What is an NNECL member?
A member of NNECL can be any organisation that has officially committed to NNECL’s values and are making sure care-experienced and estranged students get the support they need to thrive. They’re part of a network that cares about doing things right and making real change. These organisations are usually colleges and universities, but they also include fostering agencies.
Why choose a member university or college?
Attending a university or college that’s part of the NNECL Membership Network means you’ll be studying in an environment that’s actively working to support care experienced and estranged students.
Here’s how it benefits you:
Proven ways to help: Member colleges and universities provide support that looks at the bigger picture and has been checked for all care experienced and estranged students. While this differs between each college and university, this can include dedicated contacts, financial support, housing support and access to wellbeing services that understand your background.
Commitment to Change: Member colleges and universities are actively working to remove barriers and improve outcomes for care experienced and estranged students, not just in words, but through action. You will be joining a college or university that will be aiming to constantly improve the support it provides to care experienced and estranged learners.
Informed: Member colleges and universities gain access to reliable, up-to-date, and practical information that supports continuous improvement in their work with care experienced, estranged, and sanctuary-seeking students. This means that if you're studying at a member college or university, you can feel confident that the information and guidance you receive is reliable, up-to-date, and genuinely useful for your next steps.
Who are our members?
Check out our members here.
What is the Quality Mark?
The NNECL Quality Mark is a way for colleges and universities to show they’re serious about supporting care-experienced and estranged students. It’s not just about joining as a member, but a commitment to learn and develop their support further. These places take a close look at what they’re doing well, what could be better, and how they can improve support for students like you. They work with a NNECL Assessor to gather evidence and build a plan for change. Getting the Quality Mark means they’ve made a real commitment to listening to students from a care background, improving services, and making sure their support is actually working. It’s a team effort across the whole college or university, and the award lasts for three years.
The Quality Mark assesses commitment across many areas, including:
- Continuous improvement
- Culture and leadership
- Pre-arrival
- Admissions process
- Student wellbeing
- Student success
- Student success
- Collaboration and partnership
Who are Quality Mark holders?
Check out our Quality Mark holders here.
Curious to find out more?
If you want to chat more about your options when choosing an educational institution, we are here to help. Just send us an email at [email protected]. You can also check out our resources and useful links page here.
