Can you imagine being taken into care, and your belongings being put in a black bin bag?

A study by children’s rights charity National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) in 2023 found that four in five looked after children have their possessions moved in bin bags when they enter care or change homes. And did you know that every 15 seconds, a child in the UK is taken into care?

These are shocking statistics that can be hard to comprehend, but we need to understand that this is happening every day to children and young people in our towns and cities, the communities that we are part of and that we are collectively responsible for.

As part of National Care Leaver’s Week 2023, Amazing Apprenticeships visited Comfort Cases UK to find out more about their work. Comfort Cases UK are an incredible charity, based in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.

This year they have provided 10,000 rucksacks, lovingly filled with essential items that are sent out, completely free of charge, to local authorities and other public service organisations working directly with children in care. And demand is growing!

The bags give comfort to the children who, at one of the most traumatic moments in their lives, can be provided with pyjamas, toiletries, colouring books, a blanket, a book and a soft toy. The bags also include a hand-written note from the person that has packed the bag, reassuring the child that they are loved, and offering words of strength and encouragement.

We met founder, Sarah Laster who told us about the growth of the charity, and explained the importance of ensuring that each bag is filled with love. After our briefing, our team then set about creating 150 bags that had been pre-ordered for distribution via social workers to children in Kent, Northamptonshire and Reading.

Amazing Apprenticeships founder, Anna Morrison, took to social media to provide our contacts with a crucial look behind the scenes of this incredible charity and the work that they do. You can find Anna’s LinkedIn video here.

“I have been so moved by our visit to Comfort Cases UK today. The passion and dedication that Sarah and her team of volunteers put into Comfort Cases is phenomenal, and as a result they are making a huge difference to the lives of young people in care. The Amazing Apprenticeships head office in Hitchin will now become a collection hub for the charity, gathering donations from our community. If you can contribute something on this list then please get in touch, any item would be greatly appreciated.”

Items to donate include:

• Books (new or ‘gently loved’) for children aged 3 – 16
• New fleece blanket
• New pyjamas (ages 3 – 16)

To find out more about the work of Comfort Cases UK, please visit their website.