#InCare | WATCH: Behind the scenes at Wick children's home

MFR News has been given exclusive access to a children's care home in Wick - one of the few places where kids are actually allowed to graffiti their bedroom walls.

It's the second day of our week-long In Care special news coverage, and today we're hearing how Shaune's life fell-apart unexpectedly.

She told us: "I was 14 when my mum passed away. She committed suicide. I was left by myself. I was lost. One day I had everything, the next day I had nothing."

The 23-year-old from Inverness was put into a kids care home, just like 18-year-old Connor from Wick.

He added: "Ever since I was a kid, me and my mum were always falling out. One day it kicked off that badly that the police got involved."

Connor went into a residential care facility in Wick when he was 13, and now the centre's given MFR News special permission to go behind the scenes there.

LISTEN: News reader John Callan reads the extended 1PM MFR 2 news bulletin with this special report from our reporter Bryan Rutherford...

Manager Tracey Taylor opened the doors to our news team and gave us a tour.

She told our reporter Bryan Rutherford: "When young people come and stay with us we ask them what colour choice they would like to go on the walls, and new bedding - just to try and make it a bit more homely for them, for them to personalise it to feel that it's really their space.

"Young people come into us and they can be quite distressed, obviously because of the circumstances that have led to them coming to us.

"So we want to try and do as much as we can to show them that we want to look at their individual needs and what's important to them.

"Young people personalise their rooms with their posters, or maybe they'll put a bit of graffiti on the walls, and when they move out, then the same is done for the next young person who moves in."

We already know that breakdowns in the family - such as deaths - can force young people into the care system. Across Moray and the Highlands there are over 500-looked after kids.

And today Connor's telling us how important it was to him to form new relationships.

He told MFR News: "I got everything that I needed when I was in there.

"They're there to help us.

"Make sure that you're going on the right path, and they'll always be there.

"I just had a connection with them. You need a connection. You need that trust.

"It's not going to work unless you have that trust and connection."

• #InCare