What does estranged mean?
There are many ways to talk about your situation if you’re estranged from family. You may say you’re ‘not on speaking terms’ with them, or you may feel you’ve been ‘disowned’, ‘fallen out’ or ‘lost contact’ with family members.
Assessments for student funding are normally made based on parental income. You may be considered as being ‘irreconcilably estranged from your parents’ if you have not had verbal or written contact with both of your biological, adoptive parents or your only living parent for a significant period of time and this will not change. For funding purposes, a significant period of time is usually considered twelve months or longer prior to the start of your course, but this can also depend on your circumstances. Please see our link to Financial Support for advice on how to show that you are estranged when applying for Student Finance.
Whatever your circumstances, we would like to reassure you that at Sheffield Hallam you don’t need to be on your own. If you would like to talk to someone about university life and how to access support should you wish, please contact our advisers at prioritygroups@shu.ac.uk or contact Hallam Help.
If you’re feeling alone or isolated due to being estranged from your family please be reassured that you’re not on your own. Around 27 per cent of people will be estranged from their family at some point in their life.
More information about available support
Your named contacts, Emily and Robin, are available for you to talk to if you are estranged from your family, no question is too big or too small. As named contacts, we can offer you the following support:
- We are available to meet with you one-to-one or by phone/email to talk briefly about your situation, discuss any issues or concerns and identify sources of support as needed.
- We provide regular newsletters by email about relevant opportunities, events and support to help you make the most of your time as a student.
- We can help you access support with funding issues, financial hardship and money skills from our colleagues in Student Funding.
We can help put you in touch with specialist services such as Careers and Employability/Student Wellbeing.
Support in my Faculty
You may choose to speak with someone more closely related to your course, in which case a good person to start with would be your Student Support Adviser. Every student has a Student Support Adviser assigned to them and they are there to help and guide you with any question or concern you might have that’s affecting your studies. You can find out who your Student Support Adviser is by contacting Hallam Help.
Student Wellbeing
There are many places you could turn if you feel like getting support with how you’re feeling. It is up to you who you decide to trust. Our Student Wellbeing service may be a good place to start.
Student Story
