21/10/2025
This was shared with us by one of the local authorities we work closely with.
With the young person’s permission, we’d like to share something deeply moving with you, a poem written by a young person in our care, titled “Packed in a Bag.”
In their own words, they’ve captured what it can feel like to move between homes and to long for somewhere that feels safe, steady, and truly theirs. It’s a powerful reminder of just how vital your role is in the lives of the children and young people you care for.
Packed in a Bag
they call it care,
but it feels more like being boxed up
and passed along from hand to hand.
different roofs, different rules,
different faces telling me to trust them,
to settle, to stay, as if I haven’t learned already that nothing stays.
my clothes fit into one bag —
that’s how I know I’m temporary.
zip it up, move again, a new bedroom with old wallpaper, a stranger’s smile stretched too thin.
“Make yourself at home,” they say,
but home doesn’t come with an expiry date.
I keep my guard sharp.
don’t get attached, don’t unpack too fast, don’t let your laughter slip out too easy, because when the next door closes behind you, it echoes louder if you let yourself believe.
social workers write my life down in files,
tick boxes for trauma, sign forms for birthdays they won’t remember.
my story looks smaller on paper
than it feels in my chest.
but still, sometimes staff will make tea
and not ask for my history first.
sometimes a kid in the house
will share their charger without fuss.
sometimes I catch myself laughing
before I can stop it.
and I think maybe,
just maybe,
there’s still space for me to grow roots,
even if I’ve been replanted too many times to count.
This poem speaks to both the challenges and the hope that exist in a young person’s journey through care.
Thank you for the role you play in helping children and young people find the stability and belonging that every child deserves.
If you have thought about fostering then we would love to hear from you and chat to you about fostering with us
💛🧡💚