From Bin Bags to Bright Futures
About the Fostering South West and MadLug partnership on the ‘Behind Every Backpack’ Campaign – September 2025
Behind Every Backpack
A lot of people do not realise that it is normal for children in care to carry their belongings in bin bags or plastic bags when they move between homes. Your entire life, everything that matters to you, stuffed into a black plastic sack like rubbish.
This is the reason the MadLug Foundation exists, and it’s precisely why their partnership on Fostering South West’s ‘Behind Every Backpack’ campaign makes perfect sense. Both organizations understand that every child deserves dignity, respect, and something reliable they can call their own.
Fostering South West represents a partnership between 15 local councils across the south west of England, working together for the first time to recruit and retain essential foster carers in the region. This collaborative approach allows councils to share their collective expertise and resources to provide the best possible fostering experiences. The number of children entering the care system is rising across the south west creating an urgent need for more local authority foster families to provide safe, stable family environments.

More than just bags
Madlug was founded in 2015 by Dave Linton. He was heartbroken when he learned that most children in care have their belongings moved in a bin bag. Dave set out to do something about it and came up with our ‘Buy one, Wear one, Help one’ approach. With every Madlug bag you buy, a pack-away travel bag goes to a child in care.
Since 2015, the MadLug Foundation have distributed over 110,000 bright and durable pack-away travel bags to children entering the care system. But as their mission statement makes clear, they’re not just providing bags – they’re providing “a sense of dignity and ownership during a difficult transition.”
This philosophy aligns perfectly with what foster carers do every day. When children arrive at foster homes carrying black bin bags containing all their possessions, the impact is immediate and heartbreaking. Foster carers understand that the first step in helping a child feel valued is treating their belongings with respect.

The Psychology of Belonging
By giving children bright, durable bags instead of bin bags, they’re making a powerful statement: you matter, your belongings matter, and you deserve to be treated with dignity.
Similarly, foster carers, when they welcome a child into their home, they’re not just providing a bed and meals. They’re showing that the child is worth investing in, that they deserve the same care and consideration as any other child.
This is where the ‘Behind Every Backpack’ campaign’s message resonates so strongly. Every backpack – whether it’s a school bag or a MadLug bag – represents a child’s journey. Foster carers have the opportunity to ensure that journey is filled with dignity, hope, and belonging.
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Quality That Lasts
MadLug’s commitment to creating durable products mirrors the foster care ethos of building lasting relationships. Their pack-away travel bags are designed to withstand multiple moves and years of use – because these children deserve something reliable in their lives. Long-term foster carers understand this commitment to durability and stability too – they know that they are potentially shaping a child’s entire future.
The Ripple Effect of Dignity
When MadLug Foundation gives a child a bright, durable bag instead of a bin bag, they’re doing more than solving a practical problem. They are changing the narrative. Instead of feeling like unwanted baggage, children can feel like they’re going on a journey. The message is clear: you are valued, your belongings matter, and this transition is being handled with care and respect.
The next chapter
The MadLug Foundation asks: why should any child carry their belongings in a bin bag? And Fostering South West asks: why should any child go without a stable, loving home?
Both have the same answer: they shouldn’t.
Behind every backpack is a child whose story is still being written.
Could your next chapter someone else’s story?
Their backpack is packed and ready. Will you be there when they arrive?
Find out more about the Fostering South West ‘Behind Every Backpack’ campaign
and help by placing your order today at www.madlug.com
Interested in becoming a foster carer?
We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with our experienced, friendly team for a chat about foster care…