participating in the support video made her first aware that she was a student carer and motivated her to be an ambassador to increase awareness across student communities.

Returning to education as a parent or at an older age, especially in a foreign country without extended family support, presents significant challenges. Balancing caregiving responsibilities with academic pursuits is daunting, particularly when family, work, and school life intersect. Since embarking on my degree, I’ve grappled with feelings of isolation, compounded by caring for my daughter, who requires round-the-clock assistance due to additional support needs. Prioritising her needs often meant sacrificing lectures or missing deadlines, but my daughter’s well-being always took precedence.

 Read more here A key aspect of the Ambassador Scheme is for ambassadors to engage with EDI committee members and the Director of Teaching and Learning to communicate the ongoing needs of student carers so that their voices can be heard and tailored support provided. We also envisage that continued support and renumeration would be offered to these students with these identified roles. The ambassadors would also act as role models for carers to pursue their educational goals knowing that they will be supported on their journey. Engaging with carers organisations, lobbying for continued resources and identifying incentives are instrumental to maintaining the Community Group for Student Carers.

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Michelle King-okoye

Dr Michelle King-Okoye is a lecturer in Nursing Studies at the School of Health in Social Science, and co-director at the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships, The University of Edinburgh (currently on extended leave). Michelle has an interest in widening participation and increasing diversity for students. She also enjoys utilising innovative and novel teaching/learning activities at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

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Aigli Raouna

Dr Aigli Raouna (she/her) is a former Clinical Psychology PhD student at the School of Health in Social Science (HiSS). Her research explored intergenerational pathways of risk and resilience during the perinatal period in the context of clinical and subclinical mood disorder symptoms. She is the founder of Research Bow, a PGR blog at HiSS. Twitter: @AigliR

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E. Joanna Alexjuk

Dr. E. Joanna Alexjuk is a Lecturer in Counselling, Psychotherapy and Applied Social Science (CPASS), within the School of Health in Social Science (HiSS), undertaking numerous roles including Depute Programme Director / Academic Cohort Lead of the MA Health in Social Science Programme; former Co-Lead CPASS Ethics Research, and Integrity Committee; Co-ordinator of Adjustments for HiSS.

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Mathilde Lotteau

Mathilde Lotteau is a second year PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology. She is studying individual adaptation in families after an adolescent obtains a diagnosis of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. She believes a disability affects the individual and their closest relatives and has had personal experience with a disability as she has suffered from migraines since childhood, which has made her studies challenging enough. In her spare time, Mathilde is keen on all sort of crafting and artistic activities, cooking and reading and more than happy to provide 1:1 information about the Student Carer Community Group. Contact: Mathilde Lotteau: m.j.lotteau@sms.ed.ac.uk

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Liam Gilchrist

Liam Gilchrist is a 2^nd year PhD candidate studying Health in Social Science at The University of Edinburgh. His research looks at how co-creating research together with groups living with health needs can empower communities whose voices have been excluded and challenge health inequalities. He is also a musician & music producer who is currently learning to play the saxophone.

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Magdalene Effiong

Magdalene Effiong is a former undergraduate student at the time of the study. She is also a mother of three wonderful children and serves as a full-time carer for her youngest daughter who has a learning disability. In her spare time, Magdalene enjoys cooking, spending quality time with her family, and taking nature walks. Volunteering is another passion of hers, particularly helping those with additional support needs. By giving back to her community, Magdalene believes she can make a positive impact on the lives of others who may be facing similar challenges.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

A special thanks to Vito Vitacca for the video production and editing.