This programme contains very strong language from the start
More young people are in the care system than ever before.
But they're rarely seen and rarely heard.
This series wants to change that.
MUSIC: A Hero's Death by Fontaines DC
# Never let a clock tell you what you got time for
# It only goes around, goes around, goes around
# Take your family name for your own great sins
# Cos each day is where it all begins
# And don't give up too quick
# You only get one line, you better make it stick
# If we give ourselves to every breath
# Then we're all in the running for a hero's death. #
SOCIAL WORKER: I've been knocking on your door. Is Liam with you?
No, I think he went out to look for AJ.
THUDDING AJ, have you broken anything else?
Yes. I'm going to explode!
DOORBELL CHIMES BIG BEN TUNE
CAMERA OPERATOR: Hello?
Who's behind the door?
Hello?
Door's automatic.
Oh. It's automatic?!
Oh, right.
Who's...
Hello?
Fuck. Oh, hello. Fuck.
You seen me? Shit.
What's your name?
I dunno.
I'm Paddy.
Hi.
Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, too.
Do you want to show us in?
OK. This is where you walk through
and then you do everything else you want.
Don't follow me. Don't follow you?
Mm-hmm. This is a children's home.
Owned and run by Coventry Children's Services...
No-one here. Quite boring.
..dominated by teenagers.
SOCIAL WORKER: Basically, have you been keeping things bottled up?
Because I'm worried about what's happened today.
Liam, are you going to come downstairs now?
I'm giving you five minutes and then I'm gonna come and annoy you.
SOCIAL WORKER:
LIAM:
SOCIAL WORKER:
LIAM:
SOCIAL WORKER:
No. On your sun lounger... No, we're allowed beach towels
to put on our sun lounger. Yeah.
A core team of ten staff work in the home,
supporting the four young people
aged between 15 and 17 who live here.
Hello. Hi. You OK?
My name's Paddy. I'm Teo.
Nice to meet you, Teo. Nice to meet you, too.
Basically, this is the lounge.
Yeah.
How long have you lived here?
I lived here for four years.
Four years? Four years, yeah. How old are you?
I'm 15. You're 15? Yeah.
So, if we go upstairs,
which brings us to Versaf's bedroom.
Yes? AJ's bedroom, Bayley's bedroom.
BAYLEY, MUFFLED: What, bro? Bayley.
What?
How's it going?
The only female resident in the home is 17-year-old Bayley.
This is a good room, innit?
Ugh. It's, uh... Very messy.
I know. Wow.
Where's your makeup drawer? Erm... That's on the floor.
Yeah, it's just everywhere.
You're going to have to get used to it.
Could you put the phone down momentarily?
No... I genuinely can't because
I look like a homeless person right now.
OK. What if we film from the back of the room?
OK. BAYLEY CHUCKLES
Do you not feel confident about the way you look, then?
Bro, I look like I just came off a five week bender.
So what are the conditions under which we're allowed to film you?
When I look decent and don't look like a potato.
Ah, right, OK.
Well, I think you've got a good contribution
to make to this film,
as one of its longest-standing residents.
CHUCKLING: Standing residents...
OK. See you later, then.
All right. Safe.
I think a lot of people, in their...
..don't know a lot about children's homes,
might have a slightly outdated image of what they're like.
I think often the stereotype would be a nice big institution,
huge, great big orphanages
with bunk beds and children crammed into rooms.
That's not the case at all.
The whole idea is that it's a family model.
Hello. I'm going to be washing a car today.
Yeah? Yeah.
We try and create an atmosphere for children where they feel safe
and they build relationships that they value
with the people that care for them.
How would you describe Mary?
She definitely does not get paid enough,
with the amount of shit she has to deal with.
THEY LAUGH
BOTH: Zee!
Who's this, AJ?
This is Nathan.
He's very kind and everything.
Is he? Understanding as well.
POWER WASHER BUZZES THEY CHUCKLE
SOCIAL WORKER: Pick it up.
Each young person has a key worker to support them.
Bayley's is Kerry.
Shouldn't she be doing this herself, though?
She should be doing it herself.
And most of the time she does.
But you can't help it?
I can't help it. It's the mother in me.
BAYLEY: The orange is...
How long have you known each other, then, you and Bayley?
Er, since she moved in. BAYLEY SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY
What's that?
BAYLEY:
I think hate's a strong word.
We never used to get on. I didn't like her.
Why not? I thought she was a stuck-up fucking bitch.
And a prostitute. KERRY SCOFFS SOFTLY
Ooh. Well, it's good your opinion's changed, then, isn't it?
She likes to be cared about, although she'd never admit that.
Will you, Bayley?
What?
You won't, you find it cringey when people talk about
that they care about you.
I don't want you to care about me.
Why not?
BAYLEY:
What's that say? SMD?
Suck my dick. Oh. Pleasant.
Or I could do SMS - suck my schlong.
You know?
He is, you're laughing. I told you it was funny. KERRY CHUCKLES
Can we go through there? Come on.
Some people see that banter that she was just doing
out there as rude. That's not rude.
That's Bayley being endearing
and that's showing that she cares about you.
If she doesn't care about you, she would openly say
that and you'd know about it.
What she does is then she pushes you away.
But that's... And she'll, she can be, you know, not very nice to you.
But why does she push you? What's the pushiness?
Because she wants to know that you're gonna come back.
That's what it's about.
There she is. Look, we're talking about you.
BAYLEY LAUGHS Your ears are burning.
Bayley. What?
Can I ask you something?
Are you an easy person to get to know?
No. Certainly not.
Why not?
Um, I just don't really trust people.
And there's so many people that come in my life,
I'm just used to it and I'm just like,
"There's no point you getting to know me
cos you're gonna be gone in a month."
D'you know what I mean?
Have you lived in many different homes, then?
Yeah. About three residential and...
..seven foster carers.
What are you able to tell me about what happened to you?
What are you comfortable telling me?
Um...
It's up to you.
There's a lot, but I don't know what to say.
Well, you don't have to say anything.
We'll do that next time.
OK.
Tell us a little bit about this place.
Here, it's like a big family.
Like, we're not blood
and obviously, sometimes we have our differences,
but it's like grew up with these for about three or four years.
It'll be four years next year. D'you know what I mean?
So that is a bit, like, the main part of your life, innit?
Do you love them, do you think?
No, I don't love them.
Jesus Christ. That's a bit cringe.
Oh, God.
SOCIAL WORKER: Fry your chicken first. All of it.
Yeah? And then put your seasoning.
So should I just use one or two?
Just use one. It's like a cooking show, innit?
Yeah, they call me the Gordon Ramsay of Cov.
Although all the teenagers here seem secure,
there comes a time when every young person in residential care
must leave.
ANGELA: Their 18th birthday is technically
when they're meant to leave our care.
So we need to make sure that they're as ready as they can be,
to move on into adulthood.
This one? Yeah.
You know, do they know how much things cost?
Do they know how to budget?
Do they know how to use the washing machine?
Do they know how to iron, be involved in the cooking?
It's all right. It's OK.
That was dramatic. Yeah.
The law dictates that 18 is the line,
but most young people who live with their families,
they don't leave on their 18th birthday.
You know, most young adults aren't leaving until they're 25, 26.
It's a massive ask, isn't it?
It's huge. Huge.
And it's, and it's, you know.
It's the law, but I don't think
it's necessarily right.
As the oldest resident,
that time is looming for Bayley.
She turns 18 in ten months
and staff need to get her ready to leave the home.
Ow! She's going to what's known as the training flat
to practise living on her own for the first time.
You're not worried about staying there overnight on your own?
Yeah, obviously. I'm more worried about this place, though.
Who's going to turn all the plug sockets off?
Do you think you'll miss us?
No.
Be nice to have a break.
Cooking, cleaning, all that.
You're great. But I think being on your own,
I think you'll struggle with that a little bit, won't you?
In all the time she's been with us at residential,
she's never spent any time away.
So all them little things that maybe she takes for granted
that we do all the time,
you know, she's going to have
to be doing them for herself.
Serious?
I'm like a pack horse.
How many nights is she away?
Four nights.
Where is she now?
I have no idea.
Come on, seriously, now!
BAYLEY: Coming!
MUFFLED: Is this your laptop? Yeah. Right.
Thank you, darling.
Oh, God. I'm still not done.
I've got things to...
What bag did I give you last?
Ugh.
If I don't have my keys, I'm gonna have to come back.
CAR HORN BEEPS I hope you know that. Just stop stressing.
AJ: Go on, Bayley! Don't kill yourself, OK?
I'll try not to, AJ.
Let's put some tunes on to cheer us up.
There we go. MUSIC: Feel It by The Tamperer ft Maya
Right, ready?
TRIUMPHANT BRITPOP TUNE GROWS LOUDER
I don't know whether that... This is six.
So we need to be over there.
Let's look at these numbers.
Shall I go and have a look round for them?
DOOR CLICKS OPEN Hello. I'm Kerry.
I'm so sorry we're late. I think she's gone round the back.
She's gone round the back? Oh, no. Here she is.
Hello. Oh, hi. You remember me?
No. Nope? OK.
Hi, I'm Tracy.
What's in here?
Oh, it's the bathroom.
Yeah, I know how a toilet works and taps and, you know.
Yeah, I know, I know. Your bedroom's your bedroom.
OK? So you know what's in here. Yeah.
OK? Well, we're going to go back to that cupboard, then.
This one? Yep. That should head to the kitchen.
A fridge? I know how a fridge works.
And I know how a freezer works. OK. You know?
I know how to use a toaster.
I'm not going to show you the toaster. And a kettle.
Look, behave. I'm not going to show you that.
OK.
This is your home for a week.
Once you sign this, you're saying
you're going to look after this place.
No smoking in the property.
Not even vapes.
No illegal substances stored, used or smoked,
no offensive weapons or replica weapons.
And the most important thing is you've got to maintain
this property, keep it safe from damage, clean and tidy.
Is she nervous?
Yeah. But she'd never say that.
Why not?
I don't know whether she feels that people might
prey on that vulnerability or that
it makes her look weak.
Yeah, I do worry about how she'll be
because she doesn't like to be on her own.
I just worry that she'll do something
and that she won't be able to undo the consequences.
There we go. That's all right.
So what's good about turning 18?
You get to do a lot of partying.
I'd say that.
# Check this out... # CLUB MUSIC POUNDS
Yo!
What's a big night?
Double vodka and coke.
Or a few beers, a few Coronas.
Or Desperados.
Byron?
Were you here last week?
GIGGLING: I met you last week, man!
CASSIE LAUGHS
Are you chatting up quite a few girls?
Yeah. Really?
I'd say, yeah.
Sometimes a bit too much.
What, what are your numbers?
Don't know if I can say that on camera. BYRON LAUGHS
She was a ten, ten, ten...
She was a ten, ten, bro!
Come on, then, let's go.
BYRON:
NIGHTCLUB NOISE FADES
Byron and his two younger sisters
have been living with foster carers for the past seven years.
But when he turned 18 a couple of months ago,
he shocked everyone by deciding to move out.
Hello! Morning, you all right?
Yeah, you?
So tell me, when he mentioned that he was going to be leaving,
what was your immediate reaction?
Gutted.
Absolutely gutted.
And heart-wrenching.
We were devastated when he decided to move out.
I cried like a baby.
So why did Byron leave, then?
Well, I think you were at a stage where you were...
..wanting a bit more independence. Yeah.
And you were probably not mixing with the greatest of people.
That's why you're looking worried on your face right now.
I was, like, set on moving out, getting my own place,
like living in my own flat,
thinking I'm going to have the time of my life.
My social worker at the time said,
"No, I think staying with Dan and Rianne
"would be the best thing for you
"because that's sort of the support you need."
No.
D'you want a hand?
Yeah, please.
LAWNMOWER ENGINE ROARS
LAWNMOWER DRONES
What was he getting up to, then?
He was off with people doing weed and getting into trouble
and hanging around with people that were connected to gangs
and just not the people you want him to be around.
Just not the choices you want him to make.
Yeah. Not even the people. Like, the choices he was making.
Since leaving Danny and Rianne's care, Byron has struggled.
He lost his job and ended up in a hostel for young people
at risk of homelessness.
It's just such a small, compact, like, space, like.
It can get quite claustrophobic sometimes, really.
It's not a home, is it?
No. Even though I've been here, like, two months,
it still doesn't feel like a home, really.
How often do you regret moving out?
Every time I talk about it.
Sometimes near enough every day.
Why don't you just move back?
I think technically, technically, there's nowhere to do it
because Dan and Rianne spoke to social workers
and it was along the terms of, you know, "You was, like, taking drugs
and stuff like that.
They're not gonna let someone back into a house when there's,
like, four kids now, you know? And other foster kids...
Yeah. Yeah. What, cos they think you're a risk?
Yeah. It would technically, yeah, when they look at it,
it would technically class as a risk.
What it is, cos we've got, like, a duty of care
towards the other children and his sisters.
And, you know, what affect Byron coming in off his face,
what effect is that going to have on his younger siblings?
And you can't really take those risks.
Whilst in Danny and Rianne's care,
Byron was introduced to rugby.
He showed enough promise to be offered a trial
at a professional rugby club.
It's pretty big.
It could be a future.
COACH: Good, back-pedal.
Go right to 15, make sure that foot hits the line.
18, 19, 20.
Byron tries lots of things.
Byron comes up with ideas and that's what he's going to do.
You know, he gets very focused and that's what he's gonna do.
And he's invested fully in that. Into it.
So... But does that last?
No. No.
COACH: Pass, good.
Ah, unlucky. Back you go, reload.
Still on two.
BOTH: He was gonna be a boxer.
Yeah, nice, stand him up.
And he probably did about two weeks.
Christian, too early on it.
He worked at Hermes.
"I can work seven days a week."
Yeah. "And I'll make loads of money."
He didn't last because he didn't turn up to work.
BYRON COUGHS
BYRON RETCHES
BYRON SPITS
BYRON EXHALES TOILET FLUSHES
It's hard graft.
And I would happily do it, if I was fit enough for it. But...
..it's, er...
It's hard.
COACH: Let's go, let's go, let's go.
Put your hands up.
Oh-ho!
What happens with Byron when he takes a knock like this?
Byron...can spiral.
And then...
..you don't hear from him and you think, "Oh, what's happened?"
And then he's gone out and he's spent, he's got no money left
and he's spiralled. He kind of has, like, a self-sabotage.
I think it's massively his self-belief.
Do I deserve to be in this world?
BYRON VOICEOVER: My mum and my dad did have alcohol problems
and my dad did have problems with, like, drugs and stuff.
Cos I would have been, like, very young.
But I just remember him just hitting my mum in a hallway.
I'd be scared and I felt broken. I felt lost.
I have, like, been quite down.
I won't ring Danny and Rianne, I won't go see them.
I won't go rugby, I'll just go smoke weed
and try and smoke the pain away.
UPBEAT CLUB MUSIC PLAYS BYRON SINGS ALONG: # You make me feel like I, I , I... #
BYRON HUMS
Where's my girl?
BYRON VOICEOVER: I'll sometimes go out,
sesh it all night sort of thing.
INDISTINCT CHATTER MELLOW SYNTH PLAYS
Yeah.
SYNTH MUSIC BUILDS RHYTHM
BRYRON'S FRIENDS: Five...four...
..three...two... o n e . . .
Get it down anyway.
Fair play.
SYNTH MUSIC CONTINUES
Zoop!
SYNTH MUSIC CONTINUES
And how old were you when you first went into care?
11. 11 and a half.
Didn't really understand what was going on.
But then there was one day when we got pulled...
..into a classroom with, like, my sisters.
And then they said, um...
"We're going to take you home to say bye to your parents."
And as soon as I heard that, I was like, "We're going.
"We're going."
And then our bags were put into a car.
And then they were like, "You need to...
"You need to say goodbye."
And I just cried.
I just cried it out with them.
And I was like, "I don't want to go."
My dad was like, "You've gotta go.
Like, "I can't," he was like, "I can't keep you.
"If I could keep you, I would, but you've gotta go with them."
SYNTH MUSIC POUNDS
BYRON:
SYNTH CLUB MUSIC FADES
BAYLEY YAWNS
BAYLEY LAUGHS
How are you?
Ooh, I'm good. How are you?
How was your night?
Oh. Long.
Bayley has spent her first night
living on her own in the training flat.
She has three more days to go.
BAYLEY YAWNS
Bored?
Yes.
I think it's the fact is I'm just used to
bare things going on.
Nothing goes on, so I'm just like, "Oh, OK."
I worry about now, that if she is bored or lonely,
that she'll just have people around her
that might not necessarily be positive influences.
And there's nobody there, really, to be there for her.
She had a history, at one stage we were really worried about her
because she was going missing.
And it was frequent.
Quite worrying. Very worrying. For a young teenager.
Absolutely, hugely worrying
because we know the risks that are out there.
How long would you go missing for?
Hours.
Days, weeks.
I just did what I wanted to.
Were you at risk, would you say?
Yeah, I was.
I've been in a lot of bad situations.
I never, ever called any foster placement home.
That's why my behaviour went really bad.
Fighting, arguing, smashing things.
I was angry all the time.
I didn't accept the fact I was in care.
I kept thinking, "Oh, no, I'm going home. I'm going home."
But I always sit and wonder, if I didn't go in care,
where I'd be now.
Leaving care, the risks for Bayley and Byron feel so high.
Out in the world alone,
carrying the weight of their past.
The odds feel stacked against them.
It's been three weeks since Bayley returned from the training flat
and it's all kicked off.
She caused about £5,000 worth of damage,
flooding the bathroom out. The water came through the ceiling.
There was another occasion where she turned the speakers on
full blast late on a Saturday night.
Staff went out and addressed it.
Unfortunately, Bayley grabbed a member of staff by the hair
and shook them around.
And then they ended up on the floor and she kicked them.
Basically saying to everybody,
"I'm not gonna do what you tell me, I'm gonna do what the hell I like."
And I think that's why we made the decision to move
her sooner than we would have planned.
Bayley's behaviour means the staff have decided
to move her out of the home for good.
Is it right that she should be asked to leave, though?
Is that the right thing?
EXHALES DEEPLY Is it right?
That's such a difficult question to answer.
I made the decision based upon the risks that are presented
for all of the young people.
I think that's the challenge.
So...when you have a group of young people,
you have to look at the risks for all.
It's not what I would have wanted for Bayley.
Bayley is now permanently living in a flat by herself.
Yo. Wotcher!
Hmm? Can we come up?
You what? Can we come up?
Yeah. Come on. All right, then.
I'll buzz you in.
Kitchen. Yep.
Lovely kitchen.
Happy with the kitchen?
Yep.
What were you doing, do you think, when you went back
there after the training flat?
Erm, just, shit was happening and...
I was like, "Well, I'm going to leave anyway"
because I knew I was leaving soon.
You tend to push people away before they push you away.
You do that?
Sometimes, yeah.
MELLOW SYNTH TONES PLAY
# Shadow
# Take me down
# Shadow... #
Hello, love. Hello.
My friend - well, so-called friend -
took the phone out of my hand and went...like this.
I was wondering how much would it be to get it fixed?
Cos I live on my own now, so, like, money's different now.
I've got £25 here.
How much would that. £60. 60?
OK. So I'll get that done at the end of the month.
Yeah. Thank you.
What's going on?
Broke my phone, my TV.
So there's nothing to do.
I'll just wake up when I wake up.
I have no meaning of time right now.
Do you feel a bit stuck?
Mm-hmm.
You know what? Either way...
..can't really do fuck all.
MONOTONOUS STRINGS DRONE
A lot of people - even adults - don't like to admit
we get, feel lonely and you can get isolated
living on your own.
Despite continued support from staff at the Children's Home,
the service is concerned for Bayley's well-being
and calls in specialist help.
Come on, then, Mabel.
Let's go see Bayley.
20-year veteran Mandy G.
Not that one.
The first thing I tell my young people, "I'm telling you now,
"I'm a hugger.
"If you don't like hugging, that's grand,
"but you're going to at least get one and see how it feels."
Yay!
Hello!
Have I woke you up?
Hmm. Good.
What's the best bits now, though, about having your own place?
Tell me two good things.
No rules. No rules.
OK. Second thing?
I can do what I fucking want.
Same as no rules.
Right, tell me two of the worst things about living on your own.
Hmm, no data.
No data. What's the other thing that's rubbish?
BAYLEY GROANS
Having to do everything yourself.
Yeah.
No-one can ever take the place of their parents.
And it's not about that.
It's about giving them emotional security.
If you haven't got that, everything else goes out the window.
INDISTINCT CHATTER MUFFLED CLUB MUSIC PULSES
Doof! And I hit him...
You go past the roundabout, past The City Arms and go straight.
Bayley's flat has attracted some of the people she's met
during her time in care.
Oh, my God. Hello. Hello.
KNOCKING ON DOOR
And Mandy's worried that people are taking advantage of her.
Hello! Hi.
I didn't know you were here.
Hello. Yo. How are you?
I'm good.
No. No?
Why do you think I've come to see you in the wee small hours?
Because you are fucking... Annoying. ..annoying.
What I'm trying to say to you is -
and I can't tell you who to be friends with or not - you are a very caring person.
And I'm not saying you can't say no to people,
but sometimes you don't because it's easier than saying no.
Night. Bye, Mand. Thank you.
All right. I won't. No, I won't.
Yeah?
Yeah. All right, darling. Bye. Take care. Bye.
DISTANT DOORS BANG
MANDY SIGHS That's, she's just gone crash, bang, wallop.
Traditional.
All right?
Yep.
It's, you know, she's a teenager.
She's got friends that are teenagers.
She has a place where they can come and hang out.
But sometimes she can't say no to people, so...
..that worries me.
That some people can take advantage.
What...?
LOW-PITCHED STRINGS PLAY
ALARM BLARES FIRE ROARS SIRENS BLARE
A few days later, Bayley's situation takes a turn for the worse.
PHONE RINGTONE
She's had a fight with another care leaver,
and Mandy tries to find out more.
I've heard there's been a bit of an incident the other night, was it Tuesday night?
BAYLEY SLURRED OVER PHONE: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Have you been drinking?
No. I'm just really happy.
OK. So is this a case that the police are likely to get involved?
BAYLEY:
OK.
So when are you expecting a knock on your door from them?
Listen, I know there will be a part of you that's
gonna be really annoyed with yourself and probably a bit
ashamed at some point because listen...
You will be.
GIGGLING:
Well, you're just caught up with the adrenaline of it all
at the moment, so...
Can we have... Bye.
PHONE BLEEPS Bye.
It's serious.
I am unsure if Bayley's
started to unpick how serious this could be.
I am very disappointed for her.
And my worry is, is that just going to make her think,
"Oh, well, I've got it wrong now,
so I might as well just up the ante"? I don't know.
# I'm doing it for the thrill... # POP MUSIC PLAYS QUIETLY THEY MUMBLE ALONG
# I'm hoping you'll understand... #
We'll go up there.
MUSIC CONTINUES
It's too bright.
See yous in a bit.
Byron's partying continues.
He's not responded to Danny and Rianne's messages
for a couple of weeks.
So they've summoned him for a chat.
Good night? Threw a bit of a party at mine before.
I thought you were gonna say, "I threw up." Nah.
That's what I was waiting for. No, not yet.
No, not yet?
What, you're planning on it?
No. Oh, right, OK.
What have yous been up to the past couple of weeks?
Well, you'd know if you seen us.
I know. I think everyone's a bit concerned
that you've had a two week bender. I'm finished now.
Are you sure? You've got it all out your system again?
Yeah. I feel like I got deja vu.
Think I've had this one before.
You obviously feel it gives you some answer, which I feel it doesn't.
I feel it... Or it gives you some release. No, it doesn't.
It gives you... But you always go back to it.
So, because you go back to it, there is some pull there, isn't there?
To use it as an escape or to use it as...a release
or...want and need to do it.
I feel like everything's just, like, all good, but then, like, mentally,
like...all my head just sort of drops.
So I'll use it as an escape,
but then actually I'm just, like, I've just made myself worse.
So you can see why we're concerned?
What do you make of that chat?
It's definitely not something I want to have
on a comedown, to be honest, but they are right.
I do need to sort my shit out and step back up
to where I actually need to be.
Really.
You gonna change, do you reckon?
Yeah, 100%.
I can't keep living like this, so there needs to be a change done.
And I'm the only person who can do that, really.
# Start with the small talk
# Won't you?
# Don't wanna feed the nightmares... #
I wanna get out of that hostel.
To get my own place.
# Don't wanna hear no more... #
So to do that, I need to have my own job.
BYRON:
I've just had a message from...
..the Coventry City Council recruitment
and I am invited to an interview for the position
highways apprenticeship that I applied for the other night.
So it was worth staying up till 12:30am to get that finished.
Highways apprenticeship, what's that? Yeah, highways maintenance.
Oh, so you're working the roads?
Yeah. Potentially starting on between...
..I think it's between 10 to 15 grand a year.
Which would be quite nice, really.
And there could be a high chance to save up and actually get
out of this place as well.
Byron? Yeah. Hi.
Stewart Stevenson. You all right?
All right?
Paul Sherman. How you doing, Byron?
You all right? Nice to meet you. How are you?
Yeah, not too bad. Nervous?
Yeah, a little bit.
Tell us what you, tell us about yourself -
what have you been doing, what are your hobbies and your interests?
So, my hobbies are playing rugby,
I like, well, going out and socialising with my mates.
OK, so what qualities or skills do you think you have?
I think I'll be a good communicator -
when, when I'm not nervous.
CHUCKLES
Anything else? Your personal life, long-term goals?
Long-term goal is to be able to move out of the hostel I'm in.
And end up in a council house.
LAWNMOWER DRONES
Hello?
Hi Byron, it's Paul Sherman.
Hiya, you all right?
You OK? Yeah, are you?
Yeah. Yeah, good, thank you.
I'm pleased to say that you were successful in your interview
and I'm happy to conditionally offer you the post
as highways apprentice.
All right, thank you. Thank you. Bye.
Yes!
What's happened? I got a conditional offer.
It's going to come in the post soon.
Yes!
That's it, I'm gonna be a highways maintenance apprentice.
Buzzing. Congratulations.
Definitely going out tonight.
I weren't going to, either.
I ain't got enough money, but
the money's going to come flying in like mad in a few weeks,
so get absolutely smashed.
Yes!
ACOUSTIC GUITAR PLAYS SOFTLY HIGH-PITCHED CHIMES ECHO
# Couldn't really love you anymore
# You've become my ceiling
# I don't think I love you anymore
# That goldmine changed you... #
SOCIAL WORKER: Whoa. I love you for the cup of tea.
Great, girl.
Following the fight, a new approach is being tried out with Bayley.
Right. What we're going to do, we're going to look at
if we can make your network bigger.
The service wants her to have reliable adult relationships
as she leaves care.
What's your earliest memory?
So they dig into her past to see if there's anyone she trusts.
Right. So at the Pru, that's where you met Nina.
What was it about Nina that you liked?
We just bonded, innit?
She was, like, the safest teacher.
What did she teach?
Art.
Could I talk to her?
Yeah, you could do.
So she's a really special person, is she?
Yeah. She's, like, five foot and she's always got crazy hair
and she's got, like, hundreds of earrings.
I knew she'd be a good person to go talk to.
She can give good advice and...
She's a bit crazy, like,
she'd make you happy, even if you're feeling shit.
Why do you think you got on so well?
I think Bayley thought I was a bit silly.
So, I would make her laugh
and so when she'd come in,
and if I could see she was a bit down, I'd try and cheer her up.
I would hug her and give her a show of affection when she needed it.
Oh, it's just so beautiful that she wants me to be part
of that extension, you know?
And I was thinking,
of course I'm going to do that journey with her.
Bayley's arranged to meet Nina.
They haven't seen one another for two years.
What are you doing?
Vaping.
Oh, my God. You're still small.
Oh, so are you.
Oh, how are you?
I'm good. How are you?
Oh, you look so well!
You know, when Veronica phoned me, I started crying.
I know. I could imagine you crying.
You know what? I used to cry all the time. Still do...
Still got your earrings and your bangles. I have.
And how is it, though, moving now? Being on your own?
It's all right. What's it like being on your own, though?
It's nice. Do you like it? It's peaceful. Really?
When I first moved in my flat, I can't lie,
I may have just partied for a solid month.
No, you're not, are you?
No, not, no, that was when I first moved in.
OK. But I'm good now.
OK.
Watching the change from when she was that young girl,
then going into care and how the care system affected her,
going from one place to the next,
not having the security,
not knowing where you're going to go.
And then now for her to come out of it on the other side,
I will hope that I can guide her and be that guidance for her.
I'm going to talk to you like we'd talk if you were my daughter.
OK? So I will say the things directly to you.
I used to before, but it will be even worse.
You're going to say, "Would you stop nagging me?"
But I'm not going to stop. OK?
Hm. Oh, God, I'm so proud of you!
Time to just not do any more nonsense and just stay focused. No.
I've cut down a lot.
And you know if I don't approve of somebody, I will tell you.
You always used to do that. I did.
But this time it'll be like, I mean it.
How long do you want her to be in your life?
Till she dies.
She'll probably die before me, so until she dies.
All the way?
Yep.
I'll go to her funeral.
What do you feel you've achieved in the last six months?
Well, there's a lot of positives.
I've now got an apprenticeship with the council.
D'you reckon that'd be all right if I stamp on it
or d'you want me to shovel it down a bit more? Yeah?
Are you proud of him?
Every day. So proud of him.
He gets on a bus at, like, 6:00 in the morning
and he goes to work. And he goes to work.
He's sticking at it, then?
And he's sticking at it.
This is the longest ...job he's ever stuck at.
He's stuck at. So we're extremely proud of him.
COACH: I say it every week, boys. Seeker's creed.
Ready? ALL: Set!
And...one, two, three, four!
I almost quit rugby, but now I'm back playing.
I'm just starting to grow a love for it,
actually enjoying the social, just speaking about work,
having actual grown-up conversations.
When people ask me about Byron, I talk to them like he's my own son.
You just want the children that leave your care...
to feel like, even when they weren't with their birth family,
they were loved and they were supported and they mattered.
I've got my own flat.
You can see that she looked after us.
Oh, God.
He is struggling to find his place.
This is the day I went into foster care.
I've never really known my dad.
If there's any way you could help me find him.
SHE SOBS
Subtitles by Red Bee Media