Mentor’s Partnership with Madlug

Supporting Young People Beyond Care

For many people working in children’s services, there are certain conversations or realities that stay with you long after you first hear them.

One of those is the fact that too many children and young people still move through care carrying their belongings in black bin bags.

It’s something the sector has been speaking about for years, yet it continues to happen across the UK today. While a bag might seem like a small thing on the surface, what it represents is much bigger, a young person’s dignity, belonging and sense of identity.

That’s why we’re proud to announce Mentor’s partnership with Madlug – a social enterprise and charity helping ensure children in care move with dignity, not with bin bags.

Why This Partnership Matters

Professionals working in children’s homes already understand how significant transitions can be for young people.

• Moving placements
• Preparing for independence
• Leaving care
• Starting somewhere unfamiliar

These moments can already feel uncertain and emotional for young people, even when they are well supported. The practical details surrounding those transitions matter more than people sometimes realise.

Having a proper bag to pack belongings into may seem simple, but it can change how a young person feels about themselves at that moment. It can help them feel respected, prepared, cared about and more confident moving into a new stage of life.

That aligns closely with conversations we’ve been having across the sector recently around care leavers and emotional wellbeing.

In our recent webinar with ex-Ofsted Inspector Ann-Marie, one theme we explored is that young people need far more than practical independence skills alone.

They also need stability, emotional safety, trusted relationships, confidence and a sense of belonging. Sometimes, it’s the smaller gestures that reinforce those feelings most clearly.

Who Are Madlug?

Madlug stands for ‘Make A Difference Lug’.

The organisation was founded by Dave Linton after learning that many children in care were still moving their belongings in bin bags. Rather than simply raising awareness of the issue, Madlug built a business model around solving it. Their promise is ‘Buy one bag. Help one child.’

For every bag purchased, Madlug donates one to a child in care.

Since launching in 2015, the Madlug Foundation has donated more than 135,000 bags to children and young people across the UK.

They work directly with young people, local authorities, health trusts and organisations across children’s services to make sure their bags are practical, useful and designed around the real experiences of young people in care.

Introducing Madlug Bags Through Mentor

As part of the partnership, Mentor will be helping raise awareness of Madlug’s mission and supporting providers in accessing pack-away travel bags for young people in their care.

Alongside introducing co-branded Mentor x Madlug bags for the team, we’ll also be signposting providers to request pack-away travel bags directly from the Madlug Foundation through a dedicated link on our website.

For every eligible purchase made through Mentor, Madlug donates a pack-away travel bag to a child in care.

We’ll also be continuing to raise awareness of:

• The experiences of care leavers
• The importance of dignity during transitions
• Practical ways the sector can better support young people preparing for adulthood.

Because while no single initiative solves the challenges facing care-experienced young people, small actions across the sector collectively make a huge difference.

Supporting Better Outcomes Beyond Software

Leaving care or moving homes can already bring uncertainty. Small practical details can either reinforce that instability or help young people feel more prepared and supported.

That’s why this partnership felt important to us. Again and again, the conversation comes back to dignity, preparation and emotional support, not just paperwork and processes.

Madlug’s mission reflects those same values, and we’re proud to support them in raising awareness across the sector.

While Mentor is best known for helping homes reduce paperwork, improve oversight and keep teams connected, we’ve always believed supporting better outcomes goes beyond software alone.

That’s why we continue investing in:

• Sector webinars
• Educational resources
• Practical guidance
• Partnerships that support young people directly

We’re incredibly proud to support the work Madlug continues to do across the UK and look forward to raising further awareness throughout the sector.