List of The Dumping Ground characters

Faith Davis

Faith Davis is a resident of Elm Tree House and Ashdene Ridge during the first two series of The Dumping Ground. She is portrayed by Leanne Dunstan. Faith, who shares a room with Elektra while at Elm Tree House, is one of the older children. She tries to be responsible, and proves her capabilities and maturity when she acts as a surrogate care worker in the opening episode of The Dumping Ground. She is 16 in series two.

In "The Real Faith Davis", a police visit prompts the residents to spread rumours that Faith is a drug dealer. She explains that the police may have found the body of her missing brother, Razz. Frank uses this information to attract sponsors for her charity run, upsetting Faith. She tells Elektra that she entered care after telling a teacher that she lived alone. When the police confirm that the body is not Razz's, Faith hides in the garden, where Floss comforts her. She completes the charity run the following day with everyone's support. In the second series, Faith temporarily uses a wheelchair after being hit by a car. Although usually optimistic and ambitious, she fears that she will never walk or run again and becomes aggressive towards the younger children. She makes Harry and Floss clean her room in exchange for a "prize", teases Harry and orders Mo, Floss and Harry out of the lounge so that she can watch a film. When Mo threatens to tell Mike, Faith calls him an informer. Frank challenges her behaviour, reminding her that she will recover, while he has to speak slowly every day to be understood. Faith returns to her caring manner, although she is occasionally irritable in later episodes.

Faith is one of the older residents and is tall for her age, with long black hair. She wants to be a distance runner when she grows up, but a car accident in "Booting Up" temporarily halts her plans. She leaves the series at the end of the second series of The Dumping Ground. Dunstan returns as Faith for one episode of the third series. In series 5, Faith does not appear. However, in "#SaveTheDG", Tee mentions that Faith made a £50 donation to help keep the 'Dumping Ground' running.

Floss Guppy

Floss Guppy, portrayed by Sarah Rayson, made her first appearance on 1 February 2013 in series 1 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "The Real Faith Davis". She remains in the series until her departure in series 10.

Floss is in care because her mother abandoned her in a nail salon when she was 18 months old. Her mother was young and could not cope with raising her. Floss is good friends with Finn McLaine and Toni and Billie Trent. She is initially wary of Harry, who unintentionally scares her with stories of incidents at Elm Tree House, but they eventually become friends. She also takes his toy giraffe, Jeff.

series 1 Floss does not appear much or have many major storylines in series 1 of The Dumping Ground. She arrives at Elm Tree House midway through the series and meets Harry, who gives her a tour around the house. When they reach Harry's room, Floss is drawn to Jeff and asks to hold him. Harry agrees and tries to get Jeff back from her but she refuses, only agreeing to put him back after the tour is over. During the tour, Harry tells Floss about the bad things that happened (such as Lily falling off the roof and Tee falling out of a tree) which scares her off. She ends up in the garden and comforts Faith (who had gotten news about her brother). Faith convinces Floss to go find Harry after telling her that Harry is a good boy. She reunites with Harry and, along with Mike, paints Floss' bedroom to look like the jungle. Floss claims it is for Jeff because he wants to move in. Harry tries to get Jeff back but Floss blackmails Harry into letting her keep Jeff by threatening to tell Mike that Harry scared Floss off. He gives up as Floss smirks in victory.

series 2 In "Kick Off", Floss and Harry decided to continuously take sweets from Tyler's diet plan bucket, after Bailey said Tyler needed to lose weight. Floss was later sick after eating too many sweets.

In "Experience", Carmen uses Floss to sabotage the documentary Jody is making for new social workers about children in care. Instead of discussing life in care, Floss follows Carmen's advice and tells Jody about her sock puppets, Millie and Bob, frustrating Jody.

In "The Barbecue", Lily tells Carmen that her family is moving to Brighton to run her stepmother's sister's seaside cafe. In anger, Carmen kicks Bailey's football through Johnny's bedroom window and leaves before Bailey arrives. Johnny sees Bailey outside and accuses him of breaking the window. Carmen is afraid to confess, unaware that Floss witnessed the incident. Mike contacts the insurer and learns that the damage is considered criminal damage rather than an accident. May-Li also learns that replacing the window could be expensive. Although Mike does not intend to involve the police, Johnny overhears and calls them himself. Before Lily's farewell barbecue, Mo answers the door to two police officers, who arrest Bailey. Carmen watches without admitting responsibility. Floss then demands the "silver dog" necklace Lily gave Carmen as a farewell present in exchange for keeping quiet. Lily had joked that the charm resembled her dog, Shadow, despite having too many legs. Carmen reluctantly gives Floss the necklace. At the barbecue, Lily notices Floss wearing it and asks Carmen why she gave it away. Carmen confesses to breaking the window, and Lily is appalled that she allowed Bailey to be arrested. Carmen asks Mike to take her to the police station to confess. Later, May-Li brings Floss to Lily to apologise and return the necklace. Lily forgives her and asks her to look apologetic for a photograph.

In "Be My Girl", Floss meets some prospective parents. She starts to think about her mother. When a boy in the park taunts her about not having a mother, Floss loses her temper and pushes him and his ice cream to the ground. Floss' potential foster parents shout at Floss, upsetting her. May-Li reveals that Floss is in care because she was abandoned by her mother in a nail salon, when she was 18 months old; this is why she is so attached to nail varnish. At the foster parents' house they ask her to remove her nail varnish, causing Floss to throw food around. Floss tells all the people at the 'Dumping Ground' that whilst there is a chance her mother might return, she will wait.

In series 3, Floss took up dancing. In "Party Games", during an open day for potential foster parents to get to know the children in Ashdene Ridge, Floss performed a dance routine to impress the couples and earn money by busking.

In series 4 she has a major storyline in the episode "Troll". In this episode, fearing that she is being overlooked after Harry's departure, she comes up with an idea which she hopes will make her the centre of attention, but it upsets Finn.

In series 5, she gets a chance to star in a commercial playing the daughter of a woman. Having grown up without her mother, she struggles with the role but eventually performs it well. Although she initially decides to be fostered, she quickly changes her mind when she realises that everyone else cares about her.

Floss is a bubbly young girl, with short curly ginger hair and green eyes. She is very mischievous and can be manipulative, always doing what she can to get what she wants. Although she is very sarcastic and can be rude, she has a good heart and wants to be loved deep down.

In series 8, it is revealed via a DNA test that Ross is her twin brother and her mother's name is Jane Sadler, making her real last name Sadler. They go in search of their mother on their own, following an address that turns out to be incorrect.

In series 9, Floss is given the chance to meet her real mother and ask her the questions she has always wanted to know answers to. However, when she realises that her mother is not coming to take her out of care, she becomes upset and decides to cut contact with her.

In series 10, she enters a baking competition in the hopes of getting into a baking academy. While she does not win, Lily (who was judging the contest) offers to let Floss take ownership of one of her cafes, which also has a flat above it. Floss accepts and moves out of The Dumping Ground, with her friends, both old and new, surprising her at the cafe.

Mo Michaels

Anthony "Mo" Michaels, portrayed by Reece Buttery, made his first appearance on 1 March 2013 in series 1 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Oh, Mo!". He departed in series 4.

Mo is a kind, eccentric child in the 'Dumping Ground'. He first appeared in "Oh, Mo!" He is ten years old in series 3 of The Dumping Ground. In series 4, Mo is annoyed by younger residents like Joseph.

The Dumping Ground series 1 – Mo arrives at Elm Tree House before "Oh, Mo!" and shares a room with Tyler. Mo collects rubbish from bins, calling it "treasure", and uses it for arts and crafts. His collection fills their bedroom, frustrating Tyler, who eventually throws it down the stairs. Mo is told to move his collection to the attic, and Tyler moves into Rick's room. Delighted to have a room to himself, Mo tries to hug Tyler. While most of the residents are out, Mo takes belongings from their rooms and, with Floss's help, uses jam to attract ants to them, creating an "Ant Theme Park". The other residents become angry, but Tee intervenes. Later, Mo offers to build a scarecrow from his collection to protect Gina's vegetables. Tee helps him settle in by assisting with the project. Mo declares her his best friend and follows her around, annoying her and amusing the other residents. The following morning, Mo wants to give Tee his grandmother's pearls, which Jody and Elektra have stolen. Unable to find them, he asks Tee for help. Frustrated, Tee destroys the scarecrow with a cricket bat, but it falls on Mo, who has followed her. Mo is taken to hospital, and Mike plans to move him into emergency foster care because he has struggled to settle at Elm Tree House. The others recognise that Mo has had a difficult start in life, like them, and rebuild the scarecrow as a welcome-home present. Jody returns the pearls, to Elektra's annoyance, so Mo can give them to Tee. Tee initially refuses but eventually accepts them.

In "Seriously Funny", Tee and Carmen left for a sleepover at Lily's flat, and Mo gave Tee a hug (as he was fond of doing) as the girls hugged each other. After the girls left, he said that he wished he could go. The following day, Mo took Tyler's practical joke toys on learning that Tyler no longer wished to play practical jokes.

Prior to "Scary Beasts", Mo purchased a "magic" egg, thinking that it would hatch into a bird. One night, the egg hatched. Mo declared this to the house the following morning, declaring that it had hatched into a bird and it had gone missing. It later transpired that Mo's "bird" was in fact a snake, which Johnny and Elektra found. Mo decided to call his snake "Mike", which the others joked would lead to confusion.

The Dumping Ground series 2 – When Faith is admitted to hospital, Mo makes her a get-well card and gets glitter on his face. On her return, he tells her that the residents have prepared a surprise. Hearing her angrily throwing things around her room because she needs a wheelchair, he doubts that she will appreciate his invention, a watering can attached to a pole. Later, Mo uses one of Bailey's football boots to make prints, but Tyler and Rick take it because they are trying to sell the boots. The following day, Mo, Harry and Floss are watching television when Faith orders them out so that she can watch a film. When a training video for care children was being filmed at the 'Dumping Ground', Mo was given an old camera for him to use. After getting the camera to work, Mo filmed the other residents (including Johnny making a "Care Kid Sandwich") which was later seen by the lady making the training video. On the day of Lily's leaving barbecue, Carmen tricked Mo into thinking that there was gold underneath the potatoes in the vegetable patch, in order to avoid her chores. Later that day, Mo found a golden wrapper in the vegetable patch and believed it to be treasure (when really it was from one of Floss's sweets). On the day the older residents went out to look for Frank, Mo was due to have a dentist appointment. Mo, fearing the dentist, hid in the garden, but was found by Floss and Harry. Mo was coaxed out, only for a bird to poo on him. Harry cheered up Mo, saying that being pooed on by a bird was lucky (something Sapphire had told him). Mo then found a pound coin on the ground and was then told by May-Li that his appointment had been cancelled as the dentist was ill. On learning that Frank had gone missing, Mo, Floss and Harry waited for birds to poo on them, thinking that the lucky bird poo would lead to Frank being found. However, this initially did not work as Mo ended up chasing the birds away by running toward them and shouting at them to pick him. Instead, Floss had Mo and Harry untie one of May-Li's washing lines while she took bread to attract the birds while May-Li was distracted. Consequently, all three children were punished (by being made to tidy up the garden and take the sheets in) when May-Li discovered what had happened with the bread. Some time afterwards, the other 'DG' residents teased Mo's snake, now renamed "Rocky", saying that he was boring. Out to prove otherwise, Mo purchased a box of locusts that escaped after Mike removed the tape from the box and left it on the piano with the lid open. Consequently, Mo, with Harry and Floss, set about rounding up the more than 50 locusts from other places in the 'Dumping Ground'. After finally rounding them up, Mo revealed to the rest of the 'DG' why he had bought them: they were bait for Rocky to perform tricks in a show he was putting on. Rocky refused to respond to Mo's commands (despite having responded in practice) even when Mo attempted to charm him with a recorder. Faith later suggested to Mo that Rocky was depressed, prompting Mo to give Rocky to a man who owned numerous other snakes, on the reasoning that Mo could play with his friends whenever he wanted and so wanted to let Rocky do the same thing. When the 'DG' residents held the "Touch The Telly" challenge, Mo was the only care child to not pick a side. Instead, he was appointed the referee and was responsible for seeing who was out of the game, how long people had taken on their toilet breaks and how many they had been on. Like the other children, Mo fell asleep in the lounge the following night and saw neither the football game nor the talent show. In "I Have a Dream", the DG residents were informed of a short story competition and May-Li decided to hold a competition in the house and would send off the winning entry. Mo decided that he wanted to submit a story, but had trouble deciding what to write about (though he did get as far as the first line "I like cheese"). He was also made to go shopping with Bailey, whom he annoyed by asking who decided where everything in the supermarket was positioned. Mo later pestered Bailey by asking why he had not yet read his letter, saying that he would be excited to receive one, and eventually realised that Bailey was dyslexic, going on to say that his father was dyslexic and that he had to read letters for him. Bailey initially denied being dyslexic, then later asked for Mo's help in reading it (albeit, claiming he could not read it because the writing was untidy). Mo then decided to help Bailey write a short story at the cost of writing his own story. However, Mo revealed the plot when he started reading Bailey's story and when Carmen read the story for herself, she wondered how Mo could have known the plot if Bailey had written the story. This led to Johnny accusing Bailey of bullying Mo to write his story, Mo shouted that they had misunderstood and stormed out, later telling May-Li about Bailey's difficulty reading. Bailey went on to win the competition and won tickets for himself and another person to take with him, so he picked Mo, who proceeded to hug him. When Harry was told that he could not go to a wrestling tournament, he came up with the idea of having a wrestling tournament with one of the other 'DG' children. Mo declined to be Harry's opponent, but they both went to find Tyler, who agreed to be the announcer. Later, after Harry had had his costume made by Tee, Mo suggested that Harry have a tattoo on his face, which he agreed to. On learning that Floss was to be adopted, Mo asked her if she would still live at the 'DG', only to be told by Harry that adoption meant Floss would be leaving and never returning. This upset Mo, who told May-Li that she needed to turn away any parents who wanted to adopt him, to which May-Li said to him that Mo was not going to be adopted and was only living at Ashdene Ridge until his parents were fit to take care of him. Some time afterwards, when Liam came to the 'Dumping Ground' to look for Frank, Mo answered the door to him. When asked where Frank was, Mo told Liam that he was at the cinema with Johnny, prompting Liam to leave, despite Mo offering to get Mike. Later when Liam came to temporarily stay at the 'DG', Mo's part in the plan to get Faith her work placement back was to sing "Twelve Tiny Hours" (a song Liam had written) with Johnny and Rick, but Mo's singing was so atrocious he decided that he did not want to sing at all.

The Dumping Ground series 3 – On the day of the 'Dumping Ground's' open day in "Party Games", Mo helped to add food colouring to some cupcakes for the guests. Later in the day; however, Mo decided to run a bath and poured in the food colouring that he had used on the cupcakes. The water overflowed the bath, fell into the living room downstairs (soaking Matt, Stephanie Brantston and Carmen) and also soaked Johnny's bedroom as well. Mo was caught after he tried to leave the living room and was made to show his hands which were coloured red by the food colouring. Mo explained that he did this to stop the fostering party and prevent Carmen being fostered by the Brantstons, calling them "nasty people". The day after "Grand Theft DG", Mo is made to share a room with Ryan. He finds the missing purses in a bin outside the home and plans to tell Mike. Ryan persuades him to show him first, then warns that the police might blame Mo because his fingerprints will be on the purses. Tee eventually persuades Mo to explain what happened, but the purses have disappeared when they search the bins. Ryan denies moving them. Later, Tee records a conversation in the attic between Ryan and Maude Gordon, Harry's prospective foster sister, who stole the money. Mo follows Tee and sneezes, alerting Ryan, who persuades Maude to confess. In "Stuck With You", Kazima notices that Mo is feeling down and buys him a "Build Your Own Robot" kit from a neighbourhood yard sale to cheer him up. When Mo discovers that pieces are missing, he becomes more upset and shouts at her. He locks himself in Faith's old bedroom and builds a fort from boxes containing her belongings, but the boxes collapse on him. Mike and May-Li rescue him. Mo explains that he has received a letter from the man he believes to be his father, saying that the woman he believes to be his mother needs surgery. Mike reads the letter and reassures Mo that the operation is nothing to worry about. In "Where Is Love?", the couple are revealed to be Mo's grandparents.

Mo's last appearance was in the series 4 finale "Two For Joy". It was mentioned in the first episode of series 5 that Mo had moved back in with his grandfather.

May-Li Wang

May-Li Wang, portrayed by Stacy Liu, made her first appearance on 16 December 2013 in the Christmas special episode "Jody in Wonderland", between series 1 and series 2 of The Dumping Ground. She joins after Gina leaves for a better-paid job to support her mother, who has dementia.

When new boy Bailey (Kasey MacKellar) arrives, May-Li prevents him from running away. His social worker Serjay (Danny Ashok) tries to pass the responsibility of telling Bailey that he will be remaining at the 'Dumping Ground' to Mike and May-Li, but May-Li insists he is to do so. May-Li and Mike (Connor Byrne) prevent Bailey from leaving with his father, Jimmy (Mark Theodore), as they are now legally responsible for him. May-Li lectures the young people when they go to find Frank (Christopher Slater). May-Li accompanies Tyler (Miles Butler-Hughton) during a day out with his mother, Sally (Diveen Henry), but Sally, who has not taken her medication for bipolar disorder, runs off with Tyler. When the young people are divided on what to watch on TV, May-Li sides with those who want to watch football, but they all fall asleep after a competition. Frank ruins Faith's (Leanne Dunstan) and Rick's (Daniel Pearson) clothes by putting a red top in the wash, turning the other clothes pink. May-Li suggests they have a cake-baking competition in which the losing team has to wear a pink dress. She comforts Mo (Reece Buttery) after he writes a competition entry for Bailey, who has difficulty reading. Floss (Sarah Rayson) takes a liking to Carmen's nail stuff, so May-Li talks to Floss about having been left in a nail salon as a baby, suggesting that Carmen's nail varnish may trigger memories. May-Li learns that Johnny (Joe Maw) is considering joining the army and Mike disagrees with May-Li, who encourages Johnny and views his plans positively. May-Li supervises Floss when potential adoptive parents, Doug (Michael Hodgson) and Nerys (Lucy Speed) meet her at the 'Dumping Ground'. May-Li accompanies and observes Floss, Doug and Nerys at the park and when Floss runs away after pushing a boy, Jesse (Alex Humprey), May-Li finds her. May-Li allows Tee (Mia McKenna-Bruce) to go with Floss to Doug and Nerys' house, but after the visit, Floss shows Tee and May-Li her scrapbook full of celebrity images as Floss tries to imagine her mother. May-Li tells Floss she can live at the 'Dumping Ground'.

Bailey takes on responsibility of a dog, Mischief (Sage), after he blames himself for the death of his homeless owner Mal (Dai Bradley) and he wins Mike and May-Li round upon training him. When Harry Jones leaves the 'Dumping Ground' for a foster family, Floss cuts off Jeff the giraffe's head and May-Li later returns Jeff to him. Mike and May-Li lecture Tee and Kazima when they leave a holiday club and what they should have done after catching two burglars. Ryan (Lewis Hamilton) accesses everyone's records and he receives a text from Harry, asking for help and he tells Mike and May-Li about Harry's foster placement. Ryan takes Harry and his foster brother, Finn (Ruben Reuter), from their foster home and when they arrive at the 'Dumping Ground', Harry does not want to return. Harry and Finn tell May-Li what their foster home was like. A rabbit is found in the garden and Toni (Nelly Currant) calls it Mr Nibbles. Billie (Gwen Currant) and Finn show May-Li a picture of Toni with her father and a rabbit, Mr Nibbles, resembling the one they found. Toni and Billie tell May-Li that their father let Mr Nibbles out of the hutch and they had foxes. May-Li receives a call from the rabbit owner and she breaks the news to Toni. Toni decides not to accept May-Li's offer of a rabbit when the rabbit has baby rabbits.

New girl Sasha (Annabelle Davis) arrives at the 'Dumping Ground' before being moved to secure accommodation. She smashes the minibus lights to prevent the young people seeing Lily (Jessie Williams), but chooses to apologise. Whilst out shopping with May-Li, Sasha sees her brother, Dexter (Alexander Aze), shoplifting and deliberately knocks over a display. Kazima tells May-Li. May-Li collects Jody Jackson (Kia Pegg) from a shop after Jody takes the blame for shoplifting. Bailey is promised football tickets by his reviewing officer, Abi (Kemi-Bo Jacobs), Bailey gets Faith to help him alter his record, but May-Li catches him. When Abi is impressed with Bailey, May-Li prevents Bailey receiving the tickets, informing her of what Bailey did. May-Li receives some expensive cheese from her mother, but she later finds it stolen. Carmen and Kazima question everyone and the culprit is revealed to be Mischief. May-Li lends Carmen an antique necklace, but Carmen drops it down the toilet accidentally and when Carmen thinks about either leaving it or attempting to get it out, she decides to tell May-Li. May-Li allows Sasha to go out to a skate night if she makes dinner, but she leaves Toni (Nelly Currant) and Billie (Gwen Currant), to put a lasagne in the oven, but the dinner burns after Ryan interferes with the oven settings. May-Li bans Sasha from the skate night, but Tee and Sasha decide to go as May-Li will not be at work and Toni and Billie agree to cover them. May-Li ends up having to work, so Billie and Toni lock her in the bathroom. Tee owns up to going to the skate park, after Billie and Toni are grounded; May-Li already knows that Sasha went. Tee makes amends with the young people and convinces May-Li and Mike to let Sasha stay. May-Li's grandmother, PoPo (Pik-Sen Lim), visits, but May-Li does not want to take over her shop. May-Li allows PoPo to teach the young people kung fu and when Jody tells May-Li that she and PoPo should make up, May-Li explains how PoPo does not accept her family as her partner is a woman. When May-Li discusses taking over the business, PoPo hurts May-Li when she will not allow May-Li's adopted children to inherit it, insisting that they are not her family and May-Li did not give birth to them. After a kung fu contest, May-Li gives PoPo the chance to meet her children. Later, May-Li receives a family heirloom from PoPo, her great-great-grandfather's diary. Jasna (Dolya Gavanski) gives Kazima the results of the age assessment intended to establish whether she is a minor. It gives her birth year as 1997, making her 18 and facing deportation. May-Li comforts Kazima, reassuring her they are going to appeal the decision and Carmen arranges for Kazima's appeal to be filmed. Kazima is allowed to stay when she is reunited with her father, Hakim Tako (Richard Pepple).

The 'Dumping Ground' is inspected by OFSTED inspectors, Rowena (Alison Hammond) and Lizzie (Kate Copeland), who are impressed by a play put on by the young people. Sasha returns after learning that her mother is pregnant, so she tells May-Li she wants to be fostered and May-Li and Mike tell her she has been matched to potential adoptive parents. Floss decides she wants to leave the 'Dumping Ground' when she bullies Finn and May-Li figures out she misses Harry, so gets Floss to apologise to Finn. Kazima confesses to breaking into the office when the young people are threatened with being grounded, telling May-Li and Mike she wants to be adopted to stay in the UK and took files of those who were adopted. May-Li and Mike explain the difficulty of finding adoptive parents for someone her age, explaining that adoption at her age usually involves someone who already knows the child. The young people figure out Kazima is taking an interest in things May-Li likes, realising she wants May-Li to adopt her and the young people overhear May-Li telling Mike she will think about it, but Kazima changes her mind and is told later she can stay. On Tee and Carmen's last day, they are told they will not be housed together due to a change in council policy and Tee declines May-Li's offer to tell Carmen. When May-Li comments on how Tee and Carmen are with each other, their social worker manages to house them together.

May-Li, Mike and the young people are invited to meet their new neighbours, Peter and Janet Umbleby (Simon Ludders and Alison Pargeter), who mistake the young people for Mike and May-Li's children and when they discover they are from a care home, they decide to hold a public meeting. May-Li and Mike are worried that they may receive another Ofsted visit and Ryan (Lewis Hamilton) believes he is going to be sent away after overhearing a conversation. However, Joseph (Yousef Naseer) chooses to volunteer to leave, but it turns out it was for a theme park trip as a representative of the home. May-Li and Mike are not happy when Chloe (Hannah Moncur) disappears with a girl, Candi Rose (Carma Hylton), while out with Ryan. May-Li also realises that Kazima likes the Umblebys' son, Edward Umbleby (Jaimie Boubezari) after noticing her dislike of Peter's treatment of Edward. Chloe is shocked when Candi-Rose arrives at the 'Dumping Ground' with May-Li, as is Candi-Rose when she sees Chloe, Both girls had lied about their lives. Candi-Rose says that she intended to tell Chloe the truth, while Chloe tearfully tells May-Li that she wanted a friend who would like her for herself. May-Li helps Archie (Jethro Baliba) when he injures himself and Archie offers to help May-Li do a border in the garden, coming up with plans, and Archie denies Ryan's suggestion that he sees May-Li as a mother figure. May-Li and Mike realise Archie's feelings when Ryan is accused of trashing the border, but May-Li reassures him he is special. Floss is picked to appear in a commercial and May-Li helps her when Floss struggles with how to act with a TV mother without having her own and she tells May-Li and Mike she wants to be adopted. When Archie is convinced he is getting younger, May-Li and Mike give him a parcel of things from his father. When May-Li returns from holiday, a boy and an older man, Alex (Connor Lawson) and George (Paul Barber), are hiding in the attic with Kazima and Tyler's help. May-Li discovers them when Alex confronts Kazima about George's disappearance. George leaves to encourage Alex to stay at the home, upsetting the young people. After receiving a video call from her father in Denmark, Kazima chooses to join him and May-Li takes Kazima to the airport.

In series 5, episode 20, Mike and May-Li argue after he writes critical comments on her assessment form. The young people arrange a meal to help them reconcile, but the argument continues and May-Li says she will leave.

After Finn and Joseph discover that she has been eating coal, May-Li tells Mike and the young people that she is pregnant and due before Christmas. She later gives birth to a son, Henry, named after Charlie's grandfather.

In series 10, May-Li is offered a better-paid job closer to home, which would allow her to spend more time with Alice and their children. She argues with Alice and turns down the job because she does not want to leave everyone at Ashdene Ridge but she seems to regret her decision. With support from the children, May-Li decides to take the new job.

On her last day at the Dumping Ground, she learns that Candi-Rose's real name has been exposed and that her parents have tracked her down. Because of this, Candi-Rose has to leave Ashdene Ridge that day to be moved to a new care home with a new name. May-Li reassures Candi-Rose that she will be fine and watches Candi-Rose leave for her new care home before she leaves to go on holiday with Alice before she starts her new job.

Bailey Wharton

Bailey Wharton, portrayed by Kasey MacKellar, made his first appearance on 10 January 2014 in series 2 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Booting Up - Part 1". He departed in series 5 during the episode "Back In The Game - Part 2".

He is shown to be quite aggressive and cocky, with a very short temper, and likes to wind people up, especially Johnny and Mike. He is a skilled footballer and is often criticised by the others for thinking he is better than he is and making unnecessary comments. It is later revealed he is dyslexic. Bailey later befriends Mo Michaels and Jody Jackson, but does not always see eye to eye with Jody during the progression of series 2. During series 3 and 4, Bailey becomes more reserved, spending much of his time with Mischief or playing football. He also becomes calmer and shows his sensitive side when he comforts Mo and meets a woman claiming to be his mother in series 4.

In the fourth episode of series 3, Bailey argues with a homeless man, Mal, while trying to retrieve his football. Mal falls over, and Bailey believes that he pushed him. The next day, Bailey finds a memorial where Mal used to sit with his dog, Mischief, and fears that he caused Mal's death. Feeling guilty, he takes in Mischief without Mike Milligan or May-Li Wang's permission. They eventually allow him to keep the dog. Ryan Reeves, who is afraid of dogs but embarrassed to admit it, cuts Mischief's collar and lets him out of the garden to make it look as though he has run away. Bailey and Tee post his picture on a missing-dog website. When Bailey finds Mischief nearby, the dog runs across the road towards him and is hit by a car. At the vet's, Mike warns Bailey that Mischief might not survive. Bailey confesses that he believes he killed Mal, so Mike takes him to the police station to make a statement. They learn that Bailey was not responsible for Mal's death. Meanwhile, the other residents sell Kazima's soup to raise money for Mischief's operation. They raise enough, and Mischief returns home with Bailey as his new owner.

On his last episode he and Sasha saved Dexter from getting into more trouble that Roddy dragged him into (it is revealed Roddy is a thief). Bailey makes his final appearance in the second episode of series 5, when he accepts a position as a junior football coach in the United States and moves there with Mischief.

Kazima Tako

Kazima Tako also Durrani, portrayed by Akuc Bol, made her first appearance on 31 January 2014 in series 2 of The Dumping Ground, during the episode "Finding Frank". She departed in series 5, during the episode "Farvel".

Frank has not been seen or heard from for a while, so Carmen (Amy-Leigh Hickman), Rick (Daniel Pearson), Bailey (Kasey MacKellar) and Tee (Mia McKenna-Bruce) try to track him down. They notice Kazima buying Frank's pocket watch, claiming it was her mother's and they find Frank and Kazima at a burger van. It emerges that Kazima and Frank are sleeping rough. Frank and Mike (Connor Byrne) later talk and Frank decides to move back in. Frank later informs Kazima that Mike is sorting things for her through children's services. Carmen reluctantly agrees to share her room with Kazima; however, Carmen is annoyed by Kazima's behaviour and orders Kazima to leave. Kazima sleeps on Frank's bedroom floor and when Mike and May-Li (Stacy Liu) discover this, they tell Kazima boys and girls cannot share rooms for safeguarding reasons. Kazima plans to sleep in the garage, but Carmen learns of it and makes up with her.

Tee works on an Art project, but Kazima criticises it and she introduces Tee to her friend, street artist Roscoe (Simeon Zack). When there is a trip to a theme park and not enough tickets, Kazima does not mind staying behind. Tee decides to remain behind to allow Toni (Nelly Currant) and Billie (Gwen Currant) to go together. Kazima and Tee are forced to attend a fun day, but they leave early and go home. Unknown to them, money was planted in Kazima's bag by Maz (Natifa Mai) and Max (Frankie Wilson). Maz and Max break into The Dumping Ground and when Kazima checks her bag, she and Tee decide to refuse to hand it back due to the large amount. Kazima and Tee attempt to scare Maz and Max out of The Dumping Ground. They end up locking Max in the attic and trick Maz into the kitchen before tying her up. Maz and Max are arrested and the other residents arrive home after Mike learns that Kazima and Tee have left the fun day. Mike and May-Li lecture Kazima and Tee on the situation and all the children are sent to the fun day. When Tyler (Miles Butler-Hughton) learns to play a trombone, Kazima helps him and she reveals her father and brother were kidnapped for making music.

New girl, Sasha (Annabelle Davis), arrives at The Dumping Ground. After going home to collect her bedroom key, Sasha goes shopping with May-Li and Kazima. Kazima witnesses Sasha knocking down a display so she can speak to her brother, Dexter (Alexander Aze). When May-Li receives some expensive cheese from her mother, she later finds it stolen. Kazima and Carmen question everyone and they later reveal Mischief (Sage) as the culprit. Carmen drops May-Li's antique necklace down the toilet and Carmen thinks about what would happen if she left the necklace or if she tried to get it back. When Carmen thinks about getting it back, she enlists Kazima's help to retrieve it and they arrange for a plumber to fix the toilet.

As part of her application to stay in the UK, Kazima must prove she is a minor and undergo an age assessment. After learning of Kazima's situation, Carmen tries to get Kazima to open up about what happened. Kazima explains how her father was captured by the army and her mother died at a Kenyan refugee camp before she fled to England. Kazima gets the results for her age assessment and is informed by Jasna (Dolye Gavanski) that they believe she was born in 1997 and is 18 years old. Kazima decides to run away and she goes to Frank's, but she runs away when Mike and Carmen go visit. Later, Kazima is reunited with her father, Hakim (Richard Pepple) and Kazima's age can be proved by documents. Kazima and Hakim learn that Kazima's brother may be alive in Somalia and Hakim decides to go to Somalia, leaving Kazima at The Dumping Ground.

Kazima left The Dumping Ground halfway through the fifth series, in episode 12, as she moved to Denmark with her father and brother. Kazima featured in 55 episodes of the series.

Ryan Reeves

Ryan Reeves, portrayed by Lewis G. Hamilton, made his first appearance on 16 January 2015 in series 3 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Law & Disorder: Part 2". He was sixteen in the seventh series.

He is a skilled liar who joins Ashdene Ridge in the wake of a disastrous foster party where wallets and purses were reported stolen and he becomes embroiled in the events, eventually working out the identity of the thief and blackmailing them to keep it a secret. He is aged thirteen with a Liverpudlian accent and short brown hair and quickly proves himself to be mischievous, deceitful and intelligent. He also becomes friends with Johnny Taylor when Ryan manages to keep Johnny's army dream alive by finding the thief of wallets and purses to clear Johnny's name. In "Mischief" it is revealed that he has cynophobia (fear of dogs). In "Who Are You?" it is discovered that he has a sister from whom he was separated. During his first episode, Ryan deleted an email sent to Mike concerning both mental health and himself, before destroying the computer keyboard.

Ryan and Tee Taylor often have issues, and they always fall out and accuse each other of things, which often becomes quite serious in certain situations. In series 6, Ryan is hailed as a hero after a burglar runs into him while escaping through the garden. Later, at Mike's stag party, Ryan is embarrassed to discover that the other boys have brought presents for Mike, as he did not know about the arrangement. When he trips over a fossil given by Bird and Jay, the boys laugh at him. Ryan loses his temper and smashes the wedding cake. He later phones Mike to make amends, but tells him that he will never change and hangs up. Mike finds Ryan, who refuses to return home. Tracy arrives and persuades him to come back, and Ryan apologises to Mike and the other residents.

In Series 7 Ryan encounters his mother whilst he is in town with Mike. She later comes to the Dumping Ground, where he becomes angry that she has turned up. Later on, Ryan takes her to their old house and tells her that he is not the bad person that she thinks he is. After his mother leaves, Ryan decides to leave the Dumping Ground and writes a letter to his friends explaining that they should look after Chloe, and that he is sorry for everything he ever did.

Toni Trent

Toni Trent, portrayed by Nelly Currant, made her first appearance on 23 January 2015 in series 3 of The Dumping Ground during the episode Stuck With You.

In "Fake it to Make It", Toni and Billie try to convince everyone that they are telepathic. However, the plan backfires when Bailey, Mo and Tyler start avoiding the twins because of it.

In "Breaking in" Toni is upset as there are not enough tickets for her to go to the theme park with Billie and the other Dumping Ground children. However, she is allowed to go after all as Tee gives Toni her ticket.

In "Dragon Slayer", Toni finds a rabbit in the garden, and believes it is the reincarnation of a rabbit she had owned which had been killed by foxes after her father left open its hutch to punish her. She is upset when she learns that it has an owner. Eventually, May-Li manages to convince Toni that the rabbit was not hers as it was female.

In "Better Than You", Toni falls out with Billie, who does not like her bossing her about, leading to Floss and Toni stealing Billie's idea of giving tours around Ashdene Ridge.

In "The Switch", Toni and her twin sister Billie are adopted by a couple called Dom and Sally Harper.

It was revealed on 7 September 2018 that Nelly would reprise her role as Toni Trent, along with some other old residents, as she can be seen walking up to the Dumping Ground in the new trailer.

Billie Trent

Billie Trent, portrayed by Gwen Currant, made her first appearance on 23 January 2015 in series 3 of The Dumping Ground during the episode Stuck With You.

In "Fake it to Make It", Billie and Toni tried to convince everyone that they were telepathic. However, the plan backfired when Bailey, Mo and Tyler started avoiding the twins because of it.

In "Dragon Slayer", Billie was worried about her sister, Toni, who got upset about a rabbit she found in the garden. Eventually Billie told May-Li that Toni had owned a rabbit when they lived with their parents.

In "Free to Good Home", Floss and Toni try to get Billie to pretend to be a gymnast in order to win a trampoline. However, Billie is unwilling and runs away.

In "Better Than You", Billie starts giving other children tours round the Dumping Ground, getting them to pay. However, when she falls out with Toni, Floss steals her idea, and she and Toni decide to give tours of their own. Billie teams up with Tyler and they plan their own rival tour; however, Faith tells them they should not treat the Dumping Ground like a freak show, and persuades Billie and Tyler to stop giving tours. Billie eventually makes up with Toni.

In "The Switch", Billie and her twin sister Toni are adopted by a couple called Dom and Sally Harper.

It was revealed on 7 September 2018 that Gwen would reprise her role as Billie Trent, alongside other former residents shown approaching the Dumping Ground in a trailer.

Mischief

Mischief, portrayed by ten-year-old Border Collie Sage, made his first appearance on 30 January 2015 in series 3 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Mischief". He departed in series 5 during the episode "Back In The Game".

Mischief is owned originally by a homeless man who Bailey bumps into; when the man later dies in hospital after an incident with Bailey, Bailey feels guilty and becomes Mischief's new owner. However, when Mischief returns to Ashdene Ridge, his unruly behaviour means that Bailey must train him to prevent him from being put down. Bailey succeeds, and Mischief becomes the new Ashdene Ridge pet. Mischief left the show when Bailey did in series 5 as both went to America.

Finn McLaine

Finn McLaine, portrayed by Ruben Reuter, made his first appearance on 6 March 2015 in series 3 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Long Way Home".

Finn is initially fostered by the same family as Harry. When problems arise and Harry sends for help, they leave the foster home and join the Dumping Ground. Finn quickly befriends Harry and Ryan, and later becomes friends with Floss, Toni, Billie and Joseph. He grows closer to Alex in the second half of series 5. In "Rough Justice" (series 5, episode 19), Finn steals money to replace a statue he broke that belonged to Alex. In series 6, Charlie explains that Finn's father put him into care on the day he was born. Finn has Down syndrome.

In series 7, Finn meets his girlfriend, Ivy (Bethany Asher). It is assumed that they are still together as of series 10.

At the end of series 8, Finn gets a job at the local hospital as a porter.

Finn appears in only three episodes of series 9 because Reuter was shielding during most of the filming. He has small or background roles in "Moment of Truth", "The Remote" and "Festival Fibber".

In between series 9 and 10, Finn moved out of Ashdene Ridge to live with Alex. He returns in "Intergalactic", where he tends to Jay in the hospital after Jay has an injury. Later on, he sneaks over to Ashdene Ridge in the night for a visit where he reveals the truth about his current living situation. He tells Floss, Taz, Jay and Sid that Alex got a job in Manchester. Alex invited Finn to join him, but he did not want to leave his job at the hospital. However, Finn has struggled to live alone since Alex left. Although he originally was going to be sent to another care home, Jay decides to move out and lets Finn take his room.

In episode 17 of series 10, Finn meets his mother, Melanie, who abandoned him as a baby one day after giving birth to him. It was revealed that Melanie did not think she would be able to cope looking after a baby with Down syndrome, and thought Finn would be best with someone else to look after him. She has regretted that decision ever since. A couple of years later, Melanie married a man named Paul, and they had a son together, called Louis. Louis is 12 years old, and he does not have Down syndrome.

In episode 6 of series 11, Finn visits Porter's Lodge for one last goodbye and to leave "The Dumping Ground" mark there. He has fun helping Frankie, Oscar, and Shanice pull some pranks and complete some tasks like stealing Chelsey's phone and setting off a stink bomb to get Erin's cookies and also passes the Peter Pan book down to Erin before he leaves the care home for good.

Sasha Bellman

Sasha Bellman, portrayed by Annabelle Davis, made her first appearance on 6 October 2015 in series 3 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Three Days" and departed on 18 February 2022 in series 9.

Sasha initially causes chaos but gradually settles into Ashdene Ridge. She gets on well with most of the residents, except Ryan, and befriends Carmen and Tee.

Sasha is delighted when Kelly announces she is pregnant with Sasha's half-sister, but is left upset when Kelly says it would not work with Sasha being at home. Sasha decides she wants to be fostered and is matched with an adoptive couple, Lou (Warwick Davis) and Ange (Francesca Papagno), but on a trip to the seaside, Sasha realises she is not ready to give up her family and she plants goods from a shop in Ange's bag. Sasha convinces Harry to get to know Lou and Ange. Sasha has dwarfism, most likely due to spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita.

In series 6, Sasha considers leaving Ashdene Ridge to join Dexter and her family in their new home, but ultimately decides to stay in "SorryNotSorry".

Sasha develops an interest in art from series 5 onwards and takes up knitting in series 7.

In series 7, Sasha's former best friend, Freya, arrives at Ashdene Ridge and tries to make her life difficult.

In series 9, Sasha meets Drew, the lead singer of her favourite band, Death Night Thrashers, and tries to stop the band from breaking up. Her efforts lead to an offer to become Drew's assistant. Although initially conflicted, she accepts the opportunity with encouragement from Jody and Murphy and leaves the Dumping Ground.

Dexter Bellman

Dexter Bellman, portrayed by Alexander Aze, made his first appearance on 6 October 2015 in series 3 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Three Days".

series 3
Dexter turns up at the 'Dumping Ground' looking for his sister, however his sister, Sasha (Annabelle Davis) tells him he has to go and she gets him out of the 'Dumping Ground'. Sasha realises Dexter took her room key, so she goes home for it and discovers that Dexter needs her help to get nappies. Sasha ends up going shopping with May-Li (Stacy Liu) and she catches Dexter shoplifting nappies and Dexter tells her he could not find any money. After catching Dexter trying to shoplift, Sasha returns home and finds Murphy (Thomas and Oliver Waldram) alone. Dexter turns up unexpectedly, asking for Sasha. Dexter later throws rubbish over the health and safety inspector's (Shameem Ahmed) car in order to be taken into care, but his family are given the support of social services.

series 4
After Sasha is teased by Ryan (Lewis Hamilton) after he discovers her vlog, Sasha goes home and goes to the park with Dexter and his friend, but Sasha believes their mother is rubbish at looking after him. At home after speaking to their mother, Sasha realises Dexter is fine.

series 5
When Sasha discovers that their stepbrother, Roddy (Alfie Browne-Sykes), is involving Dexter in burglaries, she finds Dexter in a building containing stolen goods and discovers that Kelly is involved. Dexter is placed under a voluntary care order. In the episode "Sasha Bellman P.I", a package that was sent to Archie was stolen by Dexter out of curiosity, as he rarely receives packages from home, and Sasha has to cover up for him, resulting in the package being found in Jody's room, Tyler being blamed but then proven innocent and the whole house having extra chores - Only Sasha, Jody and Dexter know who stole it. Dexter promises Sasha that he will never steal other people's belongings again.

Dexter leaves off-screen between series 5 and 6, moving back in with his mother, stepfather, brother and baby sister. He makes two guest appearances in series 6, confirming that he has returned to his mother. Sasha plans to join him in "SorryNotSorry" but decides to remain at the Dumping Ground.

Murphy Bellman

Murphy Bellman made his first appearance in the series 3 episode "Free to Good Home" broadcast on 13 October 2015. Introduced as the infant brother of Sasha (Annabelle Davis) and Dexter Bellman (Alexander Aze), he was played by Thomas and Oliver Waldram in series 3 and Fred Montgomery Scott in series 4. He was reintroduced as part of the main cast in the series 9 episode "Run, Rescue, Repeat" broadcast on 13 August 2021, now played by Lenny Rush.

Sasha visits her old home and finds Dexter and Murphy by themselves while their mother sleeps. She later finds Dexter shoplifting for nappies and realises that Murphy has been left home alone. Social services arrange support for their mother to help her take care of her sons.

Some years later, in series 9, Sasha finds Murphy trying to steal Scott Jenson's (Louis Payne) phone and discovers that he has been left on his own again whilst their mother is on holiday in Spain. Arrangements are made to put Murphy in temporary care at Ashdene Ridge, but he refuses to settle in and has several tantrums, smashing the TV and destroying Sasha's college art project in the process. Enraged, Sasha goes to their home to get away from him and learns that their mother has been neglecting Murphy again, which has caused problems at school. Returning to the DG, Sasha manages to calm Murphy down and starts helping him learn how to settle in.

Murphy does not return in series 10.

Chloe Reeves

Chloe Reeves, portrayed by Hannah Moncur, made her first appearance on 19 February 2016 in series 4 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Hold the Front Page". Chloe's brother is Ryan, and they are constantly arguing and fighting. In "The Fairytail Princess", Chloe meets Candi-Rose, and wants to make a good impression on her. Both girls end up lying to make themselves sound better. Candi-Rose then moves in, much to Chloe and Ryan's surprise. Chloe's best friend is Candi-Rose. In later episodes, Chloe has been with Joseph, and has blackmailed her brother.

In series 9, Chloe has the chance to live with her Scottish friend Iona and her family. Although reluctant to leave Candi-Rose, she decides to be fostered and leaves the Dumping Ground.

Joseph Stubbs

Joseph Stubbs, portrayed by Yousef Naseer, made his first appearance on 28 November 2016 in series 4 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "It Takes Two". Joseph enjoys chores: when Mike tells Tyler to wash the floor, Joseph volunteers while sorting out the residents' shoes. He also loves space and breaks into an observatory with Finn so that he could see the moon more clearly. He correctly calculates that 40 divided by 3 is 13.3 recurring. He gets along with the older residents like Tyler, Jody, Kazima, Tee and Bailey. He is also best friends with Finn, Archie and Dexter. In "Rough Justice", Joseph challenges the others when they blame Alex for an outbreak of nits because of his temper. He is also close to Johnny, who makes a guest appearance in "Save the DG" and helps with efforts to save the home.

series 4 (TDG)
Joseph arrives after Sammy leaves. He initially has strained relationships with Mo, Ryan, Floss and Finn, but befriends Archie, Chloe, Tyler, Bailey and Jody. He apologises to Bailey Wharton for kidnapping Mischief and feels sorry for Tyler Lewis when Bailey mocks his dancing. Bailey later explains that he was joking rather than trying to insult Tyler.

series 5 (TDG)
In "One Giant Leap", Ryan mistakenly believes that Mike wants to make him leave the home. Assuming that Joseph has no friends, he tries to persuade the other residents to send Joseph away instead. It turns out that Mike is choosing someone to represent Ashdene Ridge at a fair, and he has selected Ryan. After learning of the misunderstanding, the residents want Joseph to go instead.

In "Wardrobe", Ryan resents being left at home with Joseph and Kazima. He had tried to manipulate a card game so that Tyler would pick Finn, but Joseph distracted Finn by asking about dinosaurs. While Joseph and Kazima move a newly delivered wardrobe, Joseph becomes locked inside it. They chase after the wardrobe but lose track of it. Joseph eventually escapes using Ryan's grandfather's medal. Kazima is delighted to find him, and Ryan later makes amends with him.

In "Rough Justice", Joseph and Jody are accused of stealing money despite having witnesses who can support their innocence. Floss gives false testimony against them. Joseph had raised the money to buy a lava lamp from the planetarium, with Jody's help. Floss tries to bribe Joseph into accusing Jody, but he refuses and exposes her lies. Finn is eventually revealed to have stolen the money to buy Alex a replacement ornament.

Joseph leaves after the sixth series.

Archie Able

Archibald Jeremiah "Archie" Able, portrayed by Jethro Baliba, made his first appearance on 21 November 2016 in series 4 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "How to Be Perfect". Archie tends to get on well with everyone. He has been shown to be closest to Joseph, Bailey and Ryan.

series 4 (TDG)
Archie is introduced to the young people by May-Li Wang (Stacy Liu) in the episode "How To Be Perfect". When Kazima Tako (Akuc Bol) asks May-Li to adopt her (to help with her application to stay in the UK), Archie is one of the others to compete with Kazima to be adopted. Archie also told Kazima, after she asked about his father and brother, that he has no family at all. He said that he often moves around and called himself unique and collectable. He sees Bailey Wharton as a brotherly figure, and the two get along well. Archie's best friend is Joseph Stubbs. He has also been shown to be quite close with Dexter Bellman.

series 5 (TDG)
In "Sittin' In A Tree" Archie seems to see May-Li as a mother-like figure. Ryan notices this. Archie asks to go to the garden centre with May-Li. She agrees but ends up going with Toni. Upset, Archie trashes the garden. May-Li feels bad for going to the garden centre without Archie, as she did not realise how important it was to Archie. Archie later expresses his worries out loud to Ryan about getting too attached to care workers, and Ryan tells him "It's just a phase - and then you get over it." Ryan reassures Archie by telling him that he too became attached to a care worker in the past.

In "Sasha Bellman P.I." Toni and Billie Trent convince Archie that he is ageing backwards because he told them he remembers being in a wheelchair giving talks to students, as well as knowing an old song. Archie concludes that he has only eight years left before he disappears, so he makes a bucket list that includes swimming with dolphins, relearning to swim and seeing the Queen. May-Li explains that he remembers sitting in a pushchair while his father gave talks, and that he recognises the song because his father often played it. That very day, Dexter steals his package but Archie gets it back. It contains books from his father's university and Archie's emotional reaction suggests that Archie's father died.

series 6 (TDG)
In "Jody on the Ropes", Archie competes in the Hunger Games style battle to win a luxury attic bedroom, which later turns out not to be intended for Ashdene Ridge. Archie teams up with Charlie. Archie earned third place in the battle, as he was "taken down" by Alex and used as bait to try and take down Charlie.

In "Saved By the Bell", Jody argues with Sasha and pushes her out of her bedroom. When Archie opens the door, Jody mistakes him for Sasha and slams it, giving him a bloody nose. His nose is not broken. Jody does not intend to hurt him but is struggling to control her anger.

In "Give and Take", Archie becomes angry after losing a football game to Alex and Jody. May-Li suggests yoga and meditation to help him stay calm. He asks her to join him, but she is trying to finish a book and suggests that he meditate alone in the garden. Insects disturb him outside, so he joins May-Li in the quiet room. An argument between Charlie and Sasha interrupts him again, and he complains to May-Li. He eventually completes his meditation and feels more relaxed.

In "Heroes", Joseph asks to move into Archie's room. Mike agrees, provided that both Archie and Joseph's current roommate, Finn, are happy with the arrangement. Mike also gives Joseph a colourful coat from the lost-and-found box. The coat turns out to belong to Archie, who accuses Joseph of stealing and no longer wants to share with him. They snub each other and fight over the last sausage at lunch, knocking over plates and drinks before Taz takes it. Mike and May-Li pretend that one of them will have to move to Sleepy Hollow, a home on an island, unless they reconcile. Archie and Joseph ask the other residents to vote on who should stay, but nobody wants to choose between them. Finn, left with the deciding vote, insists that they stop arguing and share a room. They make up, and Joseph moves in.

In "SorryNotSorry", when Sasha is set to leave the 'Dumping Ground' and move back in with her mother and family, Dexter returns to say goodbye to everyone before leaving properly. As Dexter used to share a room with Archie, he grows jealous and feels left out when seeing Joseph sharing the room with Archie now.

In "Cat's in the Cradle", Archie buys a large quantity of discounted carrots, hoping to sell them at a profit. May-Li wants them out of the kitchen, but Archie cannot find buyers. Joseph suggests making carrot ice cream, which they abandon after tasting it. Feeling sorry for Archie, May-Li gives him £1 and makes him promise to spend it only when necessary. She later discovers parsnips hidden under his bed sheets, showing that he has repeated the mistake.

In "Challenging Times", Ashdene Ridge competes against Graybridge, another care home, to win a trip to London. One quiz task is to remember objects shown in a video starring Joseph and Archie in a spoof of Doctor Who. Archie plays a Cyberman, while Joseph plays the Doctor, dressed as Matt Smith's incarnation.

In "Utopia", May-Li mentions that Archie is away meeting some potential foster parents, and he does not return to the show after this.

Candi-Rose

Candi-Rose (real name Courtney), portrayed by Carma Hylton, made her first appearance on 3 February 2017 in series 5 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "The Fairytale Princess". Like Carmen Howle in Tracy Beaker Returns, Candi-Rose likes pink and fashion and can be naive. When she arrives in the 'DG', she tells the other children that she is in care because her father works for the RAF and her mother is a make-up artist who works on films. However, her account is inconsistent: she later says that her mother works with singers and that her father is in the navy. Candi-Rose is introduced when she makes friends with Chloe. Later in series 6B, she also makes friends with Bird Wallis after he joined the cast in series 6A. Her friendship with Chloe resembles Carmen's friendship with Tee.

In "Sittin' in a Tree", Candi-Rose is shocked when she is told by the others that Jody and Tyler are just friends, because she and the other residents think they would make a good couple. Candi-Rose offers both Jody and Tyler advice about love, helping Tyler ask a girl for her number and Jody understand her feelings towards Tyler after she deliberately messes things up for Tyler and the girl he likes. Jody makes it clear that she and Tyler are just friends, but Candi-Rose is still convinced that Jody wants to be more than just friends with Tyler at some point in the future.

In "Faking It", Candi-Rose competes with Floss for a role in a TV advert and sabotages Floss by gluing Floss' shoes to the floor, stopping her clock and stealing a scrapbook of Floss' mother. She later feels guilty and confesses. Floss forgives her after telling Candi-Rose that she is rubbish at everything. Floss then persuades the director in charge of the advert to allow Candi-Rose to play a part in the advert as Floss' friend.

In "Making Waves", when a new resident (Taz) is due to arrive, Mike and May-Li thought it best for some of the residents to go out for the day so Taz would not be too overwhelmed on her first day. Sasha was originally having a trip to the beach just for her, but much to Sasha's annoyance, Mike invited half of the children along: Tyler, Ryan, Candi-Rose, Finn, Dexter, Joseph and Archie. When they arrive at the beach, Mike splits the children up into teams with various tasks. Mike teamed Candi-Rose with Sasha (again, much to Sasha's annoyance as the girls are the complete opposite in personality) to build a sand sculpture. Candi-Rose was much more enthusiastic than usual as she had never had a trip to the beach before. Candi-Rose and Sasha start getting along while they make an octopus sand sculpture. When they finish it Candi-Rose suggests for them to take a selfie in front of the sculpture. But when Tyler and Ryan arrive, Ryan starts to tease Sasha by saying she is starting to turn all pink and girly. Sasha does not take it well and starts to lash out at Candi-Rose and destroy their sand sculpture. This upsets Candi-Rose and causes her to run off crying. Sasha starts to feel bad and panics when she cannot find Candi-Rose. She asks Tyler and Ryan for help. Ryan refuses, but Tyler joins the search. Sasha and Tyler follow footprints leading to the sea, and end up finding her phone on the floor. They go to Mike to tell him that Sasha lost Candi-Rose, but before they tell Mike, Candi-Rose appears looking for her phone and much to everyone's shock, Sasha immediately hugs Candi-Rose after thinking she had lost her.

In "The Phantom of Ashdene Ridge", Candi-Rose and Chloe hide from what they think is a ghost. Candi-Rose mentions that she and her sister used to hide under their bed whenever they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. In "Candi-Rose?", she also reveals that her real name is Courtney and that she has an older sister named Lauren, from whom she is kept apart to avoid being found by their parents. Her favourite beauty blogger is Savannah B, and she wins a competition in series 8B which sees Savannah come to Ashdene Ridge and meet her.

In "The Real Candi-Rose", Candi-Rose's real name is overheard by Sabrina, who desperately tries to figure out who Courtney is and she ends up posting online asking about a Courtney at Ashdene Ridge. While the children are originally able to convince Sabrina that Courtney is a ghost, it is revealed in "The Hardest Word" that Candi-Rose's parents were able to track her down thanks to that post. Candi-Rose's mother claims to have changed, but this is a ruse to lure her away with her father. Jay helps Candi-Rose escape, and May-Li and Doreen help her evade her parents. Because her name and location have been exposed, Candi-Rose must move to another care home under a new identity. May-Li reassures her before she leaves.

Alex Walker

Alex Walker, played by Connor Lawson, made his first appearance on 3 March 2017 in series 5 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Belief".

Alex is quite a hot-tempered boy who has experienced a difficult childhood. Having lived on the streets from the age of twelve, Alex has learnt to take care of himself and finds it hard to listen to authority. He is shown to be gentle and sensitive at times, particularly to those he cares about. He respects Mike and he takes a particular liking to Floss soon becoming her best friend for a short time, in spite of his "tough" exterior. He prefers to be alone and can seem aloof, but is caring and has a strong sense of integrity. Although reluctant to be vulnerable, he eventually confides in Finn and Charlie.

Background
Before entering care, Alex lives with his mother, Aileen Peters, who struggles financially. When he is five, she takes him for a drive, buys him a comic and a bottle of fizzy drink, and leaves him outside his father's workplace. She believes that leaving him with his father is the right decision. Alex moves in with his father, who is frequently absent, and eventually enters care. He often runs away from care homes and is homeless by the age of twelve. After about two years on the streets, he befriends George, an older homeless man. George describes Alex as the grandson he never had, and they promise to look after each other.

series 5
In his first episode "Belief", Alex is still living homeless on the streets and frequently receives donations from Kazima Tako, who feels sorry for him since she once lived on the street and knows what it is like, but one day he runs off with her shopping bags and it is discovered he lives in a squat on his own. When Kazima convinces him to return to the 'DG' for some food, he steals the residents of the 'Dumping Ground's' belongings but they recover them at the end of the episode. He refuses help from Ashdene Ridge and Kazima and ultimately stays on his own.

In "Free", Alex returns to the 'DG' seeking help from Kazima because his friend George is ill and the council has boarded up their squat, leaving them with nowhere to go. Kazima manages to hide them both in the attic for a bit and gives them food until May-Li realises what is going on. Alex ends up staying at Ashdene Ridge after George tries to run away without Alex, and when Alex caught up with him, George shouted at him, telling him that he is trying to get away from him. He claims that their pact no longer suits him and that he does not want Alex around. He tells Alex to get lost but confesses to Kazima when Alex is returned to Ashdene Ridge by May-Li and Tyler, that he did not mean a word of what he just said, and just wanted to give Alex the best chance he had.

Alex was not a very popular person in the 'Dumping Ground', to begin with, as he is already known as a thief by the others and he has many angry outbursts, especially when Kazima announced she was leaving to live with her father in Denmark and Kazima was the only person in Ashdene Ridge that liked Alex, although Tyler had promised Kazima to look out for Alex. Although Alex does not become particularly close to Tyler, he eventually settles in and befriends Finn, Charlie and Jody. He also develops a strong rivalry with Ryan, although Ryan tried to stop Alex from egging the Mayor and Mr Umbelby.

series 6

In the episode "Cats in the Cradle", Alex and Charlie go round people's houses offering to do gardening. Alex sees a woman he recognises as his mother. He walks out of the job because of this, still angry at his mother's disappearance but he later meets his half-sister, Alice. Alex hears from Alice that his mother won a trophy and became rich. Alex is angry that his mother never returned for him but does not reveal himself to Alice or Aileen, not wanting to ruin their lives.

In episode 20, Alex uses his talent for cooking to be hired at Lily Kettle's cafe but working there does not go quite to plan as Ryan tries to sabotage it, making Alex rub avocado on Ryan's face. However, despite what had happened at the cafe, Lily visits the 'Dumping Ground' and tells Alex that he has got the job and Ryan finds himself being barred from the cafe.

series 7

In episode 3, Alex reveals himself to Aileen and Mike arranges for them to meet in a park. Alex becomes angry with his mother for leaving him homeless but eventually agrees to go on visits to see her.

In episode 16, shortly before Charlie leaves, Alex and Charlie realise that they have romantic feelings for each other. Charlie considers staying but ultimately decides to go.

In episode 23, he leaves the 'DG' to live with his mother and work at Lily's cafe.

He makes a guest appearance in series 8 episode "Risk", where he was spending his time with Finn, who wants to live with Alex as he said that Finn is always welcome.

Taz De Souza

Tasmin "Taz" De Souza, played by Jasmine Uson, made her first appearance on 20 October 2017 in series 5 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Making Waves". Her behaviour on arrival resembles Jody's when she first entered the home. In series 5, episode 20, Taz bursts into tears and clings to May-Li after hearing that she plans to leave following an argument with Mike. May-Li subsequently decides to stay. In "Cat's in the Cradle", Mike wants to sell the old piano, but Taz objects. She explains that her parents taught her to play it. Her father stopped playing after her mother died and placed Taz in care because he could not cope with raising her alone. Tyler, Jody and Floss support her efforts to keep the piano, and Mike changes his mind. Taz is of Filipino descent.

Gradually in the first half of series 7, she makes friends with Sid.

In series 7, episode 15, her father moves nearby and May-Li takes Taz to visit him. Taz hopes she can go on regular day visits to visit him but she overhears Mike and May-Li talk about whether they should actually let her. Taz then goes to lengths to impress Mike and May-Li so she can regularly go to see him.

In series 7, episode 23, Katy arrives at the 'DG'. Taz and Katy are made to share rooms which neither one is happy about. However, Taz and Katy eventually make friends in the first few episodes of series 8 after often arguing.

She does not return in series 11.

Charlie Morris

Charlotte "Charlie" Morris (also Lottie Morris), played by Emily Burnett, made her first appearance on 10 November 2017 in series 5 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Mission Totally Possible".

Charlie arrives at the 'Dumping Ground' and gains permission to set up a den in the garden to watch wildlife, which Taz (Jasmine Uson) joins in with. Charlie and Jody (Kia Pegg) grow annoyed with Floss (Sarah Rayson) when she takes their spot cream and deodorant, but May-Li (Stacy Liu) reminds them that Floss is going through puberty, so Charlie and Jody make her a teenage survival kit. Charlie acts as judge in a kangaroo court when Jody and Joseph (Yousef Naseer) are suspected of stealing money. The young people are devastated when the 'Dumping Ground' is to be knocked down and Charlie works out what will happen to them, but the young people manage to prevent the 'Dumping Ground' being sold and celebrate Christmas.

In series 6, episode 3 "Give and Take", Charlie decides to sell some of her things and Sasha (Annabelle Davis) suggests they make T-shirts to sell, but becomes annoyed with Jody and Finn (Ruben Reuter) helping her. Charlie tells Sasha that she needs money to pay for yoga for her grandfather that helped him when he fell, but he is no longer getting classes as his home has stopped paying. Sasha offers to help her write a letter to the council to continue the funding.

In series 6, episode 16, "Home", Charlie's grandfather, Henry Lawrence, visits Ashdene Ridge. He tells her that his doctors do not expect him to live much longer. Charlie initially refuses to believe him and wants to leave the home to care for him, but Henry reassures her that he is being looked after and wants her to stay where she is.

In series 6, episode 23 "To Have and Not to Hold", Charlie's grandad passes away.

In series 7, episode 10 "A Mother's Love", Charlie goes with Mike to visit her mother, Melanie, in prison. She is later released from prison and moves into a hostel nearby. Around the same time, Charlie discovers Henry left his old house to her in his will.

In series 7, episode 16, "Letting Go", Charlie leaves Ashdene Ridge to travel around the world. Alex gives her a journal as a leaving present and thanks her for supporting him. When she leans towards him for a hug or a kiss on the cheek, he kisses her, then apologises and leaves. Sasha notices Alex leaving in a hurry and later asks Charlie what happened. Charlie admits that they kissed and that she may have feelings for him. She briefly postpones her trip to spend more time with Alex, but a visit to her grandfather's house reminds her how much she wants to travel. Alex encourages her to go, knowing that it is what both Charlie and her grandfather wanted, and promises to wait for her. They hug and say goodbye. Before leaving for the airport, Charlie sends Alex a video message for everyone at Ashdene Ridge. She asks Jody and Tyler to look after the other residents, encourages Bird's music and Jay's ambitions, and tells Floss to stay true to herself. She says she will miss Candi-Rose and Chloe's chats, encourages Taz's spirit and Sid's interest in the skies, and expresses confidence in Finn's future and Sasha's artwork. She tells May-Li that she will never forget helping to deliver her son, then thanks Mike and asks him to take care of Alex.

Bird Wallis

Noah "Bird" Wallis, played by Leo James, made his first appearance on 23 February 2018 in series 6 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Challenging Times". Bird is shown to be quite a shy and reserved person who hardly ever talks. When he first arrives he always wears headphones. The headphones appear to help him distance himself from difficult situations. Bird's younger brother "Jay" is more talkative than Bird, and is protective of him. Jay says that he and Bird have been in 10 different homes, and they both move into the 'Dumping Ground' in the middle of the night. In the episode "Two Sides to Every Story", it is confirmed that Bird has diabetes. In the same episode, when Jay tells Mike and Fiona that May-Li hit him, Bird supports him, but after talking to Sasha, he decides to tell the truth. This clears May-Li of the allegation and protects her job. Jay is not happy with Bird after this, but they make up when Bird convinces Jay to give Ashdene Ridge a chance. Sasha tells Bird that the home, Mike and May-Li are different from those he and Jay have known before. He and Jay later become good friends with Candi-Rose and Chloe. He is two years older than Jay.

In "Broken Record", after encountering their father in public, Bird remained sceptical about his claims of having changed. His doubts were soon proven correct, after learning that their father was actually homeless and wanted Jay to live with him, but not Bird. Bird later confronted him about this, only to be told that he was not actually his son.

In "My Greatest Composition", Bird believes that a famous musician named Femi is his real father so he sets off to find him. After questioning Femi, he discovers that Femi never had any children but that his real father is Femi's brother, Nana. After the truth is revealed, Bird is invited by Nana to go on tour with him. In the following episode, Bird moves out of the Dumping Ground to go on tour with Nana but Bird makes a guest appearance in series 10, episode 18.

Jay Wallis

Jacob "Jay" Wallis, played by Cole Wealleans-Watts, made his first appearance on 23 February 2018 in series 6 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Challenging Times".

Jay is protective of his quieter older brother, Bird. He says that they have lived in ten different homes before arriving at the Dumping Ground in the middle of the night. In "Two Sides to Every Story", Jay resents May-Li's diet and exercise plan for Bird's diabetes, especially when she asks Jay to participate in support of his brother. He falsely tells Mike that May-Li hit him hard on the arm and persuades Bird to back up his account. Mike's former girlfriend Fiona, also a care worker, is present and insists that the allegation must be investigated. She tells May-Li to go home, despite Mike's belief that May-Li would never hurt a child in her care. Floss overhears and tells the others, who confront Jay and Bird until Mike intervenes. Sasha later questions the brothers in the attic, where they maintain their story. After Mike stops the questioning, Sasha speaks to Bird privately and urges him to give the home a chance and tell the truth. Bird admits that Jay lied, clearing May-Li. Jay feels betrayed and tries to run away, but Bird persuades him to stay, explaining that he is tired of moving between homes.

Jay is shown to be incredibly smart as he does well academically. He applied for a place at a prestigious private school as he got a great result of 93% in an entrance exam. However, he became upset when he did not get it.

In "Trouble in Paradise", Jay and new boy Nazeer did not get along well. Their rivalry started when Nazeer already knew a "magic" trick that Jay was showing the rest of the 'DG', which turned out to be a prank. It escalated quickly when Jay called Sid weird and Nazeer got upset by this. He comforted Sid, which made Jay mad. The rivalry continued in "Go Your Own Way" when the 'DG' Olympics were held. Jay was made team captain of the "Top Dogs" and Sid was made team captain of the "Underdogs". Jay laughed at the fact Sid was team captain and said that winning would be a piece of cake. Sid eventually led his team to victory, upsetting Jay.

Jay is also a skilled liar, which upsets Bird, who wants him to be honest. Their disagreement is explored in "Moment of Truth" (series 9, episode 1).

Jay leaves in series 10, episode 15 to work in the space centre.

Sid Khan

Sid Khan, played by Josh Sangha, is a character introduced in the first episode of series 7 of The Dumping Ground. He is of Indian heritage, with roots in Mauritius. He is mischievous and eccentric, carries a doll and wears unusual clothes. Little is initially revealed about his background. He later makes friends with Taz and then Katy when Katy arrives at the 'DG'. He is very sad when May-Li resigns after the first episode of series 8 of the 'Dumping Ground' and tries to find May-Li. It is unclear why Sid was initially put into care, but he tells Jody that when he first arrived at his old care home, he ran away and found his doll, Fred, in a dumpster. He kept Fred because he felt like they were the same, as they were both unwanted. He has also talked about his aunt, who was his foster parent for a short amount of time. He used to help her do her makeup, and when he left her, she gave him a makeup mirror to remind him of her. In "Go Your Own Way", Jody gave him the Peter Pan book, which was passed onto different care children when they leave care. In series 9, a man says that he performed on stage with Fred before losing the doll and asks for him back. Sid is reluctant but agrees to return Fred.

Sid does not appear in series 11 but returns in series 12 and also appears in series 13.

Bec Hyde

Rebecca "Bec" Hyde, played by Ava Potter, is first introduced in the 18th episode of the seventh series. She is seen as a difficult person when Sid and Taz want to introduce themselves. She is initially reluctant to talk. It is later revealed that her emotionally abusive grandmother, who took her in after her mother died, bullied her and treated her as a servant. This creates tension between her and the other residents, especially at the welcome meal, where she will not eat with the others. She appears reluctant to live at the home.

Two episodes later, in the episode "Champions", it is revealed that she does not want any friends, and she says this in front of Floss.

In the final episode of series 7 ("The Last Dance"), she re-encountered a girl, Evie, who had previously bullied her. As Evie was picking on Floss at the time, she stuck up for Floss in front of Evie.

In series 8, she reveals to Taz that it is the anniversary of her mother's death. Taz tells everyone this, making Bec very angry. Later on, a stray dog becomes attached to her and follows her to Ashdene Ridge. Bec tries to hide the dog from May-Li and Scott.

In the second episode of series 9, Candi-Rose reveals that Bec has moved back to live with her aunt. However, in episode 11, it emerges that her aunt is ill and her grandmother, who moved in a few months earlier, has resumed abusing Bec. When Ruby discovers this, Bec is taken back to Ashdene Ridge.

In the series 9 finale, Bec meets a girl called Joy and starts to have feelings for her after spending some time with her. However, when she learns that Joy already has a boyfriend, she is upset and does not want to spend time with her. Jay gets her to open up and she reveals that she might like girls but is still figuring things out and that it is up to her to decide when she is ready to share. She also apologises to Joy for her attitude and makes up with her.

Bec does not return in series 10.

Katy White

Katy White was introduced in series 7, episode 23 "Mighty Mike Milligan". She required much convincing to come and live at Ashdene Ridge and leave her mother and tried to escape back to her mother. She made friends with Taz and Sid in early series 8. She is in care because her mother has a drinking problem.

Katy does not return in series 10.

Scott Murray

Scott Murray, portrayed by Louis Payne, was a temporary care worker introduced in series 8 but then became a permanent care worker at Ashdene Ridge by the end of episode 2. Floss discovers how good he is at scamming in series 8, episode 4 and Taz gives Scott a hard time (in episode 7) when she escapes the 'DG' to go into the town centre and use her talent of piano playing to raise money as her father is running low on money. In series 8, episode 16, Scott and Viv volunteer at a food bank and he catches someone stealing food.

Scott does not return for series 10, the reason is not discussed on-screen, and the character has not been mentioned since.

Viv

Viv, played by Chloe Lea, lived with her uncle Ray but as her uncle kept stealing things to pay the rent, she was taken to a care home. She had lived in at least two care homes before coming to Ashdene Ridge.

Viv came to live at Ashdene Ridge in episode 5 of series 8 of the 'Dumping Ground'. In this episode, she meets Sasha and she and Sasha become competitive over general knowledge of some of the other young people at Ashdene Ridge.

In series 8, episode 10 ("Do the right thing"), Viv leaves to live with her uncle Ray again, believing that he has changed. However, she soon discovers that her uncle is still stealing after losing his job and struggling to pay the rent. Annoyed, she returns to Ashdene Ridge. In series 9, it is mentioned in the first episode by Jay that Viv has once again moved in with her uncle. Viv is funny, competitive and friendly, and has a known passion for football - specifically Manchester United.

The actress did not return for series 9 filming for personal reasons and also filming another show at the time.

Nazeer

Nazeer, played by Tut Nyuot, used to live with his father. They enjoyed building electric models together and were regarded as eccentric, much as Sid is at the Dumping Ground. Nazeer's circumstances changed after his stepmother arrived, and he was eventually taken into care.

Nazeer first appeared in episode 11 ("Trouble in Paradise") and Jay soon started to dislike Nazeer and tries to prove to Nazeer that he is in charge of the 'DG'. Jay is unkind to Sid while trying to prove this. Nazeer and Sid later become friends and Jay and Nazeer officially become enemies.

In "Great Expectations", May-Li mentions that he has moved back in with his father.

Ruby Butler

Ruby Butler, played by Liv De-Vulgt, made her first appearance in the series 8 episode "Keeping Face", broadcast on 9 October 2020. Introduced as a guest character, she joined the main cast in the series 9 episode "Run, Rescue, Repeat", broadcast on 13 August 2021. She is due to return in series 14.

Ruby was placed into care after her mother (Nia Gwynne) was sent to prison for the accident which killed Bec Hyde's (Ava Potter) mother. She remained in care after her mother was released early due to her release conditions requiring her to avoid contact. She is placed into Ashdene Ridge temporarily and shares a room with Bec. The pair begin to strike up a friendship until Bec learns of her mother's identity. Enraged at her early release, Bec tricks Ruby into going to see her mother so as to send her back to prison for breaching her release conditions. May-Li (Stacy Liu), having learned the truth about the pair, arrives, but Bec's conscience gets the better of her and she changes her mind about calling the police. Ruby is subsequently moved to a different care home.

At some point Ruby returns to live with her mother, but her struggles to adjust lead to Ruby returning to Ashdene Ridge. With Bec now gone, Ruby tries too hard to fit in, claiming to like everything the others say they do despite having no knowledge of most of it. After being tricked by Clem (Halle Cassell), Ruby admits she copied everyone because she did not fit in at her last home, with everyone there considering her weird. May-Li encourages her to open up, which she does.

In episode 11, she decides to visit Bec to thank her for how things are going with her and her mother but she discovers that Bec is living rough at her aunt's farm because her aunt is ill and her gran has moved in and has been abusing Bec. Thanks to Sasha, Scott is able to find out and rescue Bec from her situation.

Ruby does not appear in series 10–13 and is due to return in series 14.

Max Riley

Max Riley, played by Jed Jefferson, made his first appearance in episode 16 ("Everybody Needs a Friend") as a new roommate and friend for Sid. It is mentioned in "Sasha Claus" that his parents would often quarrel but Christmas would reunite them. However, in series 9, his father gives him a video game and towards the end of the series, Max goes to stay with him for a bit.

Max does not return in series 10. Jefferson confirmed on Twitter that he would not return and was filming another drama for CBBC.

Clem Stephens

Clementine "Clem" Stephens, played by Halle Cassell, made her first appearance in series 9, episode 6 ("Partners in Crime"). In episode 11 of series 9, it was revealed that she is used to moving around often and she has an older sister named Nicole with her own flat. In episode 5 of series 10, Clem is diagnosed with ADHD.

She does not return in series 11.

Kyle Lawton

Kyle Lawton, played by Freddy Smith, made his first appearance in series 9, episode 15 ("The Beat Goes On"). He is moody and often snaps at the other children, though the arrival of Hugo in "A Hole New Start" allows him to show his more caring side and the two strike up a brotherly relationship. This culminates in "Bright Sparks", the finale of series 10, when he rescues Hugo from the Ashdene Ridge fire.

He also has a difficult relationship with his father, who often lets him down, and recruits him for a crime in "Take Flight". It is revealed in "Under New Management" that his father has been arrested for theft.

He does not return in series 11.

Ben Pratt

Benjamin "Ben" H. Pratt, played by William Wyn Davies, made his first appearance in series 10, episode 1 ("A Whole New Start") and replaces Scott as a care worker.

In series 13, episode 4, Ben announces that he is going to marry his boyfriend, Dan, and move to Australia to live with him.

Ben Pratt leaves the care home to live in Australia.

Bonnie Vasiliou

Bonnie Vasiliou, played by Lara Mehmet, made her first appearance in series 10, episode 1 ("A Whole New Start"). She is the older sister of Fraser Vasiliou.

Fraser Vasiliou

Fraser Vasiliou, played by Massimo Cull, made his first appearance in series 10, episode 1 ("A Whole New Start"). He is the younger brother of Bonnie Vasiliou.

Fraser left off-screen after series 12 to join a football academy.

Sabrina Moxley

Sabrina Moxley, played by Florrie Wilkinson, made her first appearance in series 10, episode 1 ("A Whole New Start") and her final appearance in series 11, episode 10.

Hugo Little

Hugo Little, played by Hugo Nash, made his first appearance in series 10, episode 1 ("A Whole New Start"). Hugo owns a treasured teddy bear named "Little Hug". Hugo was closest to Kyle, viewing him as an older brother figure.

He does not return to series 11, nor does Little Hug.

Wes Oldfield

Wesley "Wes" Oldfield, played by Owen Phillips, made his first appearance in series 10, episode 1 ("A Whole New Start").

Doreen Adebayo

Doreen Adebayo, played by Andrea Hall, made her first appearance in series 10, episode 1 ("A Whole New Start"). She was the head care worker at Ashdene Ridge after the fire started. She is the regional care manager of Pottiswood and was formerly the temporary head care worker at the former care home Bridley Hill. She becomes the replacement care worker for May-Li Wang in "Under New Management".

Doreen is firm and fair, helping Clem be aware of her potential ADHD in "Frogs On A Train" and stopping Candi-Rose's parents from getting hold of her in "The Hardest Word", though she shows her stricter side in "Under New Management" when she imposes new rules, leading to a rebellion fronted by Floss. Doreen has the children's best interests at heart, and presses Floss about her pathway plan throughout the second half of series 10 because she knows Floss has a bright future ahead of her.

Maisie Martin

Maisie Martin, played by Mimi Robertson, made her first appearance in series 10, episode 13 ("Natural Habitat"), in which she deceives Taz De Souza and the others into raising money for otters. In fact, she plans to keep the money to support her disabled mother.

Maisie returns in series 11, episode 1 ("Welcome Home") as a resident, after it was deemed her mother was no longer in a state to care for her. She resents being put into the care system, and views it only as a temporary measure until she can return to her mother. Her character displays a volatile and selfish attitude, often lashing out when upset by disrupting the other children's happiness. She shares a room with Chelsey and, despite initially finding her cheerful manner and vlogging annoying, becomes close friends with her. She also befriends Brodie when he moves into the house in series 11, episode 4.

In series 11 she stole Dita's diary in episode 3, then read it aloud to the other children after taking offence to what she had written about her. In episode 8 she accidentally damaged Wes' book, then lied about it and attempted to frame Jimi for it before being caught, taking heavy criticism from several of the children. In the following episode ("Fly Away Home") she attempted to run away from the house after taking this criticism to heart, feeling that nobody likes her. She is eventually returned by Georgia and Brodie.

In series 12 episode 5 ("Best Day Ever") a visit to her mother was cancelled, so she took her frustration out on Erin's annual Treasure Hunt by sabotaging it.

Izzy Musonda

Izzy Musonda, played by Zanele Nyoni, made her first appearance in series 10, episode 12 ("The Mole Hunt").

Before entering care, Izzy lived with her father. They shared a passion for repairing and upcycling discarded items into useful objects, such as go-karts and gadgets. Izzy witnessed her father suffer a fatal heart attack. She was subsequently placed in care and moved to Ashdene Ridge.

Izzy was closest to Dita, Erin and Harmony.

In series 13 she left off-screen to live with her aunt, but came back briefly to help Erin and Harmony fix Shanice's hair problems.

Dita Okomo

Dita Okomo, played by Kayleen Ngeuma, made her first appearance in series 10, episode 16 ("Sister to Sister").

Dita left off-screen between series 12 and series 13 for unknown reasons.

Frankie

Frankie, played by Blake Robinson, made his first appearance in series 11, episode 1 ("Welcome Home"). Viewed as the main troublemaker of the house, he displays a mischievous and bossy character. He is the self-appointed leader of a club containing Oscar and Shanice, located in a hidden den within the house. He regularly plots ambitious schemes, usually with the aim of making money or getting out of events.

In series 11 he immediately announces himself to the new arrivals by tricking them into donating money to a fictitious charity. In episode 2 ("I Can Explain") he organises a kung fu match with an admission charge between Shanice and Izzy. In the series finale he and his sidekicks attempt to get out of attending Sabrina and Bonnie's concert by pretending they contracted fleas, only for Georgia to stymie the plan when she says they are highly contagious and places the whole house into lockdown.

In series 12 Sid joins the club after discovering their secret den. In episode 8 ("Day Trip") he and his gang lie about going on either of the day trips and end up staying home alone.

Oscar Norris

Oscar Norris, played by Michael Carpenter, made his first appearance in series 11, episode 1 ("Welcome Home"). He is closest to Frankie and Shanice, his two partners in crime. The three love to scheme and plan pranks to pull on anyone and everyone. Oscar is naive but occasionally stands up to Frankie, the group's leader.

In series 13, episode 6, Oscar met Tom Chance, his dad, for the first time. Tom is a magician who performs magic shows on cruise ships.

Shanice

Shanice, played by Raniah Morton, made her first appearance in series 11, episode 1 ("Welcome Home"). Part of Frankie's secret club, she frequently joins the others in causing trouble. She can be sarcastic and often criticises Frankie's schemes.

In series 12 episode 6 ("Swapsies") she has a falling out with Doreen, before a magical pair of dance shoes she purchased causes them to switch bodies for a day.

Georgia Finch

Georgia Finch, portrayed by Rochelle Goldie, made her first appearance on 26 January 2024 in series 11 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Welcome Home" as the co-head care worker of Porters Lodge, the new Dumping Ground. In the ninth episode of series 11, it is revealed that Georgia grew up in care after Maisie notices that the bird tattoo on her leg resembles a drawing on Maisie's bedroom wall.

Rochelle Goldie appeared in The Dumping Ground before her debut as Georgia, as an extra at the prom in series 7. She can be seen hanging out with Evie, the rival of Bec Hyde.

Jimi

Jimi, played by Moses Amedzro, made his first appearance in series 11, episode 1 ("Welcome Home"). An avid gamer, he displays a lazy and often slobbish attitude. He shares a room with Wes, with his messy side of the room being a stark contrast to that of his well-presented roommate.

Jimi was moved to another care home after his older brother tracked him down at Porters Lodge, for his own safety.

Erin

Erin, played by Robyn Elwell, made her first appearance in series 11, episode 1 ("Welcome Home"). She is kind, upbeat and proactive, but also anxious and highly strung. She is talented at baking and arts and crafts.

In series 12 episode 5 ("Best Day Ever"), she reveals to Maisie that her parents were supposed to return for her five years previously, but never showed up and have not been in contact since. Consequently, she organises a treasure hunt on that same day every year in order to please the other children and hide her pain over the memory.

Chelsey Watts

Chelsey Watts, played by Emme Patrick, made her first appearance in series 11, episode 1 ("Welcome Home"). She presents a vain and self-obsessed character, her main obsession being running a personal vlog detailing her "life hacks", although she does on several occasions display a more thoughtful attitude. She shares a room with Maisie and has become close friends with both her and Brodie.

In series 12 episode 3 ("Trouble Doubled") she discovers she has an estranged twin sister called Keira (played by Emme Patrick's real-life twin sister Eden) who was fostered. They were abandoned separately as infants and picked up by different care homes. After visiting Keira's home she is overwhelmed at seeing the life she feels she could have had, but eventually decides to befriend her sister.

In series 13 episode 3 ("WrestlePalooza") Chelsey began developing feelings for Brodie, and pretended to be into Wrestling just so she could spend more time with him. She ultimately decided not to act on her feelings because a romantic relationship would mean they could no longer live in the same care home.

Brodie

Brodie, played by Charlie Geany, made his first appearance in series 11, episode 4 ("Seeing Red"). He displays a caring and helpful attitude, particularly towards Maisie and Chelsey.

In series 11 he immediately befriends Maisie by assisting her in stealing her personal file from the carers' office. In episode 8 ("Big Little Fibs") he and Chelsey try to organise a surprise for an upset Maisie, then in the following episode attempt to track her down after she runs away from the house.

In series 12 episode 7 ("The Howling") he attempts to hide a stray dog in the house during a storm. He reveals the dog reminds him of the one he used to have, and that when he was first placed in care after being abandoned his dog was all he had left.

Harmony

Harmony, played by Alexandra Perez Ramos, made her first appearance in series 13, episode 1 ("The Wild Card").

Phoenix

Phoenix, played by Marni Moore, made her first appearance in series 13, episode 1 ("The Wild Card"). She is the younger sister of Harmony.

Anne Costello

Anne Costello, played by Paula Penman, made her first appearance in series 13, episode 1 ("The Wild Card").

Before becoming a care worker, Anne used to work in a prison as a prison officer.

Bernie

Bernie, portrayed by Dave Johns, made his first appearance on 24 January 2025 in series 13 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "WrestlePalooza" as the new gardener and handyman for Porters Lodge.

Although not a care worker, Bernie is shown to care about the children at the Dumping Ground.

Sami

Sami, played by Joseph Oshiotse, made his first appearance in series 13, episode 5 ("The Right Place").

Hana

Hana, played by Kanon Narumi, made her first appearance in series 13, episode 6 ("The Magician's Oath").

Vinny

Vinny, played by Henry Wright, made his first appearance in series 13, episode 7 ("Chaos and Confusions").

Kingsley Jackson

Kingsley Jackson, portrayed by David Avery, made his first appearance on 18 January 2013 in series 1 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "S.O.S.".

When Jody (Kia Pegg) moves back home to Kingsley, their mother Denise (Victoria Alcock) and brother Luke (James Bartlett), Gina visits Jody with Carmen (Amy-Leigh Hickman) and Tyler (Miles Butler-Houghton). When Gina, Carmen and Tyler leave, Denise and Kingsley do not want Jody's friends visiting. Jody runs away to The Dumping Ground, giving the others presents and Mike (Connor Byrne) arranges for Jody to stay the night and for their social worker, Rob (Neil Armstrong) to sort things out the following day. Kingsley and Denise arrive the following day to collect Jody and she reluctantly agrees to return. Jody tells the others that she needs the presents back because they belong to Kingsley, who has no idea she has taken them. Carmen, Tyler, Tee (Mia McKenna-Bruce) and Lily (Jessie Williams) go to Jody's house when Carmen cannot reach her on the mobile phone she gave her. Carmen and Tyler sneak into the house and go to Jody's room, which is filled with stolen, expensive goods. When Kingsley arrives home, Carmen and Tyler hide in Jody's room. Kingsley is angry to find the door unlocked and Carmen's phone, which he believes belongs to Jody. He locks Jody in her bedroom. Tee sends Elektra (Jessica Revell) a video of Tyler sending a Morse code message for Gus (Noah Marullo) to work out. Gus works out they are saying "S.O.S". When Kingsley learns that Carmen and Tyler have been with Jody the whole time, he threatens them to make them stay quiet. Gina arrives and she is angry with Denise for not protecting Jody and Jody returns to the Dumping Ground.

With Kingsley's trial coming up, Denise does not want Jody to testify, but after dreaming about being in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Jody decides to testify against Kingsley.

Jody is pleased to see Kingsley when he moves into his new flat and Kingsley reassures Jody that going to prison was not her fault. Kingsley introduces her to his girlfriend, Rosie (Zoe Iqbal) and Jody lets them sell Mike's carriage clock when Kingsley owes money to a gang. Kingsley tells Jody to leave the door of the Dumping Ground open, so he and Rosie can steal things. Jody is trapped in a fire at Kingsley's flat and Kingsley runs off when he finds out. Jody later confronts Kingsley after learning that he did not try to save her. Rosie overhears, returns Mike's clock to Jody and reveals that the gang was invented to trick Jody into stealing things for them to sell. Rosie then ends her relationship with Kingsley.

Years later, Jody learns that Kingsley was killed in a car accident and struggles to move on from the situation. With Tyler's help, she begins to come to terms with Kingsley's abuse and death.

In series 9, episode 20, Kingsley died off-screen in a car crash. Jody was the only member of his family to attend his funeral.

Denise Jackson

Denise Jackson, portrayed by Victoria Alcock, made her first appearance on 18 January 2013 in series 1 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "S.O.S.". She is Jody's emotionally abusive mother.

When Jody (Kia Pegg) moves back home to Denise and her brothers, Kingsley (David Avery) and Luke (James Bartlett), Gina (Kay Purcell) visits Jody with Carmen (Amy-Leigh Hickman) and Tyler (Miles Butler-Houghton). When Gina, Carmen and Tyler leave, Denise and Kingsley do not want Jody's friends visiting. Jody runs away to The Dumping Ground, giving the others presents and Mike (Connor Byrne) arranges for Jody to stay the night and for their social worker, Rob (Neil Armstrong) to sort things out the following day. Kingsley and Denise arrive the following day to collect Jody and she reluctantly agrees to return. Jody tells the others she needs the presents back as they belong to Kingsley, who has no idea she has taken them. Carmen, Tyler, Tee (Mia McKenna-Bruce) and Lily (Jessie Williams) go to Jody's house when Carmen cannot reach her on the mobile phone she gave her. Carmen and Tyler sneak into the house and go to Jody's room, which is filled with stolen, expensive goods. When Kingsley arrives home, Carmen and Tyler hide in Jody's room. Kingsley is angry to find the door unlocked and Carmen's phone, which he believes belongs to Jody. He locks Jody in her bedroom. Tee sends Elektra (Jessica Revell) a video of Tyler sending a Morse code message for Gus (Noah Marullo) to work out. Gus works out they are saying "S.O.S". When Kingsley discovers Carmen and Tyler have been with Jody the whole time, he threatens them to make them stay quiet. Gina arrives and is furious that Denise knew about Kingsley's abuse but did nothing to protect Jody. Luke convinces his mother that the Dumping Ground is the best place for Jody as she is better off with Mike and Gina, and Jody returns to the Dumping Ground.

With Kingsley's trial coming up, Denise does not want Jody to testify, but after dreaming about being in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Jody decides to testify against Kingsley, angering Denise. Denise ended up running away, scared of how Kingsley would react to her other children betraying Kingsley.

Denise does not appear in series 3 but is mentioned several times. In "Coming Round", Jody confides in May-Li's grandmother, PoPo, about her family. She is upset that Denise has ignored her since she testified against Kingsley. PoPo suggests that Jody express her feelings in a letter, then put it away rather than send it. Ryan overhears their conversation, finds the letter in Jody's room and posts it. Jody asks Luke to intercept it before Denise can read it.

Denise appears in the opening episode of series 6, "Jody on the Ropes".

Luke Jackson

Luke Jackson, portrayed by James Bartlett, made his first appearance on 18 January 2013 in series 1 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "S.O.S.".

Luke is the middle child of Denise and the older brother of Jody (Kia Pegg) and younger brother of Kingsley (David Avery). When Jody moves back in with Denise, Gina (Kay Purcell) visits Jody with Carmen (Amy-Leigh Hickman) and Tyler (Miles Butler-Houghton). When Kingsley arrives home, Carmen and Tyler hide in Jody's room and Kingsley is angry to find the door unlocked and Carmen's phone, which he believes belongs to Jody. Luke tells Kingsley to go easy on Jody as she is just a child, but Kingsley ignores him and locks Jody in her bedroom. Gina arrives at Jody's when Tee (Mia McKenna-Bruce) sends a Morse code message to Elektra (Jessica Revell) for Gus (Noah Marullo) to work out what is being said, which is "S.O.S". Gina is angry with Denise for not protecting Jody and Luke agrees with Gina, believing that Jody is better off at The Dumping Ground.

In "Jody in Wonderland", Luke initially follows his mother's decision not to give a witness statement against Kingsley, fearing what he might do if he is acquitted. After seeing Jody find the courage to testify, Luke changes his mind and gives a statement to the police.

In series 8, episode 20 (Snakes and Ladders), Luke assigns Jody to some work experience at the Call Center he now manages.

In series 9, episode 20, "Breaking Chains", Luke is overseas and cannot attend Kingsley's funeral, but messages Jody to check that she is all right.

Shannay Kelly

Shannay Kelly, portrayed by Holly Quin-Ankrah, made her first appearance on 11 January 2013 in series 1 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Baby". She is the girlfriend of Steve Kettle, and the mother of Jonah. Steve's daughter Lily (Jessie Williams) was unhappy about her moving in, especially after learning that Shannay is also bringing her cat, Wilbur. Lily therefore goes to the Dumping Ground. Steve visits to talk to Lily with Shannay and an angry Lily tells Steve and Shannay to have the new baby adopted. Lily feels guilty when Shannay goes into labour, but is happy when she learns that she has a brother. When Lily returns home, Steve is upset as Shannay has left; however, Lily persuades Shannay to give things a chance. Lily organises an unsupervised sleepover with Carmen (Amy-Leigh Hickman) and Tee (Mia McKenna-Bruce) by persuading her parents to let her stay at The Dumping Ground when they visit Shannay's sister.

In series 2, Shannay's sister gives her and Steve the opportunity to run her cafe down in Brighton and live in the flat above. They accept and move down there, taking Lily, Jonah, Shadow and Wilbur with them. This ultimately led to Lily's future career, opening her own cafe (The Kettle Stand) and starting her own business.

Jimmy Wharton

Jimmy Wharton, portrayed by Mark Theodore, made his first appearance on 10 January 2014 in series 2 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Quitters - Booting Up: Part 2".

Jimmy is the father of Bailey (Kasey McKellar). When Jimmy attempts to take Bailey from The Dumping Ground, Mike (Connor Byrne) and May-Li Wang (Stacy Liu) inform Jimmy that they are legally responsible for Bailey. Inside, Mike and May-Li tell Jimmy he will have to contact social services about getting Bailey back, but Jimmy devastates Bailey when he says that he was not expecting to get Bailey back straight away. Bailey runs away to his father and they attend a football match. However, Jimmy is ejected from the match by a police officer (Jon Regan). To avoid getting into trouble when Jody (Kia Pegg) mentions to the police officer that Jimmy abducted his son, Jimmy lies that he does not have a child, hurting Bailey. Jimmy arrives at the Dumping Ground after learning that Bailey has seen Alison, a woman claiming to be his mother. They discover that she has left. When they find her, Jimmy reveals that Alison is actually Briony, a friend of Bailey's mother. Bailey later makes amends with Jimmy.

Sally Lewis

Sally Lewis, portrayed by Diveen Henry, made her first appearance on 7 February 2014 in series 2 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Holding On".

May-Li (Stacy Liu) supervises a day out between Sally and Tyler (Miles Butler-Houghton) at the park. Sally takes Tyler and they sneak away from the park. Sally gets some ice cream; however, she has no money to pay, so she runs away without paying. A community support officer intercepts Sally. May-Li eventually finds Sally and Tyler and she pays for the ice cream. When Tyler learns Sally has not been taking her bipolar medication, he asks May-Li to take him home. Back at The Dumping Ground, Sally and Tyler wait in the quiet room; however, Sally disappears and she locks herself in the bathroom and Tyler gets her to open the door. Sally promises Tyler things will improve.

On a fostering information day, Tyler gets close to a foster parent, Mrs Underwood (Martina Laird) which upsets Sally. When Tyler asks his mum if he has to turn down every potential foster family, Sally decides that he does not as he needs to be in the best place for him.

Tyler is delighted when Sally wants him back and he visits his mother for a meeting with his social worker. Sally shows Tyler his room, which Tyler does not like as it is dinosaur themed. Tyler divides his time between birthday celebrations at the Dumping Ground and his mother's home and Tyler snaps when his mum replaces a photo of the young people with one of them both. Sally and Tyler realise the need to get to know each other and Sally accepts the young people and staff are family too.

Lucy Taylor

Lucy Taylor, portrayed by Sally Rogers, made her first appearance on 21 March 2014 in series 2 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Holding On". She departed in series 3 during the episode "Dragon Slayer".

Tee (Mia McKenna-Bruce) receives a letter from Lucy and she arranges to meet her at a cafe and Lucy apologises to Tee for letting her down. Tee visits her mum at a women's refuge she is staying at and when Lucy says she wants to introduce her to someone, Tee suspects it is a boyfriend and leaves; however, Lucy goes after Tee and introduces Tee to her half-sister, Hope (Lucy Briggs). Johnny (Joe Maw) goes to find Tee and he meets Hope, but he is angry with Lucy about everything that has happened. Feeling that Hope is not safe with Lucy, Tee takes Hope whilst Lucy is distracted and takes her to The Dumping Ground before pretending to Mike (Connor Byrne) she is an abandoned child. A frantic Lucy turns up at The Dumping Ground to collect Hope and Mike realises that Hope is Johnny and Tee's sister.

Johnny spots his stepfather, Keith (Neil Morrissey), in a park and rushes to tell his mum, but he and Tee are shocked to learn that she knows and that he has been seeing Hope (now Holly and Paige Robinson). When Johnny goes to see his mum, Keith answers the door and Lucy arrives home shortly after. Keith pretends to be friendly toward Johnny, inviting him in, but when Lucy goes in, Keith is horrid to Johnny. Lucy tells Johnny and Tee that Keith will not be staying around as he is moving to Scotland and Johnny tells his mum that she has to think about who really matters. Keith visits The Dumping Ground and complains to Mike about Johnny, accusing him of harassment. When Johnny shows his mum the photos, Lucy thinks it is drug dealing, but Keith shows him some drug counselling cards he has been handing out. Keith threatens to phone the police, but Lucy talks him out of it and Lucy agrees to let Keith stay so he can get to know Hope. On the day he is due to leave for the Army, Johnny goes to see his mum, but he finds her with a massive bruise on her face. Johnny gets his mother out of the house and confronts Keith.

Kelly Bellman

Kelly Bellman, portrayed by Sandy Foster, made her first appearance on 13 October 2015 in series 3 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "free to Good Home".

After catching Dexter (Alexander Aze) trying to shoplift, Sasha (Annabelle Davis) goes home and finds Murphy (Thomas and Oliver Waldram) alone. When Kelly returns home, she tells Sasha that she has had a call from a social worker about Sasha running away but says she will not report seeing her. Sasha tells her mum that she caught Dexter trying to shoplift some nappies and that she needs to be there for her brothers. When Kelly hints that she has no money, Sasha tells her that she cannot help her anymore.

When Sasha comes home after going to the park with Dexter and his friend, Kelly tells Sasha she is managing with Dexter and Murphy (Fred Montgomery Scott), but having her back would be a risk. Sasha is delighted when Kelly announces she is pregnant with her new partner's daughter, but is left upset when Kelly says it would not work with Sasha living at home. Kelly's daughter is born with dwarfism, like Sasha. When Sasha discovers her stepbrother, Roddy (Alfie Browne-Sykes), is involving Dexter in burglaries, she finds Dexter in a building containing stolen goods and discovers that Kelly is involved. Dexter moves back with Kelly and Kev, but Sasha chooses to remain at The Dumping Ground.

Peter and Janet Umbleby

Peter Umbleby, portrayed by Simon Ludders, and Janet Umbleby, played by Alison Pargeter, made their first appearance on 20 January 2017 in series 5 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Miscreants, Robots and Bullies".

Peter and Janet are the parents of Edward (Jaimie Boubezari), and Peter is a snobby, arrogant and overbearing man. The young people are mistaken for Mike Milligan and May-Li Wang's children, but they explain to the Umblebys that they live in a children's home. Floss Guppy (Sarah Rayson) tells Peter and Janet about the young people's lives and the Umblebys tell them to leave. Edward helps Kazima Tako (Akuc Bol), Toni Trent (Nelly Currant) and Billie Trent (Gwen Currant) leave his house when they return a doll and when Archie Able (Jethro Beliba) and Joseph Stubbs (Yousef Naseer) are caught in the garden and accused of trespassing, Edward blames Kazima, Toni and Billie. Edward crashes his drone into Kazima's cake and Edward has to help Kazima bake another one. She decides to help Edward stand up to his father and Mr Umbleby is annoyed with Edward spending time with Kazima and playing his guitar. Kazima offers to stay away from Edward if his parents return his guitar and Edward gets his guitar back. Ryan (Lewis Hamilton) and Dexter (Alexander Aze) spot Peter in the park putting a notice about a public meeting to close the skate park and Chloe (Hannah Moncur) suggests they go to the meeting about the skate park. At the meeting, Mr Umbleby undermines the young people and the other young people start hitting pots and pans, but Chloe stops them and explains what the skate park means to them.

Mike comes across a letter from a development firm in the garden and everyone is horrified to learn that they are planning to knock The Dumping Ground down and build flats. After a visit to the council, Mike and Tyler (Miles Butler-Houghton) tell everyone the decision to close the Dumping Ground was financially motivated. When there is a visit by the mayor, Ryan borrows Mike's MBE to help keep The Dumping Ground open, but Alex (Connor Lawson) eggs the Mayor and Peter. The Dumping Ground appears on the news and Mike is horrified that Peter is head of building planning and Janet exaggerates the young people's behaviour. Peter later reveals that the sale has been brought forward to the following day due to the management of The Dumping Ground. Elektra (Jessica Revell) returns to The Dumping Ground and greets everyone before sarcastically insulting the Umblebys. The Umblebys receive an email about the sale being put on hold due to the reports of Roman remains on the site, which the young people, Mike and May-Li are delighted about. Peter comes across Frank (Chris Slater) at the council whilst trying to find the boss, but Frank tells him his boss is away and is working on the site report. Elektra emerges when Peter leaves, impressed with how things are going. Alex overhears Peter and Janet discussing their own hired archaeological expert, who he will bribe with money to get his own way. Frank and Tyler look into Peter's plans when their archaeological plan fails and realise that Peter and Janet will gain a luxury house as part of the development. Janet returns the stolen money to Tyler and the theft was arranged by Peter. Janet tells Tyler that she wants to remain where she is and Tyler asks Frank to investigate. Mike tricks Peter inside and the young people tell him they know he is getting a new house and Peter gives in.

Aileen Peters

Aileen Peters, portrayed by Dani Arlington, made her first appearance on 16 February 2018 in series 6 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Cat's in the Cradle".

Aileen is the mother of Alex Walker. When Alex is five, she has no job and struggles to feed herself and her son. She leaves him outside his father's workplace and drives away. She later finds work in business and becomes successful, winning a "Business Woman of the Year" award. While building her career, she marries and has a daughter, Alice. She spends years trying to find Alex, but repeatedly learns that he has moved elsewhere. She does not know that he ran away from care and was living on the streets by the age of twelve.

Alice Peters

Alice Peters, portrayed by Isla McMonigle, made her first appearance on 16 February 2018 in series 6, episode 6 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Cat's in the Cradle".

Alice is the half-sister of Alex Walker.

Fiona Johnson

Fiona Johnson, portrayed by Michelle Collins, made her first appearance on 23 February 2018 in series 6 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Challenging Times".

Fiona is the wife of Mike Milligan. They dated as young adults, but she ended the relationship after a few months because she wanted something different. They meet again years later when her care home, Graybridge, competes against Ashdene Ridge for a trip to London. Seeing her brings back Mike's feelings for her and his distress at their separation. In "Two Sides to Every Story", Fiona returns to film a video with Mike for Sasha about the competition. Candi-Rose notices their attraction and tries to reunite them. They agree to meet for coffee. By "The Lurgy", when an ill Mike repeatedly phones Fiona to ask her to collect things from the chemist, they are in a relationship again.

Mike proposed to Fiona off-screen during the 19th episode of series 6, "Jay and Bird's Day" and she accepted.

Fiona and Mike got married in the 24th episode of series 6, "Missing Presumed Single". Fiona does not invite her friends or family to the wedding; the reason is not explained.

Henry Lawrence

Henry Lawrence, portrayed by Louis Mahoney, made his first appearance on 5 October 2018 in series 6 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Home".

Henry is Charlie Morris's grandfather. His death is mentioned in "Missing Presumed Single".

Ross Maydons

Ross Maydons, portrayed by William Talbot, made his first appearance on 5 October 2018 in series 6 of The Dumping Ground during the episode "Home". He made his second appearance in series 7 during the episode "The Return of the Freaky Twins". In "Nobody's Perfect", it was revealed from a DNA test that Ross is Floss' brother. His relationship to his half-sister, Fee, is not discussed in the episode.

Series 1 (2013)

Series 2 (2014)

Series 3 (2015)

Series 4 (2016)

Series 5 (2017)