0:00:02 > 0:00:04This programme contains some strong language.
0:00:04 > 0:00:08My name is Rebecca. As a child, my dad abused me.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Ten years ago, when I was 13,
0:00:10 > 0:00:13social workers realised that it wasn't safe for me to live at home any more.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17I never lived with my family again.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Instead, the local council became my parents.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24My life as I knew it stopped.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27Although I was safe from the abuse, I lost my family.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32There are thousands of people like me,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34children who grow up in other people's houses
0:00:34 > 0:00:38or care homes. And who, too often, end up homeless...
0:00:38 > 0:00:40He's basically getting evicted.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42So we need to get there now.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44I'm terrified. I don't want to be on the streets again.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46'..in trouble with the police...'
0:00:46 > 0:00:49GBH, GBH, ABH, assault, assault, criminal damage.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Whatever, whatever.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54'..or selling themselves on the streets.'
0:00:54 > 0:00:58- And how long have you been doing it? - From the age of 13 to 20.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00This is my story, and theirs.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Something's gone seriously wrong, and I want to know why.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15When I was a child, I kind of thought the abuse was normal.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19The older you get, the more you know,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22but it wasn't supposed to be that way.
0:01:22 > 0:01:28And it's not right for you to go home at night and fear the sound of
0:01:28 > 0:01:30your dad coming in drunk, or, like,
0:01:30 > 0:01:35hearing his footsteps up the stairs and knowing you was going to get
0:01:35 > 0:01:38a smack for absolutely nothing.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43I was removed from an abusive family home and placed in care.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45The local council was now my parents.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Your dad's supposed to be the person that protects you.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52And your parents are supposed to be the people that love you,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55and you have that mentality of if they don't love me,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58then who is going to?
0:01:58 > 0:02:01And with that just comes pure loneliness.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Ten years on I've left care,
0:02:06 > 0:02:10and I'm a film-maker trying to make sense of it all.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Why do so many people like me,
0:02:12 > 0:02:16rescued from abuse and neglect or a parent who couldn't look after them,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19grow up to find themselves sleeping rough, involved in crime,
0:02:19 > 0:02:22or selling their bodies on the streets?
0:02:22 > 0:02:25I can't help wondering whether the local council,
0:02:25 > 0:02:27who take over as our parents,
0:02:27 > 0:02:31are doing just as bad a job as the messed-up places we came from.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Even social workers who have to look
0:02:33 > 0:02:35after us think there's a problem.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40Kicked out by the time we're 18, I'm meeting young people like me,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43to try and understand how we go from care to chaos.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48Time spent in care as a child massively ups your chances of
0:02:48 > 0:02:50getting in trouble with the police.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Is it because we have problems to begin with?
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Or something to do with growing up in the system?
0:02:58 > 0:03:02I've arranged to meet a 17-year-old called Coral.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04She's had a fair few run-ins with the police.
0:03:04 > 0:03:05- Hiya.- Hiya, you all right?
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Yeah. Am I all right to mic you up?
0:03:09 > 0:03:11'Like me, she went into care at 13.'
0:03:11 > 0:03:13They put, like, loads of kids together,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15naughty kids together in one house.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18They've all got problems. It doesn't work.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20How is that going to work? You look up to the kids you live with,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23and they're all, like, bad behaved and all that.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26So, good role models, innit? You've got your carers that like,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28come and go, you can't look at them,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31because you don't know them well enough, do you know what I mean?
0:03:31 > 0:03:36'In the last four years, Coral says she's lived in 22 different places.'
0:03:36 > 0:03:40Why do you think that you've been moved so much, in your honest opinion?
0:03:40 > 0:03:43My behaviour. If I don't like it somewhere, then I'll kick off,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46so they move me. I didn't offend once before I came into care.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48Not once. I never had a fight before I come into care.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50I never smoked before I came into care.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53I never self-harmed before I came into care.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57Nothing. If you look at my offences, it's like, GBH, GBH, ABH, assault,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59assault, criminal damage.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Whatever, whatever. But if you actually looked into it,
0:04:02 > 0:04:03it's a different story.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07'Some of Coral's offences have been really serious.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10'But I can't help but wonder whether the police would have been
0:04:10 > 0:04:13'called if she wasn't living with strangers.'
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Like, that one with a spoon, that wasn't assault.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18I got, like, Bolognese sauce, and I just tipped it all over the floor.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22And she said, "I'll restrain you." So I picked up this spoon, and I said, "Restrain me,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25"I'll stab you with this." Just an empty threat, you know what I mean?
0:04:25 > 0:04:28The police came, two armed police officers turned up at the door.
0:04:28 > 0:04:29How is that assault?
0:04:29 > 0:04:33'When kids who live with their family kick off, throw food across the room,
0:04:33 > 0:04:37'even threaten someone with a spoon, they might get grounded.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40'Most parents don't dial 999.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44'Coral's tough front has helped her survive,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46'but I worry what will happen when she leaves care in less than a year
0:04:46 > 0:04:50'with a long list of convictions behind her.'
0:04:50 > 0:04:57Take care. 'It's easy to forget that she was a vulnerable 13-year-old when all this started.
0:04:57 > 0:04:58'I remember how alone I felt.'
0:05:00 > 0:05:02I felt, for a long time, that
0:05:02 > 0:05:05I didn't, kind of,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08deserve any better than what I was getting.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11And I felt like
0:05:11 > 0:05:18every slap, or every argument, or every,
0:05:18 > 0:05:24every bruise was deserved, whether I understood why or not.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28Now I know that me,
0:05:28 > 0:05:31and other kids who have been in care do deserve better.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35But too often we are not getting it, and many end up homeless.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Hi, you OK? My name's Rebecca. I'm making a documentary on care.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42'I'm hitting the streets of my home town of Manchester to see how many
0:05:42 > 0:05:47'rough sleepers actually spent time in the system.'
0:05:47 > 0:05:51- Have any of you two been in care at all?- Yeah. I've been in kids homes, yeah.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- At what age were you in care? - From eight until 16.
0:05:54 > 0:05:55This is no good for anybody.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57So have you been in care?
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Yeah. I was being sexually abused,
0:05:59 > 0:06:03but I never told anybody for years and years.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06I'm very shocked with today.
0:06:06 > 0:06:12Largely, everyone has pretty much been in care at some point.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14That's a lot more than I expected.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18The council is taking over as mum and dad to the children they protect,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20but once they're 18, they're out.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24And too often it seems they are ending up on the streets.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29To find out why, I want to meet someone closer to my age, so,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32through a homeless charity not far from where I grew up, I've arranged
0:06:32 > 0:06:37to meet a care leaver a couple of years older than me who's sleeping rough.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Hey, Grace, you all right? Hiya. You all right? How you doing?
0:06:41 > 0:06:44- I didn't even know you were in care. - Yeah, yeah.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46'I can't believe it.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48'This is Tyler.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51'He's the last person I was expecting to see.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54'We went to school together, and we were friends.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56'How is he homeless?'
0:06:56 > 0:06:58That's better.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00I had no idea that you were actually in care.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02What age did you go into care?
0:07:02 > 0:07:06I was seven. Yeah, yeah. So, early.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08How did you end up being street homeless?
0:07:08 > 0:07:10- What happened?- Well, I got my place,
0:07:10 > 0:07:12then I lost that because of rent arrears and stuff,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16and then with being homeless on and off for a year and a half.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19I hate being homeless. I just feel wasted. I do.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Tyler left care at 18, and got into uni,
0:07:24 > 0:07:27just like me. But for him, it didn't work out.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Now he's living on the streets.
0:07:31 > 0:07:3425. I shouldn't be at this point of my life, you know what I mean?
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Quarter of a century, and what have I actually got to show for it?
0:07:37 > 0:07:41Do you know what I mean? The clothes on my back, and, obviously, my girlfriend.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45- Do you feel like every day is a constant battle?- Yeah.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Big time.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52How can Tyler be so alone,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55and how have our lives ended up being so different?
0:07:56 > 0:07:59Somehow he's managed to slip through the cracks,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03and now he's homeless.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Literally battling, day by day,
0:08:06 > 0:08:08just to find somewhere to sleep.
0:08:11 > 0:08:12It's horrible.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18Ten years ago, both me and Tyler were just kids.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22He'd been in care for eight years, and I was still at home, scared,
0:08:22 > 0:08:26alone and desperate to find a way out.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29It just felt too much, the burden
0:08:29 > 0:08:35of not being able to tell anyone, and going home and
0:08:35 > 0:08:37covering up bruises.
0:08:37 > 0:08:42Or being late for school and not being able to tell anyone why.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45And then I just couldn't hold it in any longer.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46And I told Marcus.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Marcus was my best friend.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54That's mine. That's Marcus's.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57'I confided in him, and made him promise not to tell.'
0:08:57 > 0:09:00Here you are, Marcus.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05You're talking about conversations between two 12-year-olds.
0:09:05 > 0:09:06Or 11-year-olds.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10'But eventually, Marcus told his mum, Michelle.'
0:09:10 > 0:09:12I can remember you saying, "I can't cope with this.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14"I can't cope with it any more."
0:09:14 > 0:09:18And that's when you said to me about what had happened with Becks.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21And I just remember you coming in, and being, right,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23you don't have to go home tonight.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28That's when I phoned the emergency children's services, just
0:09:28 > 0:09:30to say you didn't want to go home.
0:09:30 > 0:09:37Initially, they said to put you in a taxi and send you home.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41And I refused to do that, because I just knew you wouldn't go home.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44You'd just be on the streets, or go somewhere else.
0:09:44 > 0:09:45'Everything changed.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47'I was saved from the abuse,
0:09:47 > 0:09:52'but in a world of police and social workers I lost my family.'
0:09:52 > 0:09:56When I think about how scared and impressionable,
0:09:56 > 0:10:01and vulnerable that I was at 13, and...
0:10:01 > 0:10:02It was...
0:10:04 > 0:10:07With all the people coming in and out of your life, it's like,
0:10:07 > 0:10:11whatever they said, you just follow, and you just do it, because...
0:10:11 > 0:10:17Especially coming from such, having such a violent childhood,
0:10:17 > 0:10:21it was like you're just used to
0:10:21 > 0:10:23taking orders and doing what people say.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31Children going into care have to grow up fast
0:10:31 > 0:10:36and end up making big decisions that they could easily regret later.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39I'm shocked to discover how many of them have ended up selling their
0:10:39 > 0:10:41bodies for sex.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44It absolutely just floors me, I can't get my head around it.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48Like, every part of your body just doesn't want it to be true.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50'I'm heading to Cardiff to meet Safer Wales,
0:10:50 > 0:10:53'a charity that supports street sex workers.'
0:10:53 > 0:10:58OK, so we give the girls condoms, lubricant...
0:10:58 > 0:11:02So that's that. And the hot chocolate goes down a treat.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05How many of the women that you know about have been in care?
0:11:05 > 0:11:06The majority.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13'In the van, we're flagged down.'
0:11:13 > 0:11:15I think this is one of the women.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20'She's asked to be anonymous.'
0:11:20 > 0:11:21I'm really nervous.
0:11:24 > 0:11:25Here we go.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29Hiya, are you OK? I'm Rebecca. Have you ever been in care?
0:11:29 > 0:11:31- Yes, I have. - What age did you go into care?
0:11:31 > 0:11:34- Really young. I was 12.- 12?
0:11:34 > 0:11:36I went into care when I was 13.
0:11:36 > 0:11:37Not easy.
0:11:37 > 0:11:42My mum passed away, and my dad didn't really want to know me.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44So I just had to go into care.
0:11:44 > 0:11:45No family.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49And how long have you been doing it?
0:11:49 > 0:11:51I done it from the age of 13 to 20.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- Oh, my God.- Not good.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Not easy, and dangerous.
0:11:56 > 0:11:57Lovely to meet you.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04I went into care when I was 13.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08And to think that at that age she was into sex work,
0:12:08 > 0:12:10like, if someone loved her,
0:12:10 > 0:12:14enough, would she have been in that situation?
0:12:17 > 0:12:1813, you know.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26If I were the mother and my child was on the streets doing sex work,
0:12:26 > 0:12:31I would do everything that I could to get them off the streets.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35The government took on a responsibility to be a parent to these children,
0:12:35 > 0:12:42and your responsibility, as a parent, they don't stop at age 16, or 18.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45So why have they stopped being cared for?
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Looking after us is the job of foster parents and children's homes.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Surely, it's down to them to stop vulnerable kids getting into
0:12:53 > 0:12:55these kinds of desperate situations?
0:12:57 > 0:13:01The number of kids in care is the highest it's been in over 30 years,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04and the system is feeling the strain.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09A lot of children need homes, and there are not enough.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13But even when they do find a family, too often, it doesn't last.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17'I've met up with 27-year-old Scott,
0:13:17 > 0:13:23'who lived in 36 different places growing up, some for as little as a week.
0:13:23 > 0:13:29'Him and his brother were taken from an abusive family home when they were tiny.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32'He's taking me to some of the places he lived.'
0:13:32 > 0:13:34So, which house is it?
0:13:34 > 0:13:37This is our very first foster placement,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40so we was taken out of our mum and dad's house, and put here.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42And we was here three years.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45They just made us feel safe, they gave us everything.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47They made us feel secure.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49We didn't feel scared any more.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54This is the home where we suffered a couple of years of quite serious
0:13:54 > 0:13:57abuse from our foster carers.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03We used to play football, and kick it up there all the time.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05My room was that one there, the second one.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10'Scott wanted a family, but instead was passed around the system.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13'The effect on him has been massive.'
0:14:13 > 0:14:16When the care system works well, and when there was consistency,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19it's a good thing. You know? Children are removed from horrible situations
0:14:19 > 0:14:22and put in a place of safety, with people that care and support them.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24But the reality is that that's not going on enough.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27You're being chucked between all these houses, you're a kid,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30and you need to feel loved, so you're going to get attached very easily.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Then you get attached, and you're moved. So you have that taken from you over and over again,
0:14:33 > 0:14:35which is emotional abuse.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38I think, sometimes, having the one person beat you up
0:14:38 > 0:14:44is a lot easier to overcome than have 30-odd people just abandon you.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47I'm shocked by what Scott has said.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49I feel like care saved me.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51But he's made me think.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54What does it do to a child to be passed from place to place,
0:14:54 > 0:14:57not to feel safe, not to feel loved?
0:15:01 > 0:15:03'I've come back to see Coral.'
0:15:03 > 0:15:06- Hello.- You all right?
0:15:06 > 0:15:10'During her four years in care, Coral remembers living in 22 places.'
0:15:10 > 0:15:13I've been all right. What have you done since I'd last seen you?
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Nothing. I broke my punching bag yesterday.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19- Do you do boxing?- I used to. I've just got a punching bag now.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21'I'm meeting her near her latest home.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25'It's a flat she's been put in by the council, who want her to live
0:15:25 > 0:15:28'semi-independently now she's turned 17.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32'Two staff work shifts, staying there and looking out for her.'
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Let's go get some snacks.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42It's kind of nice. It's properly like...
0:15:42 > 0:15:44So, what about food and stuff?
0:15:44 > 0:15:46I pay for my own food. You have to do.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49I got paid, what, on Monday.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52All the money's gone. I've got about three quid left.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54- Really?- Yeah, to last me till Monday.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56But how do you live?
0:15:56 > 0:15:59I don't, do I? It's not living, is it, really?
0:15:59 > 0:16:04- It's just getting by. It's just getting by life through the skin of your teeth. Thank you.- Thank you.
0:16:04 > 0:16:05Nice one.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08I'm going to pop this down, and then eat with you.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12They say, "Oh, they'll try and make it as easy as possible here for you.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15"So we're going to try and make it as it was at home."
0:16:15 > 0:16:16But you're not.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20Because what other kid has to move out at 17, 16, even 18?
0:16:20 > 0:16:25They don't. It's just so much different when you're in care than being at home with Mum, isn't it?
0:16:25 > 0:16:26Or your dad.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29Do you ever wish that you could go back?
0:16:29 > 0:16:30- Go back to where?- Go back home?
0:16:30 > 0:16:35No. It's like, it was better for me that I got taken away,
0:16:35 > 0:16:37because I was at risk there.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40It's not good. It wasn't good for me or my mum, or my sisters,
0:16:40 > 0:16:42any of my family when I was at home,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45because I was causing everybody so much stress and everything.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49'Even though Coral thinks she was better growing up away from her family,
0:16:49 > 0:16:54'I wonder whether the trouble she's been in has a lot to do with going from home to home.'
0:16:54 > 0:16:57Sometimes, do you feel like your anger just, kind of,
0:16:57 > 0:17:01gets the better of you? And you just see red?
0:17:01 > 0:17:02I have control over my actions.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05But I don't have control over what makes me tick.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09I do, but, if someone says something I'll get like a little twitch,
0:17:09 > 0:17:11and I'm, like, did you really just say that?
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Say it again? Do it again?
0:17:13 > 0:17:14I just give them another chance.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Did you really just say that? Did you really just do that?
0:17:17 > 0:17:19If they do it again, then they're being deadly serious.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23And then I turn around, like, and that's what I mean. Someone says something, I'll click.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26I'll open my eyes. People on the floor, blood everywhere, and I'm like...
0:17:26 > 0:17:28What... Do you know what I mean?
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Because I start throwing myself around and I just get proper angry.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Why do you think you get so angry?
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Because I've not given myself a chance to calm down.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38I don't give anyone chance to speak. I'm, like, what? Bang!
0:17:38 > 0:17:42That's my guard, going up.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45What life is it? It's not living, this. It's not living.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49- Thank you. See you later. - Thanks, bye.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56Right, well, do you know what, yeah? I would have invited you in,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59but they say I'm not allowed people in.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01So I'd best say bye, then.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Hold in there. Come here. Hang in there.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09'Coral has learned throughout her placements in care,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12'the only way that she feels like she's going to be heard
0:18:12 > 0:18:13'is if she lashes out,'
0:18:13 > 0:18:16and at the moment, there's nothing stopping her from that.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20And I'm just scared that she is going to end up in a secure unit,
0:18:20 > 0:18:22or even prison.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Coral has partly been created by her experiences,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28so what would have happened to her if she hadn't have been sent from
0:18:28 > 0:18:32place to place, been left with stranger after stranger?
0:18:37 > 0:18:41I've heard of a lad called Liam who rejected the system when he was just 14.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44He's been homeless on and off since then.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Now 20, he's living in a squat with a group of activists,
0:18:47 > 0:18:49who occupy empty buildings in Manchester,
0:18:49 > 0:18:54where I've been trying to visit him to film.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57But before I can get in, the police and bailiffs beat me to it.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02So, Liam just gave us a call, and he's basically getting evicted.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04So, we need to get there now.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Let us in the door, man, fucking hell!
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Are you OK?
0:19:12 > 0:19:14- What's been said? - It was seven in the morning.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17As you can see around you, we got evicted.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Within half an hour. I'm terrified.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21I don't want to be on the streets again.
0:19:21 > 0:19:27'Just a few hours after being evicted, the activists Liam was squatting with have sorted a van.'
0:19:27 > 0:19:31So, wait, sorry, what's happening now?
0:19:31 > 0:19:33We're moving. We're putting stuff in a van.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35- Do you know where you're going? - Nope.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38'The activist group have found a new empty building to squat,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41'so Liam has a place to sleep tonight.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46'And he's been persuaded to visit Life Share,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49'a local homeless charity, with his friend, Matty,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51'to find out about getting a more permanent home.'
0:19:51 > 0:19:54You've got to be on it this time, guys.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58- Because the money is there. - So, what are you doing today, Liam?
0:19:58 > 0:19:59What's going on?
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Attempting to sort out housing and
0:20:02 > 0:20:05apply for viewings for houses.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09As Liam is 20, homeless, and was in care,
0:20:09 > 0:20:13the charity should be able to get him a house with Matty and some friends.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15But Liam's not sure.
0:20:15 > 0:20:16It's in Moston, that, fuck off.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Excuse my French.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22- So, Moston's a no-go? - Yeah, that's a no-go.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24It's better than living in a squat, though?
0:20:24 > 0:20:26- No, it's not. - This one looks pretty good.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28- It's in Middleton. - Middleton's quite nice.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30- My friend lives there. - It's north Manchester.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33My ex lives in Middleton, that's why I don't want to go there.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36I'm going to go for a cigarette, is that OK with you guys?
0:20:36 > 0:20:37Sorted.
0:20:37 > 0:20:38Matty, have you got a lighter?
0:20:38 > 0:20:41'While Liam is out having a cigarette, I take
0:20:41 > 0:20:44'the opportunity to chat to support worker Mikey.'
0:20:44 > 0:20:48Considering they've just been removed from a squat in Manchester,
0:20:48 > 0:20:50- it's...- They're being quite fussy.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52They're being very fussy. You know,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55the idea is, "We'll just go and get another squat."
0:20:55 > 0:20:58I would like them not to return back to the streets.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01I want them to be somewhere where they're happy, where they're comfortable.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06'As a 20-year-old care leaver, in theory, there's more help on offer for Liam than other young people.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09'I can't get my head around what's holding him back.'
0:21:09 > 0:21:11Them houses, to me, look pretty amazing, to be honest.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14But, yeah, I'm going to make myself a coffee and have a cigarette,
0:21:14 > 0:21:17so, you guys want to do one, then?
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Once Liam is 21, the extra help he gets will begin to dry up.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26He needs to get sorted soon.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31So far, the group of activists he's been squatting with have looked out
0:21:31 > 0:21:36for Liam. But if anything changes he could end up on the streets again.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Like Tyler. My old friend from school.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44He's managed to get into a hostel
0:21:44 > 0:21:46where they've laid on emergency sleeping space
0:21:46 > 0:21:51in a Portakabin, but now it's 9am, and he's back on the streets.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Hello. You OK?
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Yeah, I'm not bad. It's cold, innit?
0:21:55 > 0:21:58Yeah, it's absolutely freezing.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02'The chaos of moving foster home pretty much every year as a child
0:22:02 > 0:22:07'means Tyler has no support as he tries to get himself back on his feet.'
0:22:07 > 0:22:09- Here we are then.- After you. - Thank you.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13'At 25, despite a troubled childhood in care,
0:22:13 > 0:22:18'there's no duty for the local council, who took on the role of parent, to help him out.'
0:22:18 > 0:22:20As soon as you get to the age,
0:22:20 > 0:22:22they haven't got a duty of care. Virtually...
0:22:22 > 0:22:25See you later. Have a good life.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30But there should be more support.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35He's not seen by the government differently to any other homeless person.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37Hello? Good afternoon, it's Tyler calling again.
0:22:37 > 0:22:42I'm just wondering where we are up to with the meeting?
0:22:42 > 0:22:45- Because apparently I'm all...- After living like this for 18 months,
0:22:45 > 0:22:49he's hoping a local housing association can help him out.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Yeah, Tuesday afternoon?
0:22:51 > 0:22:54I can do that. What am I expecting the outcome for that meeting?
0:22:54 > 0:22:58I'm not sure being constantly moved as a child really prepared Tyler for
0:22:58 > 0:23:02life as an adult. And now he's got no-one to turn to.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06I thought our next step was, we do this until we set up a meeting.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08We go to a meeting to discuss the options.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12We find a property that a landlord is willing to take on the case for,
0:23:12 > 0:23:13and then we move into our flat?
0:23:13 > 0:23:17I mean, no mention of clearing off my arrears and stuff like that.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19Do you know what I mean?
0:23:19 > 0:23:21To look at Tyler's experience, it makes me angry.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26It's just a ridiculous cycle of care leavers being cut loose,
0:23:26 > 0:23:29and then falling, because they have no safety net.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31I feel like I'm running out of time, mate, I do.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Even at 25, care leavers are not ready to be on their own.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38- They're not ready.- All right, mate, no worries.
0:23:38 > 0:23:39Thank you. Bye.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43It's just jargon and nonsense.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45And, oh, do this, and then I get frustrated,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48because you're not making any sense to me about what my options are,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51and what my next step is, and what I can do.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Do you know what I mean?
0:23:53 > 0:23:55They just need to pull their finger out of their arses.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58You tell me that I've got to do all this,
0:23:58 > 0:23:59but then you do nothing yourselves.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03It's frustrating. It's...
0:24:03 > 0:24:05It's annoying. I'm annoyed.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07I'm not going to lie, I'm really annoyed.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Fuck them. Absolutely fuck them.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12I can't fuck them, because I need them.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15And that's the sod's law of it. I need them.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24It feels like growing up in care sets us up to fail.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29We're fragile to start with, with no-one there when things go wrong.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32When we fall, we fall hard.
0:24:32 > 0:24:37It is just like you've come in and you're already damaged goods, and...
0:24:40 > 0:24:45To not feel loved, in that kind of environment,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48it just makes you not worthy of love and
0:24:48 > 0:24:53for a long time, I couldn't feel anything any more.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56And it was that constant feeling of numbness.
0:24:56 > 0:25:02It's like you put yourself in dangerous and destructive methods and paths,
0:25:02 > 0:25:04and have these suicidal thoughts and stuff,
0:25:04 > 0:25:06because you want to be able to feel something.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Once you get on the destructive path, it's hard to get off,
0:25:11 > 0:25:16and you start making bad choices that could affect the rest of your life.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Coral's texted me. Things have kicked off at her flat with one of her carers,
0:25:20 > 0:25:22and it's turned violent.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25The police were called, and now she's been taken to a bed and breakfast
0:25:25 > 0:25:26for the night.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29- 'Hello.'- Hi, Coral. It's Becky.
0:25:29 > 0:25:30Where are you?
0:25:30 > 0:25:33'I'm just standing at a bus stop, me.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37'I'm going to a friend's cos I'm not staying at a B&B on my own.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42'They think they can pick the responsibility up and leave it whenever they want.'
0:25:42 > 0:25:45So what has the carer said?
0:25:45 > 0:25:49'Nothing. I've texted five of the staff, saying
0:25:49 > 0:25:53'I need food, I'm staying here all night without food.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55'And none of them replied. So, I waited half an hour.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57'They just didn't reply.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59So I'm going to go to my boyfriend's mum's for tea
0:25:59 > 0:26:02- 'and go and sleep in his car.' - You can't... She can't do that.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04Who's supposed to be looking after you in this situation?
0:26:04 > 0:26:08'Nobody! This is what I said.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11'I cried about seven million times today, just crying.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14'Is this going to keep happening, is this my life from now on?
0:26:14 > 0:26:15'Do you know what I mean?'
0:26:15 > 0:26:19No, it doesn't have to be though, Coral, and it shouldn't be.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21'It's one bad thing after another. I can't deal with it.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24'It's happening, like, every month now.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Every month, it's a new place, new people to meet.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29'I'm so used to it now, but I shouldn't be.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34'I'd never admitted it before, and now I don't care, because I never actually have.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36'But now, it's past the 20th placement. I'm thinking,
0:26:36 > 0:26:38'"Whoa, whoa, whoa, this isn't right.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41'"There's something wrong here, and it can't just be all me."
0:26:41 > 0:26:46'Do you know what I mean? Someone else has to take some responsibility for the way I am.'
0:26:51 > 0:26:54Coral, please, please, I know you're really whipped up,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57but just try and stay calm.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00'I am going to stay calm. I'm going to drink my wine and stay calm.'
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Right. I'll speak to you soon.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04'Thank you.'
0:27:04 > 0:27:06Thank you, Coral. See you later.
0:27:08 > 0:27:09Fucking hell!
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Jesus!
0:27:14 > 0:27:15She should not be on her own.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17She's 17!
0:27:17 > 0:27:20She's 17, and they've dropped her off at a B&B, and I know,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23I know what she's done is horrendous.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25She's at a bus stop on her own.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27She doesn't know what's happening today or tomorrow.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30And I asked her who I can get in touch with to make sure she's safe,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33and she said there is no-one.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35Whether that's true or not, the fact is,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38is that she feels like there is no-one.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43It's fucking disgusting. Sorry.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52Half an hour later, I got another text from Coral.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54She was safe at her friend's.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56I really don't know what she's going to do next.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02It's been a week since I saw Liam.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04'The person you're calling can't take your call.'
0:28:04 > 0:28:07He didn't show up for the appointments the charity arranged,
0:28:07 > 0:28:09and I've struggled to get in touch with him.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11Keep ringing.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Liam's life is so chaotic, and he's pretty unreliable.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16But I've finally made contact,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19and he said I can come over to his latest squat.
0:28:19 > 0:28:20- Hello.- Hello.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23'They've only been here seven days,
0:28:23 > 0:28:27'but already the activist group have been served an eviction notice.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30'So they'll get chucked out any day now.'
0:28:30 > 0:28:34Do you think you could give me a tour round?
0:28:34 > 0:28:38'Liam couldn't settle at his foster placement when he was 14,
0:28:38 > 0:28:42'so he ran away, and has been homeless on and off since then.'
0:28:42 > 0:28:43Sorry about the lighting up here.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45I don't even know where the light switch is.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48Yes! I did have my own accommodation,
0:28:48 > 0:28:52thanks to social services from the ages of 17 to 18.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56But then that property ended up with a lot of debt on my head,
0:28:56 > 0:28:58because my housing benefit ended up stopping getting paid,
0:28:58 > 0:29:01because I wasn't really too used to the job centre and stuff like that,
0:29:01 > 0:29:03and I got sanctioned.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05And from there I just went fuck it.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09Put all my stuff in a sleeping bag, and started to camp out on Market Street.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13'With no family to fall back on, he slept rough in the city centre...'
0:29:13 > 0:29:14So where do you sleep?
0:29:14 > 0:29:17'..where he was spat on, robbed and kicked.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21'At least the squat is safe, with other people for company.'
0:29:21 > 0:29:24So, which one's your bed?
0:29:24 > 0:29:27I share the room with two other people.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29It's normally pretty comfortable in here.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32You'll be getting half, anyway, it's your tobacco.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35'Some of the good things is the fact we've got heat, we've got light,
0:29:35 > 0:29:37'and we've got somewhere to stay when it's cold.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39Cheers. 'But some of the bad things are,'
0:29:39 > 0:29:42you've obviously got the inevitability of being evicted.
0:29:42 > 0:29:48How important is it for you to stay together with the people squatting?
0:29:48 > 0:29:50It's just a nice happy family,
0:29:50 > 0:29:54which most care leavers have never had that.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56What else can I say?
0:29:56 > 0:30:01Now I understand why Liam's chosen this over the houses on offer.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03None of those are a home.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07The squat and the activists who live there are the closest to a happy
0:30:07 > 0:30:11family he's got. Which is exactly what foster care should be.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15And that's what I had.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17After helping me get away from my abusive home,
0:30:17 > 0:30:22Marcus's family eventually became my foster family.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24It wasn't a job for us.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27It was just something that we did.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30How challenging was it for you guys to, kind of,
0:30:30 > 0:30:33make the decision that you wanted me to stay?
0:30:33 > 0:30:39Well, there were, I suppose, some challenges along the way.
0:30:39 > 0:30:44Arguments between you and Marcus,
0:30:44 > 0:30:47and the impact it had in school, as well.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50And at times, we did, well, I did think,
0:30:50 > 0:30:53we can't carry on like this.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56Almost, you know, like...
0:30:56 > 0:30:58It gets to a point where you think,
0:30:58 > 0:31:01this is actually affecting our family here.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04Our family unit as it was.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06It sounds really daft, but we got used to you.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08And when we've made that decision,
0:31:08 > 0:31:11we're committed to whatever decision we make.
0:31:11 > 0:31:12And I think that's the way we saw it.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15- Wasn't it?- Yeah. - At that particular...
0:31:15 > 0:31:20- We never had a chance to get out of it again, did we!- No!
0:31:20 > 0:31:23- But you wouldn't want to?- No.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29'Michelle and Simon didn't provide a placement, they gave me a home.
0:31:29 > 0:31:34'Something many of the people I've met haven't been given.'
0:31:34 > 0:31:39To think of what a horrible situation I might be in if they
0:31:39 > 0:31:44hadn't cared for me after all the trauma and the damage that was done before I came into care...
0:31:47 > 0:31:50..just... It's just, kind of, unthinkable.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52Where would I be without them?
0:31:52 > 0:31:57I just feel like an overwhelming sense of being grateful.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03You're drying, Bec.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06Squeaky-clean.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09'But should someone in care feel grateful for a loving home?
0:32:09 > 0:32:12'I don't think so. It shouldn't be the exception.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14'It should be the rule.'
0:32:14 > 0:32:16For years, governments have made big promises,
0:32:16 > 0:32:18saying things will get better.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21There's supposed to be more support and extra cash,
0:32:21 > 0:32:25but it's definitely not getting through to everyone who needs it.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28And one big thing that has not changed -
0:32:28 > 0:32:31the age that we have to leave and stand on our own two feet.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36I've come to see Scott again.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40He's using his horrendous experiences in care to improve
0:32:40 > 0:32:42other young people's lives.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46I was taken into care when I was six months old.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48My time in care was extremely traumatic.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50It was a complete mess, to be honest.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53And I had a high number of placement moves.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56It tends to be that the more placement moves a child has,
0:32:56 > 0:32:58the worse their behaviour becomes.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00And also, the worse their outcome is as well.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03This session is for foster carers,
0:33:03 > 0:33:06to help them understand the young people they look after better so
0:33:06 > 0:33:09that the placements are more likely to last, and, unlike Scott,
0:33:09 > 0:33:12the children won't get moved on repeatedly.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16And what this care system does, unintentionally,
0:33:16 > 0:33:18is teaches kids that rage works.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22Sometimes, all it takes is one person to do something differently to turn
0:33:22 > 0:33:25that person around. And most of the care leavers that I know who have
0:33:25 > 0:33:28been awful in care and have turned out OK have only had one person that
0:33:28 > 0:33:32has not rejected them. That has not put conditions on the relationship,
0:33:32 > 0:33:34and has accepted them for who they are.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37- I hope you've all taken something out of today.- Yeah.- Thank you.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39Thanks for coming.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41The system is a conveyor belt.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45And it can be stopped by helping people understand the impact of moving kids on.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48But also, give them the skills they need to keep kids in placement.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52Because these kids, they can be very difficult, they can be very draining.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55It is hard. So they do need support,
0:33:55 > 0:34:00but there are skill sets that we are able to give them to help them deal
0:34:00 > 0:34:04with that, because they are the most delicate and damaged children in this country.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08It's simple, isn't it?
0:34:08 > 0:34:10Damaged kids need someone who will stick with them.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13The more you're moved, the more damage can be done.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17But for the people I've met, the system has already left its mark.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20- Good morning!- Hello!
0:34:20 > 0:34:23'A week after I spoke to her on the phone, Coral's back in the flat,
0:34:23 > 0:34:27'where she should stay until she's 18.'
0:34:27 > 0:34:29What do you think's going to happen when you're 18?
0:34:29 > 0:34:32- Do you think you're going to be all right on your own?- I hope so.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36I think I'll be all right. It needs to work.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40It needs to. I'm not going to let it fail.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43Nope, not happening. It's not failing.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47- It's going to go right. - Do you worry that if you lose your temper once you turn 18
0:34:47 > 0:34:50that it might end up going too far, and when you're 18 you might end up in prison?
0:34:50 > 0:34:54Yeah. 100%. I do. But so far, I have, kind of, got away with it,
0:34:54 > 0:34:56because I've not been in a position where I've had to go to prison.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59In that sense, I am quite lucky.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01But when I turn 18 it will be a completely different story,
0:35:01 > 0:35:02because I won't just be some kid.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05I'll be an adult. You're 18 now, you've got responsibility.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Take responsibility for your own actions.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10'I believe she can leave it all behind.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13'Coral is more than her time in care.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16'She's funny, clever, and determined.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18'All she really needs is a stable home.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20'Just like Liam.'
0:35:22 > 0:35:25So, Liam just texted me, he is at Life Share.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28So hopefully, he'll still be there by the time we get there,
0:35:28 > 0:35:32and we'll actually, finally, get to catch up with him.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34I thought I'd seen the last of Liam.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38When things aren't going well, he seems to disappear.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42I was getting worried, but after two months, finally he's keen to see me.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46Hi. It's Rebecca.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48It's so dark in here.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50- The power's gone.- Is Liam here?
0:35:50 > 0:35:52No. He's just done one.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55You're joking? 'Just when I thought I'd missed him again...'
0:35:55 > 0:35:59Hello! So, how have you been?
0:35:59 > 0:36:01Very, very shit. Very, very stressed.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05Because, obviously, the activists dumped us off, and they all left us.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08So, last time we spoke, you said that it was like a family.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11And they've turned around to me and said, well, sometimes,
0:36:11 > 0:36:15for you to move on, sometimes family has to push you.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18- They said that?- Yeah. Sometimes you have to be away from your family to
0:36:18 > 0:36:20move further on. So I turned around and was like, well,
0:36:20 > 0:36:24I left my family very far away from me, and look where I am.
0:36:24 > 0:36:28'I can't believe that Liam's lost another family after everything he's
0:36:28 > 0:36:31'been through. Now, more than ever, he needs a home.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34'That's what everyone deserves,
0:36:34 > 0:36:37'especially after they haven't really had one as a child.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42'And that's what Tyler keeps on fighting for.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46'At last, he has his appointment with the housing association.'
0:36:46 > 0:36:49Hopefully, this will be all right.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51- Tyler.- Hello?- How are you feeling?
0:36:51 > 0:36:54A bit nervous. I mean, it could go either way.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56How important is this meeting for you?
0:36:56 > 0:37:01Very. It decides what the next step is.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04It decides what the next plan is, where we go from here.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07I want to think positive that it's going to be all right.
0:37:07 > 0:37:08But I feel like I'm going to go in here now,
0:37:08 > 0:37:11and I'm going to get a massive reality check.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14Who knows?
0:37:14 > 0:37:18'Tyler's reality is that even the smallest mistake can have huge
0:37:18 > 0:37:20'consequences after you've been in care.'
0:37:20 > 0:37:22Fingers crossed. Wish me luck.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27Tyler just wants to live.
0:37:27 > 0:37:32His outcome for today is either he makes a step towards getting that,
0:37:32 > 0:37:36and he makes a step towards creating a future,
0:37:36 > 0:37:39or he's just going to be stuck in this horrific spiral,
0:37:39 > 0:37:43and probably again, end up homeless.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46'Just under an hour later, Tyler and Sophie are out of the meeting.'
0:37:46 > 0:37:48..for everything. You're absolutely amazing.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50See you later, Jo.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52- Yeah!- How was it?
0:37:52 > 0:37:56It was really good. They explained the process,
0:37:56 > 0:38:00and they've done a couple of referrals already to the credit union
0:38:00 > 0:38:02and tenancy training, and stuff like that,
0:38:02 > 0:38:04which, obviously, is going to help me in the long run.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08Because I can manage stuff better, and budgeting, and...
0:38:11 > 0:38:14I'm going to sleep a little bit better tonight.
0:38:14 > 0:38:15Just a little bit.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22Oh, my God, baby. It's actually happening.
0:38:22 > 0:38:26'Tyler has a way to go until he has a place of his own,
0:38:26 > 0:38:27'but for the time being,
0:38:27 > 0:38:31'he and Sophie have moved into their own room in the hostel.
0:38:31 > 0:38:32'It's a start.'
0:38:34 > 0:38:37This year, 10,000 children will leave care.
0:38:37 > 0:38:41I don't want them to face the same obstacles as some of the people I've met.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44They can't just be forgotten about.
0:38:44 > 0:38:48Care never leaves us, and I don't think the support should either.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51'If the Government is going to act as our parent,
0:38:51 > 0:38:53'then that's a job it should take on for life.'
0:38:53 > 0:38:58Hello! I'm just going to run upstairs and get changed.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01'When I left uni, I moved back in with Michelle and Simon.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05'They weren't paid to look after me any more, but that didn't matter.'
0:39:05 > 0:39:07That's better. This is me helping.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11'Now, they are my family.'
0:39:11 > 0:39:16'I think if I'd have gone to a place that'
0:39:16 > 0:39:20wasn't as loving, and as supportive, it would have just broken me.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23I've been given a home, and not a house.
0:39:23 > 0:39:29And I've actually been treated as a vulnerable child,
0:39:29 > 0:39:31and not a case file.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35And with that been able to heal.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39And, yeah, the scars from my wounds will still be there,
0:39:39 > 0:39:41but at least I can move forward.