The working group brings together educators, researchers and practitioners interested in engaging with parents, carers and other influencers. Parents and carers, amongst others are key influencers of young people but their knowledge of HE is not consistent across different groups which can reinforce inequitable patterns of HE participation, success and progression.

Themes of interest for the group include:

•Sharing approaches to creating parents/influencers facing resources that demystify university culture and the admissions process.

• Sharing approaches to supporting staff involved in working with parents/influencers

• Exploring the parent/influencer experience in the context of access to and supporting students success in HE

• Sharing approaches to developing holistic support options aimed at a diverse range of parents/influencers e.g. those without first-hand experience of HE and those whose children or wards face additional barriers to access (based on socioeconomic status, ethnicity, disability, and so forth).

• Highlighting the experiences of parents/influencers and championing a diverse range of perspectives.

• Evaluating the impact of engagement with parents/influencers

Joining

If you're interested in joining this group, contact NERUPI.

Useful Materials

Public-facing advice:
https://www.ucas.com/discover/...

https://www.unifrog.org/blog/t...

Academic research:
The paradox of parents’ involvement in their children’s time at university

‘First in family’: higher education choices and labour market outcomes

Parental job loss and children’s career choices - ScienceDirect

‘They know nothing about university – neither of them went’: the effect of parents’ level of education