'It's like you can't be a whole person, a mother who studies'. Lifelong learning: Mature women students with caring commitments in social work education

Abstract

Lifelong learning forms a key part of the social inclusion agendas of the UK government and the European community. There is growing debate about the role that higher education has to play in lifelong learning. At a time when social work education is undergoing major changes we need to engage in this debate. In this article I examine the barriers to education faced by one excluded group, mature women carers. Based on my experience in teaching on a DipSW programme designed specifically for students with caring commitments and from a study of transfer of learning by mature women carers, I argue for the importance of programme design in creating access to and success in social work education for this student group.