‘I was thinking I’m done in life, I have no family, I have nothing’
DREW Telfer doesn’t have the kind of support network around him that most 17-year-olds are lucky enough to have as they enter adulthood.
He spent most of his childhood in care.
“My parents couldn’t care for me because it was all really bad in the house,” he said. “When I was little, they couldn’t handle me. They shouldn’t have had me because they weren’t ready for me, they weren’t ready to have a child.
“I don’t have much memories of growing up there – somehow I’ve just sort of blanked all that out. I just remember feeling destroyed, I couldn’t care for myself and I was always angry. I struggled in school, they knew what I was going through.
“I ended up in care because my nan rang and explained it wasn’t right for me to be in this situation. I then went into care. But in the first few weeks I just remember missing my mum – the only person I ever loved was my mum. It was difficult because I could only see my mum once a month, but couldn’t live with her.”
Drew will be one of the first people in Wales to receive £1,600 a month as part of Wales’ pilot of a Basic Income scheme for care leavers.
Drew continued: “At the end of the day, your parents are your parents, they are the reason you are here and you should love them. But then I realised that the care system saved my life. I learnt that they were there to help me, not to lead me down the wrong way.
“At the beginning, I was thinking I’m done in life, I have no family, I have nothing. But they’ve helped me as I would always be angry all the time. All the carers and the support I have had have really helped me and made me a better person.”
He said the Basic Income scheme had given him new hope: “With the Basic Income scheme, I will change myself completely, I will get new clothes, I like the idea of moving to another country – maybe Dubai and working there, it would definitely change me and make my life better.
“This income has given me hope, because I thought I’d never get that sort of money in my life. I feel free to some certain extent, I can choose what I can do with my life now.”
During a special event to launch the pilot, First Minister Mark Drakeford, Minister for Social Justice Jane Hutt MS and Deputy Minister for Social Justice Julie Morgan MS met those who would be benefiting from the new pilot scheme.
Kayla Ralph, 17, is originally from Cwmbran but now lives in Llantwit Major in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Two years ago, at the age of 15, Kayla had to leave her family home due to family issues.
“Things went wrong with my mum and I ended up moving in with my aunty,” she explained. “My aunty then went through a court case. It happened two years ago but the court cases ended last year. It was stressful because I have five siblings and we were all split apart.
“One sister was moved with me up until recently, she has now moved to England to live with my other aunty.
“My brothers are in England with the same aunty. And then two others are in Cardiff, who I know nothing about at the moment.”
Despite her upbringing, Kayla feels as if she’s one of the “lucky ones” due to the fact that she was able to live with a family member rather than someone she didn’t know.
Kayla hopes the Basic Income scheme will not only help her financially, but also raise awareness about children and young adults living in care.
She said: “I wish people knew more about what it was like living in care. I wish they knew how hard it is and how busy your life can get once you enter the system. People don’t understand what it’s like, and they don’t know what it’s like being without their parents. I hear people sometimes, when they are away from their parents, complain that they nag too much. They don’t realise what they’ve got until something like this happens to them.
“The Basic Income plan would help out with driving as I am learning how to drive at the moment. It would be beneficial for work, car insurance and petrol – those things aren’t cheap.
“It would be great to save that money, and maybe go on holiday for the first time on my own. It’ll be a good opportunity for people that come from the care system, and to feel that we are being supported.”
Levi Beese also has plans to use the income to pursue his passions.
When he was two years old, Levi and his three siblings were separated from their mother as she did not have the finances to look after them.
Levi ended up in a home with his older brother, while his younger siblings lived elsewhere.
Like Kayla, he has lost contact with his younger siblings, who he hasn’t seen since 2017.
He tries “not to think about it that much,” he admits, but has found comfort in the fact that his carers are “practically [his] mother and father figure”.
“They help me with a lot,” he said. “I don’t drive yet, so they take me to see friends, they drive me to college. One thing I do find difficult is the fact that I’m Filipino and my carers are white. Whenever we go to the airport, they check us and will ask, “are you really with them?” and we have to show the documents we have with us. It gets frustrating having to explain the situation.”
Levi has just completed his first year of Level 2 Music and Performance Technology.
“It went really well,” he added. “Basic Income will make a difference in my life for what I want to pursue in life. I want to be a composer when I’m older. I play the keyboard – I’ll play anything and I’ll play whatever genre. In 10 years’ time I want to be able to compose music for songs, for TV shows and hit movies. That would be the dream.”