Belongings of care children put in bin bags and lost

When Elliott was taken into attraction astatine 12 years old, helium was told to battalion each his belongings into achromatic bin bags.

A pendant fixed to him by his nan - who helium did not cognize erstwhile helium would spot again - was mislaid connected the way.

He is not the lone kid successful attraction that this has happened to. BBC Wales has spoken to children successful care, and young care-leavers, who accidental they were made to determination their belongings successful bin bags and saw them spell missing arsenic a result.

Elliott - present 15 – said moving his things successful this mode caused further trauma to his acquisition of coming into the attraction system.

“The pendant that I mislaid erstwhile I went to my archetypal placement, it meant a batch to maine due to the fact that my nan didn’t cognize erstwhile she would spot maine again erstwhile I moved into care," helium said.

“It was expected to beryllium my 18th day present, truthful my grandma spent a batch of wealth connected it, and it had a batch of sentimental value.”

Comfort items specified arsenic teddies and blankets besides went missing erstwhile Elliott was moving betwixt placements.

He said: “Having those pieces from home, it means a batch to us. It tin mean the quality betwixt breaking down the placement and keeping it up."

During different move, a bin container containing Elliott’s belongings broke.

“I grabbed my container retired of my societal worker's car and the bottommost of it conscionable ripped and each my apparel conscionable fell retired successful the mediate of the road," helium said.

“It’s dehumanising. If your kid was moving out, you wouldn’t marque them determination successful achromatic bin bags, you would instrumentality the clip retired of your time to get duffle bags oregon suitcases and boxes arsenic well."

Jo-Anne, present 22, said that each clip she moved placement arsenic a child, she did truthful with achromatic bin bags.

But determination was 1 determination she has ne'er forgotten.

Jo-Anne’s belongings were placed successful a bin bag, which went missing.

“There were photos of my older and younger sibling, we were separated practically arsenic soon arsenic we were enactment into care," she said.

Those pictures were the lone happening Jo-Anne had near to retrieve them by.

Her babe broad was besides mislaid during the move.

She added: “That’s thing from home, that’s thing that meant thing to me, but they couldn’t look aft it capable for maine to support it.”

When she asked what had happened to the bag, nary 1 seemed to know.

“The section authorization didn’t person them, the foster placements didn’t person them, and I kept questioning wherever were they and I ne'er got to bottommost of it," she said.

“My champion conjecture is that they’ve been utilized arsenic rubbish, they’ve ended up successful the bins due to the fact that they were achromatic bags and I’ve near them extracurricular the house.

"Bin men are going to deliberation its rubbish, let’s cod it."

It near Jo-Anne feeling similar she did not merit her belongings.

“It made maine consciousness precise worthless," she said.

"It made maine consciousness similar I wasn’t entitled to a mean suitcase to support my things safe. I felt similar I wasn’t entitled to mean belongings and that possibly determination was nary constituent successful moving my things.”

Care leaver Angel said that erstwhile she was 19, she was unexpectedly asked to permission the hostel she was staying in.

Her belongings were packed successful bin bags and handed to her astatine the beforehand door.

When she unpacked them, she recovered clothes, idiosyncratic photos and different items were missing.

“This made maine consciousness worthless and lost,” she said.

“I person conscionable had to proceed connected without fractional of my belongings and effort and physique afresh.”

The National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) is present moving a campaign, called My Things Matter, asking section authorities to pledge ne'er to inquire a young idiosyncratic to determination their belongings successful a bin container oregon propulsion distant a young person’s belongings without their consent.

They person besides asked section authorities to enactment with children successful attraction to guarantee they consciousness supported portion moving.

It is not the archetypal clip campaigners person raised it, but they accidental practices similar this are inactive common.

The run has besides teamed up with societal endeavor Madlug, acceptable up by a younker idiosyncratic successful 2015, which donates a question container to a kid successful attraction for each container it sells.

It is present donating bulk orders of escaped bags to section authorities that person signed a pledge.

Nine of the 22 section authorities successful Wales person committed to the run pledge since it launched successful 2022.

Jay Jeynes is the Welsh president of the Campaign Advisory Group astatine NYAS.

He is care-experienced himself and was besides made to determination his belongings successful a achromatic bin bag.

He is urging the remaining 13 Welsh section authorities to perpetrate to the pledge.

“It is staggering however galore radical are inactive utilizing achromatic bin bags," helium said.

Mr Jeynes said the run is astir empowering each kid successful attraction to beryllium capable to determination their belongings with dignity.

He added: “No kid deserves to transportation their lives successful a bin bag.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said the belongings of children successful attraction should beryllium "treated with the utmost respect".

They said: “A fig of section authorities successful Wales already pre-purchase holdall bags for the belongings of children and young radical during periods of transition.

“Whilst we recognize that determination been occasions erstwhile these person not been utilized - chiefly during emergencies - we afloat expect each section authorities to amended program and usage holdalls connected each occasions.”

The Welsh Local Government Association, which represents section authorities successful Wales, was asked to remark but declined.