Sasha The Dumping Ground: I'm...

Attention! The My Life In Care videos are about to receive

their world premiere, in the TV room.

Don't miss these personal takes on what life is really like

in Ashdene Ridge.

And next up, it's Sasha.

Hey.

I'm Sasha Bellman and nobody tells me what to do.

I'm doing this video because I want to, right?

Anyway, of all the things that make me mad about the Dumping Ground,

and that's pretty much everything, the absolute worst is that

people expect you to stick to stupid rules.

-HE WHISPERS:

-Jody!

I need your help with Sasha.

-Well, only if I get my room back.

-I'm on it, don't worry.

Well, what do you want me to do?

Simple, I just want you to make sure

that she keeps to the rules, all right?

'..which is a problem, because in this place,

'you have rules coming out of your ears.'

Yeah, it's like they've got this big book somewhere,

that they give to all care and social workers,

that says, "One Million Ways To Ruin Sasha Bellman's Life."

Urgh!

What's happened?

-I got tickets to Skate Night.

-No way.

May-Li won't let me go.

"Not while you're on probation." She hates me.

'And what really gets me is the way it seems like

'there's one rule for everyone else and another one for me.'

Come on, Sash, that's not true.

Really?

Mike, we seem to have a stowaway in the back.

Oh, Sasha. You know the deal, come on, back in the house, please.

Come on.

THEY CHANT CHEERIO

Hey, guys.

Guys, quiet down now.

'So all I did was give those stupid headlights a little tap.'

Now no-one can go.

'Then Mike comes in laying down the law,

'like it was my fault they broke so easily.'

I don't talk to social workers.

'And anyway, I'm sure they could make them stronger.'

Tough.

Do you have any idea what you've done?

The young people here have been looking forward

to this trip for months. And now they won't be going anywhere.

So claim on the insurance.

Is that all you've got to say, not even a sorry?

Nope, don't care.

Yeah, I've seen this film before.

They punish you, you get your own back, they punish you more.

It's like a vicious cycle, one that I've been round many times.

Which is why what happened next was a bit of a shock.

-You've got to call the cops.

-I don't have to.

Yes, you do.

Cos of the minibus.

-We could pay for the damage ourselves.

-Why would you do that?

To make the other kids hate me even more?

Why don't you try and make it up to them?

Even if it is just for three days, you're part of our family,

whether we like it or not.

This is where the trust starts.

'OK, don't think I'm going soft,

'but no-one had ever done that before.

'Which made me think, "Maybe there's a first time for everything."'

I'm going to say sorry and I never do that.

I suppose this next one is a bit sad really.

Not that I'm feeling sorry for myself or anything like that,

but before I came here, I don't think I had any proper friends.

Real ones, I mean.

Aw! Her only friend in the world, Mr Fluffy Bearkins.

Will you two button it for once?

And his name's Trevor Ted, actually.

'When you're in trouble, you soon find out who your friends are.'

Hey, Molly, it's Sasha.

OK, you know.

Look, I need a place to crash for a few days.

DIAL TONE SOUNDS Hello? Hello?

'Don't get me wrong, there's loads about this place that's rubbish.

'But to have people that aren't just using you, might even

'like you a little bit, well, that's not the worst thing in the world.'

You've never been to the seaside?

No, never.

Whoa, it's OK. I'd never been bowling before I came here.

And I'd never seen a kidney bean.

Why don't we make Sasha a bucket list.

-A what?

-A bucket list.

Look, she has two days left before she gets locked up for ages.

So that gives us time to fit all the things she's never done before.

'So, yeah, there are some people here, not many, but one or two,

'who will actually stand by you when it matters.

'Like Tee, she's the kind who will dig you out of trouble,

'whatever it takes. Even take the rap for you'

You have to let them go. I went to Skate Night

and asked the twins to cover for me, so it's my fault

they locked you in the bathroom.

-Don't you mean, "We went to skate night"?

-Nope, I went on my own.

You mean you found someone dumb enough to actually take the blame

for stuff you've done?

I think you're mistaking the word friend for the word sucker.

You left this in the kitchen.

Nice selfie of you both, in your skates.

Yeah, that went well...

Not.

-Sasha!

-What?

Oi!

Run!

'Although, yeah, it might not always work out,

'but, I suppose, it's the thought that counts.'

-Give me the bag and I'll say that I nicked it.

-Why?

Because if you get caught, you're going straight to secure.

Oi! Show me that.

Lightweight.

HE GASPS

-Whoops-a-daisy.

-You did that on purpose!

-Mike!

-Squealing to the care workers, are we?

Who's the lightweight now?

And let me tell you,

not everyone in this place is as kind as Tee and Jody.

'Some of them are right pieces of work.'

Mentioning no names.

There's one girl here, though, who's really got it in for me.

'And I don't understand why.'

-She means me, you know.

-Does she?

You're rude and ungrateful. You're the meanest,

-horriblest girl I've ever known.

-I'm not!

'I just don't get it.'

Shorty, show me my room.

Find it yourself.

It's not like I've ever done anything bad to her.

I'm talking to you.

Apart from a bit of a mix-up with some water, way back.

Oh, nice shot.

'But nothing to justify the trail of pure evil that followed.'

She means me again, pure evil.

-There you go.

-Thanks.

'Funny really, I normally don't let people's negative vibes get to me.

'But this particular person really knows what buttons to push.'

You can't have a photo, cos you're not one of us.

I am. For three days, that's what Mike said.

He didn't really mean it, he's only pretending to like you,

just like all of us here.

Then why did they want me to do the bucket list then?

For the snacks, of course.

If we're nice to you, we'll get a massive treat when you're gone.

-Here we go.

-Nice and careful, now, those things are hot, very hot.

We've got roasties, Yorkshire's and pigs in blankets.

'Who'd have thought that, behind all those hundreds of freckles

'and the weird smile,

'such a small girl would be capable of such big badness.'

I don't have hundreds of freckles!

Family means everything to me.

Well, apart from my dad, the least said about him, the better.

But when my mum's on form, she can be a real laugh.

She doesn't mean to be flaky, it's just that having three kids is hard.

Especially if one of them's a bit tricky.

Tricky wasn't the word that the probation officer

used in the report I read.

'There's Murphy, he's a handful, but really cute.

'But the one I'm closest to is my other brother.'

-Sasha?

-Dexter?!

-I'm here to rescue you.

-What?

Mum said the nasty social worker came again.

No, look, it's not like the other times. I'm properly in care now.

I have to stay here.

Then I can stay too.

You can't, you'll get me into trouble!

'I really miss Dexter and I do worry sometimes about what trouble

'he might be getting into.

'He needs me watching his back,

'that's why I ended up stealing nappies that time.'

Why did you do that?

It was an accident.

I am so sorry, we will help pick everything up.

She pushed it, I saw her.

What do you think you're doing?

Do you want to get arrested, have social workers on your case?

They'll take you away from mum, split up you and Murphy.

I couldn't find any money.

'Stealing's not right.'

Sasha? Come on, let's pay for this lot and go home, yeah?

'But I'd do anything to keep him out of the kind of bother I've been in.'

I'll get the stupid nappies, thanks, Dexter, thanks very much.

-You're shoplifting?

-What's it to you?

Cos he's a really good kid, Dexter.

-That's Trevor Ted.

-One of the best.

-Found your room!

-Dexter, don't you dare!

I can be in care too, then we'd still be together.

No, you couldn't, you're not naughty enough.

'But you have to be careful what you say to him,

'cos once he gets an idea in his head,

'there's no getting it out again.'

CAR ALARM BLEEPS

-Dexter! What...

-My car!

Whatever he did, he didn't mean it.

Yes, I did, I'm the baddest of them all.

So you have to take me into care.

So I had to grow up pretty quickly, looking after Dexter and Murphy,

cos Mum found it hard to cope sometimes.

I'm trying to keep on top of things, OK?

It's not easy now you've deserted us.

I got taken into care!

Stupid social workers.

They don't think how I'm supposed to manage without my main girl.

You only use me as a baby-sitter.

When I wasn't minding the kids, you were never bothered where I was.

That's not true.

You need to look after them, Mum. Dexter's too young to be on his own.

-Anything can happen.

-I'm here, aren't I?

I've taken the night off work, so we can have a pizza party.

Yay!

Only I'm skint after them nappies.

So, to stop us starving, I had to learn to cook pretty quickly.

And when there's never much money around,

you soon develop a talent to make the best

out of whatever ingredients you can find.

Fish finger kebabs?

With banana and cheese balls, it's my speciality.

'I guess that's why inventing new and exciting dishes

'has always come easy to me.'

Fish fingers and cheese balls, it's genius. Why didn't I think of that?

The problem for me comes with having to make boring food.

'It's like, you wouldn't get

'Michelangelo to paint your garden fence, would you?'

-HE WHISPERS:

-What's she on about?

I mean, we don't have a fence in the garden that needs painting.

Who's this Michelangelo bloke?

He plays midfield for Norwich, I think.

So it's the same thing, for a culinary artist, like me,

to make something really lame, like lasagne.

'Basically, it's beneath my talent.'

We can clear up, can't we?

Well, I have to put it in the oven, that's what Tee said.

We'll be all right, my dad used to let us put things on all the time.

Well, if you're sure.

180 degrees, for 45 minutes.

'I like to encourage others to learn.

'After all, that's the only way you get good,

'by spending time in the kitchen.'

That's if there's any kitchen left.

Ha-ha, my aching sides.

SMOKE ALARM BLEEPS

Take it out, quick! Take it out!

-You left them to cook it?

-We put it under the grill.

-Oh!

-What's going on?

-All right, panic over.

I put it in too high, sorry.

So that's me, stuck in this dump.

Although, I don't think it's the worst I've been in.

With a pair of control-freak care-workers

and wall to wall numpties.

Although, some of them aren't the worst I've ever known.

'Yeah, I think that sums it up.'

Right, anyone fancy some pool?

Oh, I think you've spilt something on your jeans.

Laters!

CHILDREN CHATTER

Who's are we watching?

Well, that went better than expected.

Yeah, place is still standing.

Just.