NO CHILD SHOULD CARRY THEIR LIFE IN A BIN BAG
No child should have to carry their life in a garbage bag.
It usually happens fast.
A social worker knocks on the door. Sometimes there's a police car outside. Sometimes it's the middle of the night.
The child is told they can't stay there anymore. That it isn't safe.
Then someone looks around the room for something to pack their belongings into.
And hands them a garbage bag.
Four out of five children entering care in the UK have experienced exactly this.
Everything they owned — clothes, a photograph, the toy they slept with — was packed into a black plastic bag and carried out the door.
Three out of five will have some of their belongings lost or damaged before they reach their new home.
A child enters the UK care system every fifteen minutes. One in ten will move home three times in their first year in care.
Rob Scheer was twelve years old when it happened to him.
He was on his way to his first foster home. Someone handed him a garbage bag, and everything he owned was placed inside it.
He has since said that garbage bags are made to carry trash, not a child's clothes — and that the moment you hand a child a garbage bag, part of them begins to believe they don't matter.
Nearly thirty years later, Rob became a foster parent himself.
The first four children arrived at his front door.
Every single one of them was carrying a garbage bag.
Nothing had changed.
Here's the part that surprises people.
Nobody actually decided this should happen. There is no rule that says a child's belongings must be transported in a garbage bag.
It happens because moves are often urgent, and garbage bags are cheap, waterproof, and always available.
It happens because luggage is considered non-essential in budgets already stretched by housing, safeguarding, and healthcare costs.
And it happens because most local authorities have never created a policy about it. A Freedom of Information request found that only one in three local authorities across England and Wales has any written guidance on the issue.
There is no villain.
Just a gap that nobody filled.
In 2013, Rob's family decided to fill it.
They founded Comfort Cases.
The idea was simple: replace the garbage bag with a proper backpack filled with a child's essentials.
Pyjamas. A blanket. A book. Socks. A toothbrush. A large duffel bag for everything else.
Nothing second-hand. Nothing pulled from a donation box.
Everything is brand new, chosen for the child's age, and theirs to keep wherever life takes them.
Since then, more than 250,000 Comfort Cases have been distributed.
We sell dresses.
That's all this store is.
A girl receiving something new.
Something nobody has worn before her.
Something chosen especially for her.
Something that belongs to her.
It's a simple idea.
It's our entire business.
And it's the one thing so many children in care have never experienced.
Not even once.
Their clothes arrive in someone else's suitcase.
Very little has ever truly belonged to them.
That's why a portion of our profits helps support children growing up in care.
Same story.
Different child.
We'd rather explain exactly how that works, because most brands don't.
We donate every month, and the amount varies.
Some months we're able to give more.
Other months, less.
We won't print "5% of profits" on this page.
It would sound better.
But the profits of a small business aren't consistent, and we'd rather be honest than impressive.
What we will do is publish exactly what we donate.
The real amount.
Every month.
Right here.
[Month]: £[X] donated to Comfort Cases UK (Registered Charity No. 1196357).
Total donated so far: $
You can verify those figures yourself through the Charity Commission register.
We'd actually prefer that you do.
And if you'd rather donate directly to Comfort Cases UK instead of buying something from us, please do.
That outcome matters more than selling a dress you never really wanted.