You may receive funding if you’re unable to complete the final placement of your course in the time needed.
Who can apply
If your extra attendance relates to any module other than your final placement, you will not be eligible for extended funding.
If you're only eligible to receive the Placement Travel Allowance (PTA), extended funding is not available.
Read our guidance on additional funding.
To be considered for funding, the reason for your placement extension must include either:
- serious illness of either yourself or a close family member
- bereavement in your close family
- lack of available places meaning the late start of your placement, but not if you had previously refused an available placement
- breakdown of a placement meaning you need to start again through no fault of your own
Additional funding will not be considered if:
- you delayed your placement to take a holiday
- you had unauthorised or unexplained absence
- you failed your placement unless this was for an exceptional reason
To be considered for extended funding, you must also be extending or deferring your final year placement, as agreed by your university or college.
You also must be:
- receiving an undergraduate or postgraduate bursary in the academic year you need an extension. This must not be only the PTA
- studying an approved undergraduate or postgraduate social work course
How to apply
To apply for additional funding, ask your university or college to contact us with the details.
A new application for Childcare Allowance (CCA) is not needed unless you're a postgraduate course student and you’re applying for additional childcare costs during your extension.
To apply, download and complete a CCA application form. This is available in the 'Apply' section of your MyFunding account. Once completed, upload this to your MyFunding account.
The final decision will be made by Social Work Bursaries and not your university.
The dates and information are provided by your university or college. If you disagree with what they've provided you must discuss this with them.
They must send us the revised information.
Available funding
Additional funding may be available for up to 20 weeks.
This may be available for any part of your new placement schedule that goes past both the:
- scheduled end date of your original placement
- end date of your normal bursary award
Your bursary award end date is:
- 31 August if you started the year in September
- 31 December if you started in January
Any funding will include the non-income assessed element of the bursary. It will also include the income assessed element if you receive this. Additional funding will not include any contribution towards your tuition fees.
Calculating your extended funding uses a pro-rata amount of your final year award. This is based on the number of days of your placement extension and does not include any CCA you claim. The CCA will be calculated using the actual costs you expect to pay.