When she was 16, Zahra Mohamed left Somalia for the UK in search of political asylum and a better life. When her aunt, with whom she initially lived in London, was unable to look after her, social services offered to put her into care. Zahra was not keen on the idea, but felt she had no choice.
"I wasn't really happy to go, but I'd had a big row with my auntie and uncle," she says. "I didn't have any idea what social services do, but I did whatever they told me to and they sent me into care."
She remained in a care home for over a year but when she turned 18 social services moved her on to new accommodation. "They called me and said: 'You're 18 now, you're not supposed to live in that house any more, so we have arranged somewhere else for you'," Zahra recounts. "They said it wasn't far and told me to find the directions myself. Nobody else came to help me."
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