Tracy Kennedy - Care Experienced Lecturer Case Study

Tracy Kennedy, the Depute Curriculum Leader of Arts, Drama and Humanities at UHI Inverness

Tracy Kennedy entered the care system when she was just two years old.

She said: “I spent my childhood in a succession of foster homes and children’s homes. I had many different social workers during this time although I can only really remember one of them. On my 18th birthday I was given £50 and sent out into the world to, in my social worker’s words to ‘repay my debt to society’.”

There was one secondary school teacher who believed in her and what she told him when others didn’t, allowed her to have some space when his classroom was empty, made sure she got home ok if the buses weren’t running and simply listened to her.

Tracy said: “Even now in my 50s, I still remember him and the school as my rock and the one stable thing in my life at that time.

“I now often have care experienced students in my classroom, and I empathise with everything they are coping with. It’s hard enough being a teenager or young person, never mind dealing with being care experienced too and I think UHI Inverness does an amazing job supporting students.

“We have had students whose lives outside of college have been really chaotic and they have not known how to handle what is going on, but the lecturers and support staff at UHI Inverness are all there to help and support.

“I am really proud to be involved in Care Experienced Week and I think it’s really important for as many educational centres as possible to get involved with initiatives like this as it will help support care experienced students.”