Corporate Parenting Plan 2026-2029

QMU is committed to widening participation amongst students who may require more support to thrive in Higher Education for social, economic or cultural reasons; and has long striven to provide a supportive and inclusive environment for care experienced people to progress on to and successfully complete a university degree.

Our Recruitment and Outreach (R&O) team seeks to increase student numbers from non-traditional groups, including those that are first generation to go to Higher Education; from low progression schools; reside in communities in the lowest 20% of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (MD20); articulating students from Scotland’s Colleges, and those who are care experienced.

Pre-entry, the University aims to ensure that those with experience of care are fully informed about courses, admissions procedures and the student experience to enable them to make informed choices. Our care experienced students coming from college have the option to take part in Direct Entrant Induction Week, and all care experienced students have priority access to a range of services such as QM Advance (induction programme) as well as study skills, well-being, accommodation and financial support.

Furthermore, we have a dedicated member of our Student Services team to lead on our support for members of QMCares, our group for students with care experience, those estranged from their families and student carers - demonstrating the University’s ongoing commitment to ensuring successful outcomes for our care experienced students.

We are active partners in the HUB for SUCCESS, CEECEF, East Lothian Council’s Corporate Parenting Board and in recent years have worked closely with Who Cares? Scotland and East Lothian’s Champions Board to support care experienced applicants and entrants to QMU.

My experience at QMU has completely transformed my life... QMU are totally invested in helping students be all they can be. At last, I have found people who believe in me, so I can start believing in myself

QMU Graduate, BSc (Hons) Podiatry

What is Corporate Parenting?

Queen Margaret University is a Corporate Parent as defined by the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 (herein referred to as 'the Act').

A corporate parent is an organisation or individual who has special responsibilities for care experienced young people. Corporate parenting responsibilities extend to all care experienced children and young people aged from birth to when they cease to be looked after.

This includes children and young people who are:

in residential care
in foster care
in kinship care
in secure care
looked after at home with social work involvement
care leavers who were looked after on their 16th birthday (or subsequently)

What are Corporate Parenting duties?

Corporate parents have many of the same roles as parents. Corporate parents should do as much as they can to make sure children and young people feel in control of their lives and able to overcome the barriers they face. Section 58 of the Act outlines the following six statutory duties:

To be alert to matters which, or which might, adversely affect the wellbeing of a care-experienced individual
Assess the needs of care experienced young people for any services or support provided
Promote the interests of this group of young people
Seek to provide care experienced young people with opportunities to promote their wellbeing
Take appropriate action to ensure care experienced young people can access opportunities and make use of services available to them
To review, evaluate and improve our practice and procedures to Corporate Parenting
To collaborate with other Corporate Parents when exercising corporate parenting responsibilities.

An infographic representing the Corporate Parenting Implementation plan. 6 segments surround a circle labelled 'Section 58'. The segments are labelled clockwise as: Alert, Assess, Promote, Opportunities, Access, and Improve.

Why do we need a Corporate Parenting Plan?

As a Corporate Parent, QMU is committed to working towards the National Ambition for Care Experienced Students set by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) ‘for there to be equal outcomes between care experienced students and their peers by 2030’.

We know care experienced children and young people can achieve brilliant successes and positive outcomes but sometimes those with care experience need a bit more support to thrive.

Scottish Government 2024 data indicates:

School leavers

Leaver stage:	65.6% of looked after school leavers stayed on in S5 or later This is down from 68.3% in 2021/22 Compared with 85.6% of all leavers in 2022/23
Leaver attainment:	75.7% of looked after leavers with 1 or more qualification at SCQF level 4 or better This is down from 78.3% in 2021/22 Compared with 96.0% of all leavers in 2022/23
Leaver destinations:	86.4% of looked after leavers were in a positive initial destination This is up from 84.8% in 2021/22 Compared with 95.9% of all leavers in 2022/23 71.1% of looked after leavers were in a positive follow-up destination This is up from 70.4% in 2021/22 Compared with 92.8% of all leavers in 2022/23

Leaver stage:

65.6% of looked after school leavers stayed on in S5 or later

This is down from 68.3% in 2021/22
Compared with 85.6% of all leavers in 2022/23

Leaver attainment:

75.7% of looked after leavers with 1 or more qualification at SCQF level 4 or better

This is down from 78.3% in 2021/22
Compared with 96.0% of all leavers in 2022/23

Leaver destinations:

86.4% of looked after leavers were in a positive initial destination

This is up from 84.8% in 2021/22
Compared with 95.9% of all leavers in 2022/23

71.1% of looked after leavers were in a positive follow-up destination

This is up from 70.4% in 2021/22
Compared with 92.8% of all leavers in 2022/23

Attendance and exclusions

Children looked after within the year had an 84.4% attendance rate. This is down from 87.9% in 2020/21 and compares to 90.2% of all pupils in 2022/23.
The exclusion rate for pupils looked after within the year has risen for the first time in 12 years, and is almost six times the rate for all pupils (which has also risen) in 2022/23.

Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels (ACEL)

A lower proportion of looked after pupils achieve Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) levels relevant to their stage compared with all pupils.

The largest gaps between looked after pupils and all pupils are in:

numeracy and writing in P7 (33.6 and 32.9 percentage points respectively)
numeracy and writing in P4 (31.2 and 29.1 percentage points respectively)
and numeracy in S3 (29.1 percentage points)

Source: Education Outcomes for Looked After Children 2022/23

At QMU we firmly believe that with the right support from corporate parents, more care experienced children and young people can achieve their full potential.

How has this plan been developed?

The Queen Margaret University Corporate Parenting Plan 2026-2029 is ambitious and has been developed in partnership with key agencies such as The Hub for Success and members of QM Cares - ensuring the student voice and lived experience underpins our ongoing commitment to Corporate Parenting.

In 2025/26, we conducted a series of formal and informal student surveys and hosted on-campus workshops with student members of QM Cares, as well as student ambassadors from The Hub for Success. In addition, following a Corporate Parenting training session, we captured input from Professional Services staff to inform our Corporate Parenting Action Plan 2026-2029.

We are committed to ensuring these voices will continue to set the agenda for Corporate Parenting at QMU, reflecting our commitment to keep The Promise. The Promise Scotland is responsible for driving the work of change demanded by the findings of the Independent Care Review, undertaken from 2017 to 2020, which gave voice to over 500 people with lived experience of the care system, including young people, families and carers, as well as professionals working in the care system.

The Promise Scotland Logo

Students with Care Experience at QMU

We have been humbled in recent years by the number of care experienced students who choose to study at QMU, and we are committed to ensuring they receive the student experience they so richly deserve.

The following table shows the number of students at both undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) level of study who indicate they have care experience.

Table 1. Data showing cumulative number of students with care experience at QMU
Year / Level of Study	2023/24	2024/25	2025/26
Undergraduate (UG)	70	54	62
Postgraduate (PG)	13	19	21
Total	83	73	83

Corporate Parenting Action Plan 2025-28

As a Corporate Parent, QMU aims to provide an environment where an individual’s needs are met at all stages of the student journey.

Our Corporate Parenting Action Plan 2026-2029 is aligned to the University’s Strategic Plan, with an over-arching strategic aim of becoming a sector leader in access for students from under-represented groups in our communities. The plan also aligns with the University’s Widening Access and Participation Strategy that sets out our vision for ensuring students of all backgrounds see QMU as a University for them, where they are supported to succeed and thrive, and are enabled to pursue fulfilling and rewarding careers that benefit themselves and wider society.

The following tables detail the University’s three-year plan for fulfilling our role as a Corporate Parent. For ease of reference, the plan is divided into four sections:

Pre-Application Advice, Guidance and Promotion
Application and Admissions Process
On Course Support and Promoting Awareness within QMU
External Partnership Work

Within each section, we describe, in turn:

Our core actions
Aims and Outcomes
Where these actions and their outcomes relate to the specific responsibilities laid out in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014
When each action will be completed and reviewed

In line with recommendations in the Children and Young People (Scotland) 2014 Act, our Corporate Parenting Plan will be kept under continual review, and we will ensure it is aligned with national and international policy drivers.

This Corporate Parenting Plan is referenced in our latest Outcome Agreement with the SFC, and we will report on progress in our Care Experienced provision via the Outcome Agreement. The plan will be reviewed and reported on annually.

Corporate Parenting is as great a privilege as it is a responsibility. As Corporate Parents, we must ensure that the ways in which we work, independently and in partnership, enhance the wellbeing and outcomes achieved by our care experienced students

Sir Paul Grice, Principal and Vice Chancellor, Queen Margaret University

Action 1.1 Targeting of those with experience of care within QMU Widening Participation, Recruitment and Conversion activity

Activity	Duty / Duties	Date
1.1.1 Schools Programme Each year R&O support more than 7500 P7 to S6 students (and their families and advisers) via our programme of school engagements, detailed in the annual Outreach Operational Plan, and our partnership work with the Schools for Higher Education Programme (SHEP). SHEP supports regional collaboration between schools, colleges and universities to increase progression to higher education in both colleges and universities and eligibility for the programme of support includes care experience. The programme supports schools in each region where less than 22% of pupils progress to higher education. The majority of this work is delivered via our partnership with our local SHEP agency, the Lothian Equal Access Programme for Schools (LEAPS) who work with the 73 high schools across Edinburgh, Lothians, Borders and Forth Valley. In addition to our work with LEAPS, we have developed QMU specific programmes of engagement that prioritise opportunities for care experienced young people. Between 2025 and 2028 we will continue to ensure those with experience of care are prioritised in QMUs outreach and engagement work with schools. Colleagues from R&O, Student Services, and Admissions teams will display Who Cares? Scotland badges/lanyards whilst attending school events/liaising with applicants/students to demonstrate our on-going support for the care experienced community.	‘Be alert’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing
1.1.2 Hub for Success - Learning Explorers In 2026, we will continue to support delivery of the Hub for Success, Learning Explorers project, aimed at increasing awareness of care experience and HE/FE post-school options amongst P7 pupils attending selected Edinburgh and Lothians Primary Schools with a significant population of care experienced pupils - the programme also engages parents/guardians and employs a care experienced student ambassador.	‘Be alert’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Annual March to May 2026 March to May 2027 March to May 2028
1.1.3 Health Fest Health Fest is our annual subject and career exploration event for LEAPS-eligible senior phase pupils interested in studying Nursing, Paramedic Science and the Allied Health Professions. The programme aims to provide experience of studying these subjects and give an opportunity for pupils to gain more insight into the related career, as well as providing experience to reflect on as part of a UCAS personal statement.	‘Be alert’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Annual June 2026 June 2027 June 2028
1.1.4 Enhanced Learning Tutoring Initiative (ELTI) In response to the educational challenges faced by young people due to COVID-19, we have developed our Enhanced Learning Tutoring Initiative (ELTI) which, since January 2021, has provided graduate-led 1-2-1 and/or small group tutoring to over 2000 disadvantaged young people in 4th - 6th year attending High Schools in East Lothian and Midlothian. ELTI targets care experienced pupils and delivers the programme within partner schools and in-community settings.	‘Be alert’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	January 2026 to June 2026
1.1.5 Further schools visits and engagement In addition to the coordination of the above Schools Programmes, staff and students regularly visit schools across the east of Scotland, providing information sessions about QMU and our courses, as well as guidance on subjects such as the UCAS application process. At these events, staff and students often meet with care experienced pupils and/or guidance staff with responsibility for supporting pupils with care experience, enabling us to highlight the support offered via QMCares at QMU. Staff and students undertaking such activity to be encouraged to display a Who Cares? Scotland badge/lanyard to demonstrate our on-going support for the care experienced community. In addition, R&O staff visiting schools, should encourage young people and parents/carers to make early contact with Disability Service to ensure continuation of support plans.	‘Be alert’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing
1.1.6 Colleges Programme QMU’s College Partnership Manager maintains regular contact with relevant operational and senior staff within the college sector and during the UCAS application cycle, attends HE Fairs at colleges throughout Scotland, promoting progression opportunities and highlighting QMCares support in place at QMU. In addition, the College Partnership Manager develops and delivers a series of programmes aimed at supporting the transition and induction of target students joining QMU from our partner colleges. Staff and students undertaking college engagement activity to be encouraged to display a Who Cares? Scotland badge/lanyard to demonstrate our on-going support for the care experienced community.	‘Be alert’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing
1.1.7 Coming from College Week All our new care experienced Direct Entrants (students entering year 2, 3 or 4 of an undergraduate degree) have priority access to our dedicated induction programme. The programme is designed as a response to feedback from Direct Entrants collected over a number of years and is an invaluable opportunity to: Meeting key members of staff Meeting your fellow Direct Entrants Finding out from current Direct Entrants what QMU is really like Finding your way around campus Finding out about your timetable Getting to use the library and QMU's electronic resources and develop your academic skills while learning how to write a piece of university-level work	‘Be alert’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Annual September 2026 September 2027 September 2028
1.1.8 QM Advance Care experienced students have priority access to this course, which helps new first year students to ease their way into life and study just before the first semester officially commences. QMAdvance has been designed to give participants the opportunity to meet and spend time getting to know other new students who have also come to QMU via an access course, another course at a college or straight from employment. The course aims to ensure that participants feel confident in their abilities while giving early access to a range of key services and staff. The course takes place over 3 days, just before the start of semester each year.	‘Be alert’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Annual September 2026 September 2027 September 2028
1.1.9 Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP) We will continue to work closely with SWAP colleagues to ensure that SWAP applicant and entrants with experience of care are made aware of the QMCares support provision in place at QMU. This effective partnership ensures continuity of support for those with experience of care looking to continue their learner journey as mature students.	‘Be alert’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess Needs’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing
1.1.10 QMCares Leaflet and Newsletter Dedicated leaflet and newsletter detailing information on support provision at QMU for students with care experience, as well as contact details for the named contact at QMU. This leaflet and newsletter is widely available to teachers, LA & third sector contacts and distributed at Open Days, College HE events, UCAS Fairs etc. Leaflet was updated in 2024 - reviewed in 2026.	‘Be alert’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing Reviewed and updated annually
1.1.11 Care Leavers & Care Experienced Students Webpage A dedicated Care Leavers and Care Experienced Students webpage, which details support for care leavers and students with care experience will be reviewed and updated annually.	‘Be alert’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing Reviewed and updated annually
1.1.12 QMCares Webpage In partnership with student members of QMCares, we established a new QMCares landing page, which will be reviewed and updated annually.	‘Be alert’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing Reviewed and updated annually
1.1.13 Prospectus Support for those with care experience mentioned explicitly within QMU Prospectus, including contextual admissions alongside information about QMCares.	‘Be alert’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing Reviewed and updated annually
1.1.14 Open Days / Offer Holder Days Face to face guidance for care experience applicants and visitors from QMCares, R&O and other Student Services staff.	‘Help access’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’	Annually

2.1 Contextualised Admission for all applicants with care experience

Activity	Duty / Duties	Date
2.1.1 Offer/Interview Guarantee QMU guarantees to make an offer of admission, or an offer of an interview or audition to any care experienced student who has the potential to meet the ‘minimum’ entry requirements for a programme. While we will try wherever possible to guarantee applicants either an interview or a place on the specific course they have applied to, this will not be possible in every circumstance. If we cannot offer an interview or place on the specific course an applicant has applied to, we will endeavour to offer an interview or place on an alternative programme in a related subject instead. It may not be possible to offer an applicant an interview or place on their chosen course for one of the following reasons: it is a course with lots of applicants and not many places; or places are strictly limited by the Scottish Government (e.g. teacher training, nursing, paramedic science). In 2026/27, we will incorporate Keeping the Promise and Who Cares? Scotland logos on offer letters for UG and PG care experienced applicants.	‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing September 2026

Activity

Duty / Duties

Date

2.1.1 Offer/Interview Guarantee

QMU guarantees to make an offer of admission, or an offer of an interview or audition to any care experienced student who has the potential to meet the ‘minimum’ entry requirements for a programme. While we will try wherever possible to guarantee applicants either an interview or a place on the specific course they have applied to, this will not be possible in every circumstance.

If we cannot offer an interview or place on the specific course an applicant has applied to, we will endeavour to offer an interview or place on an alternative programme in a related subject instead. It may not be possible to offer an applicant an interview or place on their chosen course for one of the following reasons: it is a course with lots of applicants and not many places; or places are strictly limited by the Scottish Government (e.g. teacher training, nursing, paramedic science).

In 2026/27, we will incorporate Keeping the Promise and Who Cares? Scotland logos on offer letters for UG and PG care experienced applicants.

‘Promote interests’
‘Provide opportunities’
‘Help access’
‘Collaborate’
‘Assess needs’
‘Improve’

Ongoing

September 2026

2.2 UCAS Checkbox information recorded, monitored and acted upon

Activity	Duty / Duties	Date
2.2.1 Applicant Advice and Guidance QMU applicants with care experience are identified via the UCAS tick box and at matriculation. This information is added to QMU student records for support and monitoring purposes. The QMCares Officer works closely with Admissions during each application cycle, and contacts applicants’ pre-entry who have ticked the UCAS checkbox to outline QMU support provision, e.g. QMCares, Disability Services, available bursaries, accommodation etc. Post-entry, colleagues in Registry capture experience of care via matriculation and pass details at the end of matriculation cycle to the QMCares Officer which then generates a robust and accurate final member database for use during academic year.	‘Be alert’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing

Activity

Duty / Duties

Date

2.2.1 Applicant Advice and Guidance

QMU applicants with care experience are identified via the UCAS tick box and at matriculation. This information is added to QMU student records for support and monitoring purposes. The QMCares Officer works closely with Admissions during each application cycle, and contacts applicants’ pre-entry who have ticked the UCAS checkbox to outline QMU support provision, e.g. QMCares, Disability Services, available bursaries, accommodation etc.

Post-entry, colleagues in Registry capture experience of care via matriculation and pass details at the end of matriculation cycle to the QMCares Officer which then generates a robust and accurate final member database for use during academic year.

‘Be alert’
‘Assess needs’
‘Promote interests’
‘Provide opportunities’
‘Help access’
‘Improve’

Ongoing

2.3 Monitoring and reporting on applications, entry and progression patterns

Activity	Duty / Duties	Date
2.3.1 Applicant Data We monitor our care experienced applicants and entrants with the intent of increasing the numbers entering and being successfully retained each year. Anonymised data regarding our care experienced population is collected for reporting purposes each year.	'Be alert’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Help access’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing

Activity

Duty / Duties

Date

2.3.1 Applicant Data

We monitor our care experienced applicants and entrants with the intent of increasing the numbers entering and being successfully retained each year. Anonymised data regarding our care experienced population is collected for reporting purposes each year.

'Be alert’
‘Assess needs’
‘Promote interests’
‘Help access’
‘Improve’

Ongoing

3.1 On-course contact from QMCares and WPO team

Activity	Duty / Duties	Date
3.1.1 Ongoing Support The QMCares Officer is available throughout the academic year to provide tailored and personalised information, advice, guidance, and support to care experienced students, whenever necessary. The Head of Student Services is available as an alternate in case of leave/absence/non-availability. The QMCares Officer proactively contacts care experienced students in their first year of study as follows: Initial contact in September, includes introduction to QMCares, offer of informal meeting to provide in-person introduction and welcome, as well as induction and orientation support. Information on other forms of financial support available, e.g. Discretionary Fund. Offer to receive the QMCares newsletter containing relevant and informative information for care experienced students Invitation to attend informal group QMCares semester 1 meetings held monthly on campus over lunchtimes. Scottish domiciled care experience entrants contacted via phone for an academic/well-being check-in during week 6, 9 and 12 of semester 1. Further contact in semester 2, includes: follow-up offer of informal meeting, and opportunity to review first term. Further signposting of HEI Discretionary Funds and, if necessary, other forms of general student service support. Promote QMMentor (staff mentoring programme) – aimed at CE students who will benefit from support and guidance from experienced members of QMU academic staff.	‘Be alert’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing
3.1.2 QMCONTACT CE student phone call mentoring service. Existing QMU students (members of QMCares) contact 1st Year Scottish Domiciled care experienced students by telephone at key points each semester. Students will be offered peer support, guidance, and signposting, supervised by the QMCares Officer.	‘Be alert’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Improve’	Annual October to May

Activity

Duty / Duties

Date

3.1.1 Ongoing Support

The QMCares Officer is available throughout the academic year to provide tailored and personalised information, advice, guidance, and support to care experienced students, whenever necessary. The Head of Student Services is available as an alternate in case of leave/absence/non-availability.

The QMCares Officer proactively contacts care experienced students in their first year of study as follows:

Initial contact in September, includes introduction to QMCares, offer of informal meeting to provide in-person introduction and welcome, as well as induction and orientation support.
Information on other forms of financial support available, e.g. Discretionary Fund.
Offer to receive the QMCares newsletter containing relevant and informative information for care experienced students
Invitation to attend informal group QMCares semester 1 meetings held monthly on campus over lunchtimes.
Scottish domiciled care experience entrants contacted via phone for an academic/well-being check-in during week 6, 9 and 12 of semester 1.
Further contact in semester 2, includes: follow-up offer of informal meeting, and opportunity to review first term. Further signposting of HEI Discretionary Funds and, if necessary, other forms of general student service support.
Promote QMMentor (staff mentoring programme) – aimed at CE students who will benefit from support and guidance from experienced members of QMU academic staff.

‘Be alert’
‘Assess needs’
‘Promote interests’
‘Provide opportunities’
‘Help access’
‘Improve’

Ongoing

3.1.2 QMCONTACT

CE student phone call mentoring service. Existing QMU students (members of QMCares) contact 1st Year Scottish Domiciled care experienced students by telephone at key points each semester. Students will be offered peer support, guidance, and signposting, supervised by the QMCares Officer.

‘Be alert’
‘Assess needs’
‘Promote interests’
‘Provide opportunities’
‘Help access’
‘Improve’

Annual

October to May

3.2 Priority access to relevant student support staff and services

Activity	Duty / Duties	Date
3.2.1 Student Support Services As the central point of contact for care experienced students at QMU, the QMCares Officer acts as a liaison between students and relevant academic and student support services staff. The QMCares Officer maintains close working relationship with QMU staff members within, for example: Student Services, Accommodation, Finance Support, Counselling and Wellbeing, Disability Service, Admissions, Registry and The Student Union. If any care experienced student requires support or intervention from any of the above, the QMCares lead can advocate on their behalf and ensure their case is considered sympathetically and as a matter of priority.	‘Be alert’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing
3.2.2 Careers Support QMU offer priority access to the Careers Service for students with care experience. The QMCares Officer will liaise with careers staff to make direct referrals, to identify those students who would benefit from extra support in making decisions around their career and securing graduate level jobs.	‘Be alert’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing
3.2.3 Disability Support The QMCares Officer will liaise with disability services staff to make direct referrals, to identify those students who would benefit from extra support and work collaboratively throughout the academic year to provide ongoing support.	'Assess needs’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing

Activity

Duty / Duties

Date

3.2.1 Student Support Services

As the central point of contact for care experienced students at QMU, the QMCares Officer acts as a liaison between students and relevant academic and student support services staff. The QMCares Officer maintains close working relationship with QMU staff members within, for example: Student Services, Accommodation, Finance Support, Counselling and Wellbeing, Disability Service, Admissions, Registry and The Student Union.

If any care experienced student requires support or intervention from any of the above, the QMCares lead can advocate on their behalf and ensure their case is considered sympathetically and as a matter of priority.

‘Be alert’
‘Assess needs’
‘Promote interests’
‘Provide opportunities’
‘Help access’
‘Improve’

Ongoing

3.2.2 Careers Support

QMU offer priority access to the Careers Service for students with care experience. The QMCares Officer will liaise with careers staff to make direct referrals, to identify those students who would benefit from extra support in making decisions around their career and securing graduate level jobs.

‘Be alert’
‘Assess needs’
‘Promote interests’
‘Provide opportunities’
‘Help access’
‘Improve’

Ongoing

3.2.3 Disability Support

The QMCares Officer will liaise with disability services staff to make direct referrals, to identify those students who would benefit from extra support and work collaboratively throughout the academic year to provide ongoing support.

'Assess needs’
‘Promote interests’
‘Provide opportunities’
‘Help access’
‘Improve’

Ongoing

3.3 365-day Accommodation Guarantee

Activity	Duty / Duties	Date
3.3.1 Accommodation Support QMU guarantees that care experienced students can have access to University accommodation 365-days of the year. Accommodation is available to students on campus. The QMCares Officer liaises with Accommodation and care experienced students to ensure suitable accommodation is identified and secured. Accommodation staff are aware of context regarding care experienced students, allowing maximum flexibility and full support.	‘Assess needs’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’	Ongoing

3.4 Finance Support

Activity	Duty / Duties	Date
3.4.1 Discretionary and WE Care Fund The QMCares Officer contacts care experienced students directly to draw attention to the Discretionary Fund and other funding opportunities. The QMCares Officer supports completion and submission of application forms and supporting information, and if required liaises closely with the Student Finance Officer to advocate on behalf of care experienced applicants. For 25/26 the QMCares Officer and student members of QMCares have created a FAQs document to support applicants to the discretionary fund, which will be regularly highlighted and promoted to the QMCares membership. Continue to promote the We Care Fund – opportunity for care experienced students to receive £50 in cash as a pre-cursor to making a formal application to the discretionary fund, with support provided by the QMCares Officer.	‘Be alert’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing

3.5 Introduce all-staff training on the subject of Corporate Parenting, with additional training opportunities offered where appropriate, including the dissemination of information regarding care experienced provision and Corporate Parenting responsibilities within QMU

Activity	Duty / Duties	Date
3.5.1 All Staff Updates Information and updates regarding QMU’s support provision for care experienced students is disseminated widely across QMU, through Moderator, WISeR Group and other internal meetings. We will continue to work with colleagues in HR and across the QMU staff community to promote enrolment in the Open University’s Corporate Parenting in Higher Education online learning module. Recommended online courses for all new and existing staff members.	‘Be alert’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing
3.5.2 Staff Awareness and Insight Sessions Corporate Parenting insight session for all professional services staff (c.50) working across the following departments: Recruitment, Admissions. Registry, Student Services and Careers. Delivered by Who Cares? Scotland. In 2026/27 we will work to introduce Corporate Parenting training for our network of Personal Academic Tutors. In 2027 all new QMU staff to be encouraged to undertake an Introduction to Corporate Parenting online training module. In 2027/28 produce a QMCares/Corporate Parenting promo video to promote service across staff and student communities, ensuring film is featured on screens at staff kitchen areas.	‘Be alert’ ‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Help access’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing

4.1 Supporting the Care Experienced community in Scotland

Activity	Duty / Duties	Date
4.1.1 CEECEF Attend Care Experienced, Estranged & Carers East Forum (CEECEF) meetings and play an active role, acting upon any relevant action points as appropriate.	‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing
4.1.2 HUB for SUCCESS Attend regular meetings and support on-going development of the Hub for Success – the support and advice service for care experienced applicants to university and college. Staff attend Steering and Advisory Group meetings and regularly host meetings with associated colleagues and staff. In 26/27 we will continue to support delivery of the Hub for Success-led, Learning Explorers project.	‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing
4.1.3 East Lothian Council Attend East Lothian Corporate Parenting Board meetings and contribute to the strategic goals of ELC in provision of support for local care experienced young people.	‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing
4.1.4 East Lothian Champions Board Continue to support the group’s aims and objectives in supporting positive outcomes for local young care experienced people.	‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing
4.1.5 Research We will continue to seek opportunities to support research into the student experience of students with care experience. For example, in 2025/26, working in partnership with Dr. Katie Cebula, Senior Lecturer in Developmental Psychology at The University of Edinburgh, we offered student members the opportunity to attend their Sibling Café. The cafe is a space to talk about what is important about sibling relationships and how the sibling relationships of care experienced people could be better supported.	‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Ongoing
4.1.6 Celebrating Care Experience We will continue to work in partnership with members of QMCares and partner agencies such Who Cares? Scotland and The Hub for Success to celebrate the care experience community i.e. Care Day. In 2025/26 our QMCares Officer offered wellness walks on Care Day supported by colleagues from our accommodation wellbeing services.	‘Promote interests’ ‘Provide opportunities’ ‘Collaborate’ ‘Assess needs’ ‘Improve’	Annual

Named Point of Contact

Queen Margaret University’s Corporate Parenting duties are the responsibility of the whole institution, and do not reside with one individual.

However, a central strand of our provision is to have a dedicated, named point of contact for care experienced or estranged students, and all related inquiries, both internal and external.

The University’s Named Point of Contact is Jessica Lindohf, Head of Student Services. Any queries about QMU’s Corporate Parenting Plan or our support provision for care experienced applicants and entrants should be directed to Jessica or, in their absence, Gayle Green, QMCares Officer.

Jessica Lindohf
Head of Student Services
Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh
0131 474 0000
JLindohf@qmu.ac.uk

Gayle Green
QMCares Officer
Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh
0131 474 0000
ggreen@qmu.ac.uk

Corporate Parenting Plan 2026-2029

1. Pre-application advice, guidance and promotion

2. Application and Admissions Process

3. On Course Support and Promoting Awareness Within QMU

4. External Partnership Work

Useful Links