Almost 4,200 Children In Care In Northern Ireland

Last week, Barnardo’s reported that around 4,200 children and young people are now in care in Northern Ireland, the highest number in 30 years.

This isn’t just a statistic. It’s thousands of children and young people living through disruption, uncertainty and trauma. All while trying to stay in school, keep friendships, and hold on to some sense of normality as adults make life-changing decisions around them.

And when the system is stretched, the basics that communicate care and respect are often overlooked. When children move within the care system, many are still expected to carry their belongings in bin bags. This sends the message that their things (and by extension, they) don’t matter.

And when a system is stretched, the small basics that communicate care and respect are too often overlooked. One of the most heartbreaking examples is that when children move within the care system, many are still expected to carry their belongings in bin bags. This sends the message that their things (and by extension, they) don’t matter.

At Madlug, we exist to help challenge that.

That’s why every Madlug purchase helps provide a pack-away travel bag to a child or young person in care, so they can move with dignity, ownership, and a small sense of control during a moment that can feel frightening and chaotic. A bag can’t change what’s happened to them, but it can change how they’re treated in that moment. It can say: you matter, and that you deserve dignity. 

We also know a bag isn’t the whole answer. This report highlights the growing demand for more. More stable placements, more mental health support, properly resourced social work teams, and consistent help for families facing crisis.

If you’ve ever wondered how you can help, you can start small and still make something real happen. Support organisations working with care-experienced young people. Talk about what’s happening. Challenge the bin bag practice when you see it. And if you choose to support Madlug, know that your purchase helps put dignity into a child’s hands at a time when they may feel they have none.

Because no child should carry their life in a bin bag.