Exploring the transformative potential of higher education for care-experienced graduates
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‘Graduation, for us, is different’: Exploring the transformative potential of higher education for care-experienced graduates
Dr Zoe Baker
Care-experienced (CE) people, who have spent time in the care system often as a result of childhood neglect or maltreatment, face significant structural instability and disadvantages. These include homelessness, lower earnings, and higher rates of unemployment (Gypen et al., 2017; Okpych & Courtney, 2014). Higher education (HE) has been speculated to play a transformative role in addressing these disadvantages by offering benefits such as increased earning potential and a lower likelihood of unemployment. However, until now, no qualitative research attention has been provided to CE peoples’ onward trajectories as graduates to understand whether their care backgrounds continue to influence their experiences after HE. To address this gap, the Care-Experienced Graduates Project (2021–2024) longitudinally explored the transitions of CE graduates in England and Scotland from their final year in HE to 12 months post-graduation. This presentation shares findings from the project, highlighting how care histories result in unique structural constraints during the transition from HE to graduate life, and considers these alongside participants' perspectives on the transformative potential of HE.
Zoe Baker is a Lecturer in Education specialising in issues of inequality and social justice in higher education. Her latest research explores inequalities in higher education access, progression, and outcomes for care-experienced people. In addition to her research and teaching activities, Zoe volunteers as an Independent Visitor for children and young people in care with Sheffield City Council’s children's social care services.
