Synopsis

A Teenage girl, Hannah Weller, aged 17 lives in a council house in Croydon with her parents, Amanda and Christopher Weller, and little brother, Joshua Weller. Her parents always fight because her mother has alcohol problems and her dad is never around. Hannah looks after her  little brother, Joshua. One night her mother gets drunk and goes to hit Joshua but Hannah stands in the way and takes the hit. A couple of days later a teacher in school notices the bruise on her face and reports it to social services.
The social services have been investigating Hannah and Joshua’s home life since a similar incident last year but were unable to intervene due to lack of evidence. After speaking to Hannah and Joshua they decide that the best thing for them is to take them away from their mother. Hannah and Joshua are put into a care home but after a week the Joshua is fostered. At first Hannah is distraught and goes to visit her little brother everyday. One day Hannah gets detention after school so arrives late visiting her brother and realises that he is happy in his new home and she doesn’t have to try and be there for him all the time. Hannah’s grades start to improve and she starts to make friends at the home. A couple of weeks later Hannah comes back to the home to find her mother there talking to her social worker. Her mother has been clean ever since the children left and wants them back. Hannah  finds out that the mother has had regular contact with Joshua and that he is happy and wants to move back in with the mother. Hannah is outranged that the social workers are willing to let Joshua move back in with her mother and refuses to move back. Hannah’s mother tries to pressure her into moving back home using her little brother as emotional blackmail, at first she is stubborn and refuses to change her mind but after talking to her social worker she is convinced that moving back home is what’s best for her and Joshua. After moving back in with her mother the Hannah realises that she doesn’t have to stay or go back to the care home she can move out on her own, so she packs her bags and leaves.