History Characters / TheDumpingGround

* HasTwoMommies: Ronnie and Dawn become his mothers after he is fostered.

[[folder: Jay]]
! Jay Wallis
-->'''Played by:''' Cole Wealleans-Watts
* BigBrotherInstinct: Inverted. Jay is the younger brother, but he is still fiercely protective of Bird.
* BrilliantButLazy: Jay is quite academically successful, but tends to prefer messing around unless there's something in it for him.
* EmbarrassingDampSheets: Jay used to wet the bed until he was 11.
* HiddenDepths: Though he comes across as cocky and arrogant, Jay is also very intelligent and managed to get offered a place at a prestigious school.
* {{Jerkass}}: Jay has a nasty streak about him and often belittles others, including Sid.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: His real name is Jacob, but he always goes by Jay in the series.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Finn]]
! Finn [=McLaine=]
-->'''Played by:''' Ruben Reuter

* ADayInTheLimelight: In "Troll" and "Champions".
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: After only making three short appearances in Series 9 due to [[RealLifeWritesThePlot circumstances surrounding his actor during the COVID-19 Pandemic]], Finn was quietly phased out of the show between Series' 9 and 10 with no explanation for his absence.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Becomes this with Alex. The two become best friends who are there for one another, even after Alex leaves. This is lampshaded by the other kids in "The Dumping Ground: I'm..." by calling their friendship a "bromance".
* TheKlutz
* OfficialCouple: With Ivy in Series 8.
* OutOfFocus: Played straight in Series 3 to 5 where he is often only involved in the periphery of the subplots in almost every episode. Averted in Series 6 to 8 where he gets more focus episodes and development. Played straight again in Series 9 where he makes small appearances in very few episodes due to the actor shielding.
[[/folder]]

* RememberTheNewGuy: Appears at the beginning of Series 10 with no explanation. Considering that the characters consider him "new" and Jody knows him, he probably joined not too long before Series 10 began.

! Clem

! Kyle

! Doreen

! Bonnie

! Fraser

! Sabrina

! Wes

! Hugo

* NatureLover: Develops into one in Series 9 when she learns that her mum saved Ogleton Wood from being torn down for land development and later does the same thing when the council tries to do it again.

* SuperOCD: He has a schedule and his room is organized in a particular way, which is also distressing when this is messed up or ruined.

* AbusiveParents: She abandoned Jody in ''Tracy Beaker Returns.'' In ''The Dumping Ground,'' she does nothing to stop Kingsley from controlling her family, tries to force Jody to stay quiet about his crimes, and ends up abandoning her again when Jody makes a statement to the police. When she returns in Series 6, she forces Jody to lie about living at home to impress her boyfriend and once again disowns her after Grant breaks up with her for lying to him although this time, she does apologize and attempt to make amends with Jody.

* RememberTheNewGuy: Appears at the beginning of Series 10 with no explanation.

* HairTriggerTemper: It's not hard to make him angry.

* {{Jerkass}}: Downplayed. She can be quite mean to her sister.

* TookALevelInKindess: Becoming the owner of Mischief and befriending Mo helped with this.

[[folder: May-Li]]
! May-Li Wong
-->'''Played by:''' Stacy Liu

A careworker introduced in ''The Dumping Ground'' series 2. Becomes Head Careworker in Series 8.

* HappilyMarried: To Alice.
* GruesomeGrandparent: When her grandmother Po-Po comes round, it is revealed that she and Po-Po have a strained relationship because Po-Po didn't want to accept that May-Li is a lesbian and has adopted two children.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Replaces Gina as the more authoritative care worker, in the DG.
* RememberTheNewGuy: Makes her first appearance in the 2013 Christmas Special, with no explanation.
* SidekickGraduationsStick: Goes from an assistant careworker for most of the series' run to head careworker in series 8 after Mike's departure.
* WackyCravings: Starts eating coal when she first discovers she's pregnant (possibly with IVF, as she is married to a woman).
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Finn]]
! Finn [=McLaine=]
-->'''Played by:''' Ruben Reuter

* ADayInTheLimelight: In "Troll" and "Champions".
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Becomes this with Alex. The two become best friends who are there for one another, even after Alex leaves. This is lampshaded by the other kids in "The Dumping Ground: I'm..." by calling their friendship a "bromance".
* TheKlutz
* OfficialCouple: With Ivy in Series 8.
* OutOfFocus: Played straight in Series 3 to 5 where he is often only involved in the periphery of the subplots in almost every episode. Averted in Series 6 to 8 where he gets more focus episodes and development. Played straight again in Series 9 where he makes small appearances in very few episodes due to the actor shielding.

[[folder: Candi-Rose]]
! Candi-Rose
-->'''Played by:''' Carma Hylton
* ForgettableCharacter: She assumes everyone in the house sees her as this in "Give and Take" after learning that Floss can't think of a trait or skill to include for her in her homework project.
* GirlyGirl: The girliest character at the Dumping Ground.
* GivenNameReveal: In "Candi-Rose?", it's revealed that her real name is actually Courtney and that she was given a new identity after being separated from her sister in order to protect her.
* ItsAllMyFault: Candi-Rose blames herself for the incident that led to her and her sister being put into care and separated.
* PinkMeansFeminine: Is very girly and mostly seen wearing something pink.
* ReplacementFlatCharacter: Candi-Rose is basically Carmen before her character development. This gets lampshaded by Tee when they first meet in Series 5.
* StepfordSmiler: An episode of Series 9 has Candi-Rose being overly positive and cheery via an online guide to happiness. Near the end of the episode, she reveals that she was acting that way to hide how sad she is because she misses Lauren.
* StickyFingers: Candi-Rose shoplifts clothes in one episode when she feels left out and forgotten about.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The Girly Girl to Jody's Tomboy. Candi-Rose is obsessed with the color pink, fashion, and romance while Jody likes football and street dancing.
* WitnessProtection: Of sorts. Though the details have never been specified, the episode "Candi-Rose?" revealed that she was given the identity of Candi-Rose and separated from her sister Lauren as part of a deal in order to protect them both as they are implied to be being searched for by parties unknown.

[[folder: Taz]]
! Tazmin "Taz" De Souza
-->'''Played by:''' Jasmine Uson
* BrattyHalfPint: When she first arrived. She's mellowed out considerably in later seasons.
* HiddenDepths: Taz is quite skilled at playing the piano. She takes up playing in the house after Mike tries to have it removed.
* ItsAllMyFault: She blames herself for her mum's death because she kept her door closed on the night her mum died. When she moves into the Dumping Ground, she prefers to keep the bedroom door open for this reason.
* NatureLover: Develops into one in Series 9 when she learns that her mum saved Ogleton Wood from being torn down for land development and later does the same thing when the council tries to do it again.

[[folder: Jay]]
! Jay Wallis
-->'''Played by:''' Cole Wealleans-Watts
* BigBrotherInstinct: Inverted. Jay is the younger brother, but he is still fiercely protective of Bird.
* BrilliantButLazy: Jay is quite academically successful, but tends to prefer messing around unless there's something in it for him.
* EmbarrassingDampSheets: Jay used to wet the bed until he was 11.
* HiddenDepths: Though he comes across as cocky and arrogant, Jay is also very intelligent and managed to get offered a place at a prestigious school.
* {{Jerkass}}: Jay has a nasty streak about him and often belittles others, including Sid.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: His real name is Jacob, but he always goes by Jay in the series.

[[folder: Bird]]
! Bird Wallis
-->'''Played by:''' Leo James
* BigBrotherInstinct: He kept the AwfulTruth about their home life hidden from Jay as they grew up, allowing him to remember a more positive life in order to protect him.
* CharacterDevelopment: Goes from a withdrawn and quiet character to one who is more outgoing and outspoken.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Bird has a crush on Candi-Rose, but when she meets and falls for another boy, he makes amends after initially trying to sabotage them by bringing the boy to the DG and allowing them to go out together.
* LikeFatherLikeSon: Bird's interest and talent in [=DJing=] and creating Dubstep came from watching his [[spoiler: assumed]] father do it.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: "Bird's Song" confirms that Bird is not his actual name and his real name is revealed to be Noah in "Broken Record".
* ShipTease: With Candi-Rose.

[[folder: Sid]]
! Sid Khan
-->'''Played by:''' Josh Sangha
* LiteralMinded: Tends to take anything said to him literally.
* IconicItem: His ventriloquist dummy, Fred.
* NiceGuy: One of the nicest characters on the show.

[[folder: Clem]]
! Clem
-->'''Played by:''' Halle Cassell

[[folder: Kyle]]
! Kyle
-->'''Played by:''' Freddie Smith

[[folder: Ben]]
! Ben
--> '''Played by:''' William Wyn Davies
* RememberTheNewGuy: Appears at the beginning of Series 10 with no explanation.

[[folder: Bonnie]]
! Bonnie
--> '''Played by:''' Lara Mehmet

[[folder: Fraser]]
! Fraser
--> '''Played by:''' Massimo Cull

[[folder: Sabrina]]
! Sabrina
--> '''Played by:''' Florrie May Wilkinson
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Wes]]
! Wes
--> '''Played by:''' Owen Phillips
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Hugo]]
! Hugo
--> '''Played by:''' Hugo Nash
[[/folder]]

! Recurring and guest characters

[[folder: Introduced in ''The Dumping Ground'' Series 1]]

!!Shannay
-->'''Played by:''' Holly Quinn-Ankrah

* ParentWithNewParamour: She is dating Lily's dad.

!! Kingsley Jackson (David Avery)

* BigBrotherBully: To Jody.
* BusCrash: In the Series 9 finale, Jody learns that Kingsley has been killed in a car accident.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: When Jody is trapped in Kingsley's burning flat, he chooses to flee instead of helping her.

!! Luke Jackson (James Bartlett)

* BigBrotherInstinct: He's more protective of and willing to stand up for Jody against Kingsley than his mother.

!! Denise Jackson (Victoria Alcock)

* AbusiveParents: She abandoned Jody in ''Tracy Beaker Returns.'' In ''The Dumping Ground,'' she does nothing to stop Kingsley from controlling her family, tries to force Jody to stay quiet about his crimes, and ends up abandoning her again when Jody makes a statement to the police. When she returns in Series 6, she forces Jody to lie about living at home to impress her boyfriend and once again disowns her after Grant breaks up with her for lying to him although this time, she does apologize and attempt to make amends with Jody.
* ExtremeDoormat: To her son Kingsley. She doesn't stand up to him or try to stop his abuse and crime.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Does this to Jody when she finds out that Jody made a statement against Kingsley.

[[folder: Introduced in ''The Dumping Ground'' Series 3]]

! Matt and Stephanie Branston
-->'''Played by:''' Charlie Brooks (Stephanie) and Stuart Manning (Matt)

! Maude Gordon
-->'''Played by:''' Kiki Brooks-Truman

[[folder: Introduced in ''The Dumping Ground'' Series 4]]

! Sammy Doyle
-->'''Played by:''' Roderick Gilkison

* AmbiguousDisorder: Sammy being unable to understand certain social cues may suggest that he has autism. And his overenthusiastic, hyperactive and excitable demeanour suggests that he may also have ADHD.
* PutOnABus: Goes back to his aunt after she gets out of the hospital.
* ReplacementFlatCharacter: Plays the same role as Mo before his character development except with Tyler instead of Tee.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Leaves after three episodes without the audience getting to know him well.

[[folder: Introduced in ''The Dumping Ground'' Series 5]]

! Peter Umbleby
-->'''Played by:''' Simon Ludders

* ArcVillain: Serves as a recurring antagonist throughout series 5, ending with him leading the plan to demolish Ashdene Ridge.
* FantasyForbiddingFather: He does not like Edward playing his guitar.
* InSeriesNickname: Mr. Dumbleby by the kids at the Dumping Ground.

! Janet Umbleby (Alison Pargeter)

! Edward Umbleby (Jaimie Boubezari)

[[folder: Introduced in ''The Dumping Ground'' Series 6]]

! Fiona Johnson
-->'''Played by:''' Michelle Collins

* HappilyMarried: To Mike as of the end of series 6.

[[folder: Introduced in ''The Dumping Ground'' Series 7]]
! Freya
-->'''Played by:''' Jackie Edwards

* BigBad: Of the Series 7 two-part opener.
* {{Blackmail}}: One of the most serious examples of this in the entire series. After gaining access to everyone's personal files, she threatens to post them all online if Sasha, and later Jody, doesn't comply with her demands.
** BlackmailBackfire: This ultimately fails when all of the kids discover what she is doing and dare her to carry out the threat if it means Sasha is cleared. She later admits she was never actually planning to do it.
* EasilyForgiven: Despite her attempt to ruin Sasha's life, Sasha quickly forgives her and encourages her to embrace the second chance she's been given.
* ManipulativeBitch: She manages to turn the other residents against Sasha as part of her plan. According to Sasha, she has a history of doing this.
* OldFriend: Of Sasha's. The pair had been in another care home together, and were on their way to a secure home when Sasha stopped off at Ashdene Ridge and ended up staying, losing contact with Freya in the process. [[{{Revenge}} Freya did not take that well...]]
* ReunionRevenge: Freya puts her plan into action after coming to the DG temporarily and reuniting with Sasha.
* {{Revenge}}: Her motive for going after Sasha as they lost contact when she arrived at the DG.

[[folder: Introduced in ''The Dumping Ground'' Series 8]]
! Al Winters
-->'''Played by:''' Gary Webster

Temporary Head Careworker in the Series 8 opener.

* AdultsAreUseless: Al completely dismisses the kids' concerns when Sid goes missing, and only agrees to call the police when Scott forces him to.
* ItsPersonal: He only applied for the job of Head Careworker to try and beat May-Li, as she had beaten him to a previous job years earlier.
* ManChild: Dislikes doing any of the harder work associated with leadership and prefers messing around and playing games. This is what gets to step down as head careworker and allows May-Li to step in.

%%zce* ItsAllAboutMe

* PutOnABus: Moves into her own flat in-between Series 9 and 10.

* AbusiveParents: She abandoned Jody in ''Tracy Beaker Returns.'' In ''The Dumping Ground,'' she does nothing to stop Kingsley from controlling her family, tries to force Jody to stay quiet about his crimes, and ends up abandoning her again when Jody makes a statement to the police. When she returns in Series 6, she forces Jody to lie about living at home to impress her boyfriend and once again disowns her after Grant breaks up with her for lying to him.

* InSeriesNickname: Mr. Dumbleby.

* ManChild: Dislikes doing any of the harder work associated with leadership and prefers messing around and playing games.

[[folder: Jody]]
! Jody Jackson
--> '''Played by:''' Kia Pegg
* BigBrotherBully: Her brother Kingsley was one.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: She was neglected and abused by her family, especially her mother and Kingsley.
* DeadpanSnarker
** LittleMissSnarker
* HairTriggerTemper: Her temper can cause her to get very angry and she snaps when provoked.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Sasha over time.
* MouthyKid: In the early seasons of The Dumping Ground, but she does grow out of it.
* OfficialCouple: With Tyler from the end of Series 7 until his departure in Series 8.
* ParentalAbandonment: She is abandoned by her mother and her brothers in her first appearance. Her mother later abandoned her again for years after Jody gave a witness statement about Kingsley's crimes.
* ShipTease: With Tyler starting from Series 5. [[OfficialCouple Becomes official in the Series 7 finale]].
* SoreLoser: She gets too mad when a game doesn't go in her favour.
* {{Tomboy}}: Likes listening to rock music and watching football.
* TomboyishPonytail: She starts wearing one in Jody in Wonderland and from Series 3 onward, she is almost always seen wearing one.
* TrademarkFavouriteFood: Chocolate biscuits
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Tyler.
[[/folder]]

* ItsAllMyFault: She blames herself for her mother's death because she kept her door closed and didn't hear her mom

[[folder: Murphy]]
! Murphy Bellman
-->'''Played by:''' Thomas and Oliver Waldram (Series 3), Fred Montgomery Scott (Series 4), Lenny Rush (Series 9)

* AscendedExtra: Like his brother Dexter, Murphy made a few appearances as a baby in Series 3 and 4 before joining the main cast as a child in the middle of Series 9.
* {{Jerkass}}
* {{Retcon}}: During his appearances as a toddler, Murphy is depicted as a regular child. When he appears in Series 9, however, he is shown to have dwarfism like Sasha.
* TantrumThrowing: When Murphy first comes to the [=DG=], he refuses to settle in and ends up throwing a big one trashing the office.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Bec]]
! Rebecca "Bec" Hyde
-->'''Played by:''' Ava Potter

* AbusiveMom: Her grandmother would force Bec to work in her fish shop "like a skivvy" (in Bec's words), verbally belittle her constantly, always side with her bullies' version of events over hers and destroyed her mother's dress after her bully spilled a drink over it. It got to the point where she decided to put herself in care to get away from her. It got even worse after Bec moved in with her aunt on her farm and her grandmother came in to look after her when her aunt fell ill. She would force Bec to sleep in the barn, forbid her from contacting the outside world (even to the point of deleting Bec's social media accounts and lying to Social Services about them going on holiday to Spain) and even tried to emotionally manipulate her into staying when Ruby came to rescue her. A line in her second appearance {{implie|dtrope}}s that her grandmother [[TroubledAbuser has been raised the same way as she treats Bec]].
* AmbiguouslyGay: The Series 9 finale has her develop feelings for a girl and she reveals that she may like girls but is still figuring things out for herself. Her backstory in her introduction with her being desperate to interact with Rae also adds to this.
* TheEeyore: Bec is generally a gloomy and cynical character who struggles in cheerful or social situations due to her past. In the Christmas episode, Jay even says that Bec has a heart of stone for being distant and not wanting to join in on the Christmas activities.
* FriendlessBackground: Avoids making friends due to trust issues.
* HiddenDepths: Despite her distant nature, Bec has been shown to be a natural working with dogs, as shown in "Do the Right Thing".
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Although she is very distant and cynical, deep down, Bec has a caring heart that is shown more in Series 8 as she spends more time with the other kids.
* PutOnABus: Candi-Rose mentions that she moved in with her aunt in the second episode of Series 9.
** TheBusCameBack: In episode 11 of Series 9, it's revealed that Bec's aunt had gotten ill and her gran moved in with them to take care of them but she goes back to abusing and manipulating Bec so Bec is brought back to Ashdene Ridge.
* RaisedByGrandparents: She was raised by her grandmother after her mother died.
* TookALevelInKindness: After returning to the Dumping Ground in Series 9, Bec shows a more kinder side to her and is more open to talking to and spending time with the other kids.

[[folder: Katy]]
! Katy White
-->'''Played by:''' Anya Cooke

* TheRunaway: She had a habit of running away from her previous care homes to return home before coming to Ashdene Ridge.

[[folder: Scott]]
! Scott Jenson
-->'''Played by:''' Louis Payne

A new careworker introduced in Series 8.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: In "The Brothers Murray", Scott reveals that he was once a tearaway like his brother Nathan. Though Scott matured and left it behind, Nathan continued on this path until one night got into a bad situation.
* ItsAllMyFault: Scott blames himself for the situation Nathan once found himself in, as he wasn't there to talk him out of it.
* OneOfTheKids: Has a strong childish and fun side to him.

[[folder: Ruby]]
! Ruby Butler
-->'''Played by:''' Liv De-Vulgt

* AscendedExtra: After having a one-time appearance in Series 8, Ruby returns to the Dumping Ground in the middle of Series 9 as a main character.
* ConnectedAllAlong: When Ruby first came to the [=DG=], she quickly struck up a friendship with Bec. This was before Bec realised that Ruby's mum was responsible for the accident which killed hers. They had even briefly seen each other after Ruby's mum went to prison, but neither remembered the other.
* NiceGirl

[[folder: Max]]
! Max
-->'''Played by:''' Jed Jefferson

Sid's roommate and best friend.

* NiceGuy: One of the nicest characters on the show. He is shown to be a loyal friend to Sid and stands up to Floss when she does something wrong.

[[folder: Clem]]
! Clem
-->'''Played by:''' Halle Cassell

[[folder: Kyle]]
! Kyle
-->'''Played by:''' Freddie Smith

! Recurring and guest characters

[[folder: Introduced in ''The Dumping Ground'' Series 1]]

!!Shannay
-->'''Played by:''' Holly Quinn-Ankrah

* ParentWithNewParamour: She is dating Lily's dad.

!! Kingsley Jackson (David Avery)

* BigBrotherBully: To Jody.
* BusCrash: In the Series 9 finale, Jody learns that Kingsley has been killed in a car accident.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: When Jody is trapped in Kingsley's burning flat, he chooses to flee instead of helping her.

!! Luke Jackson (James Bartlett)

* BigBrotherInstinct: He's more protective of and willing to stand up for Jody against Kingsley than his mother.

!! Denise Jackson (Victoria Alcock)

* AbusiveParents: She abandoned Jody in ''Tracy Beaker Returns.'' In ''The Dumping Ground,'' she does nothing to stop Kingsley from controlling her family, tries to force Jody to stay quiet about his crimes, and ends up abandoning her again when Jody makes a statement to the police. When she returns in Series 6, she forces Jody to lie about living at home to impress her boyfriend and once again disowns her after Grant breaks up with her for lying to him.
* ExtremeDoormat: To her son Kingsley. She doesn't stand up to him or try to stop his abuse and crime.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Does this to Jody when she finds out that Jody made a statement against Kingsley.

[[folder: Introduced in ''The Dumping Ground'' Series 3]]

! Matt and Stephanie Branston
-->'''Played by:''' Charlie Brooks (Stephanie) and Stuart Manning (Matt)

! Maude Gordon
-->'''Played by:''' Kiki Brooks-Truman

[[folder: Introduced in ''The Dumping Ground'' Series 4]]

! Sammy Doyle
-->'''Played by:''' Roderick Gilkison

* AmbiguousDisorder: Sammy being unable to understand certain social cues may suggest that he has autism. And his overenthusiastic, hyperactive and excitable demeanour suggests that he may also have ADHD.
* PutOnABus: Goes back to his aunt after she gets out of the hospital.
* ReplacementFlatCharacter: Plays the same role as Mo before his character development except with Tyler instead of Tee.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Leaves after three episodes without the audience getting to know him well.

[[folder: Introduced in ''The Dumping Ground'' Series 5]]

! Peter Umbleby
-->'''Played by:''' Simon Ludders

* ArcVillain: Serves as a recurring antagonist throughout series 5, ending with him leading the plan to demolish Ashdene Ridge.
* FantasyForbiddingFather: He does not like Edward playing his guitar.
* InSeriesNickname: Mr. Dumbleby.

! Janet Umbleby (Alison Pargeter)

! Edward Umbleby (Jaimie Boubezari)

[[folder: Introduced in ''The Dumping Ground'' Series 6]]

! Fiona Johnson
-->'''Played by:''' Michelle Collins

* HappilyMarried: To Mike as of the end of series 6.

[[folder: Introduced in ''The Dumping Ground'' Series 7]]
! Freya
-->'''Played by:''' Jackie Edwards

* BigBad: Of the Series 7 two-part opener.
* {{Blackmail}}: One of the most serious examples of this in the entire series. After gaining access to everyone's personal files, she threatens to post them all online if Sasha, and later Jody, doesn't comply with her demands.
** BlackmailBackfire: This ultimately fails when all of the kids discover what she is doing and dare her to carry out the threat if it means Sasha is cleared. She later admits she was never actually planning to do it.
* EasilyForgiven: Despite her attempt to ruin Sasha's life, Sasha quickly forgives her and encourages her to embrace the second chance she's been given.
* ManipulativeBitch: She manages to turn the other residents against Sasha as part of her plan. According to Sasha, she has a history of doing this.
* OldFriend: Of Sasha's. The pair had been in another care home together, and were on their way to a secure home when Sasha stopped off at Ashdene Ridge and ended up staying, losing contact with Freya in the process. [[{{Revenge}} Freya did not take that well...]]
* ReunionRevenge: Freya puts her plan into action after coming to the DG temporarily and reuniting with Sasha.
* {{Revenge}}: Her motive for going after Sasha as they lost contact when she arrived at the DG.

[[folder: Introduced in ''The Dumping Ground'' Series 8]]
! Al Winters
-->'''Played by:''' Gary Webster

Temporary Head Careworker in the Series 8 opener.

* AdultsAreUseless: Al completely dismisses the kids' concerns when Sid goes missing, and only agrees to call the police when Scott forces him to.
* ItsPersonal: He only applied for the job of Head Careworker to try and beat May-Li, as she had beaten him to a previous job years earlier.
* ManChild: Dislikes doing any of the harder work associated with leadership and prefers messing around and playing games.

* AbusiveMom: Her grandmother would force Bec to work in her fish shop "like a skivvy" (in Bec's words), verbally belittle her constantly, always side with her bullies' version of events over hers and destroyed her mother's dress after her bully spilled a drink over it. It got to the point where she decided to put herself in care to get away from her. It got even worse after Bec moved in with her aunt on her farm and her grandmother came in to look after her when her aunt fell ill. She would force Bec to sleep in the barn, forbid her from contacting the outside world (even to the point of deleting Bec's social media accounts and lying to Social Services about them going on holiday to Spain) and even tried to emotionally manipulate her into staying when Ruby came to rescue her. A line in her second appearance implies that her grandmother has been raised the same way as she treats Bec.

* AbusiveMom: Her grandmother would force Bec to work in her fish shop "like a skivvy" (in Bec's words), verbally belittle her constantly, always side with her bullies' version of events over hers and destroyed her mother's dress after her bully spilled a drink over it. It got to the point where she decided to put herself in care to get away from her. It got even worse after Bec moved in with her aunt on her farm and her grandmother came in to look after her when her aunt fell ill. She would force Bec to sleep in the barn, forbid her from contacting the outside world (even to the point of deleting Bec's social media accounts and lying to Social Services about them going on holiday to Spain) and even tried to emotionally manipulate her into staying when Ruby came to rescue her.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Sammy being unable to understand certain social cues may suggest that he has autism.

* {{Jerkass}}: She's very bratty and manipulative towards the other kids to make sure she gets what she wants.
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Despite her tendencies to be bratty and nasty, Floss does have a nice side to her. Sometimes, she will do the right thing to help her friends or learn a lesson.

* [[ManipulativeBastard Manipulative Bitch]]: Tends to manipulate and blackmail the other kids into giving her what she wants or getting her way.

* [[AbusiveParents Abusive Grandparents]]: Her grandmother would force Bec to work in her fish shop "like a skivvy" (in Bec's words), verbally belittle her constantly, always side with her bullies' version of events over hers and destroyed her mother's dress after her bully spilled a drink over it. It got to the point where she decided to put herself in care to get away from her.
** It got even worse after Bec moved in with her aunt on her farm and her grandmother came in to look after her when her aunt fell ill. She would force Bec to sleep in the barn, forbid her from contacting the outside world (even to the point of deleting Bec's social media accounts and lying to Social Services about them going on holiday to Spain) and even tried to emotionally manipulate her into staying when Ruby came to rescue her.

* {{Jerkass}}
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Deep down, she does care about the other kids and The Dumping Ground shows more of a softer side to her.
* [[{{ManipulativeBastard}} Manipulative Bitch]]: Elektra is the biggest one in the series.

* {{Schemer}}

* [[HonoraryUncle Honorary Aunt]]: To Lily's sisters, Poppy and Rosie.
* ItsAllAboutMe
* {{Jerkass}}
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Although Carmen can be selfish and vain, she does care about her friends and has a good heart.

* [[WarRefugees War Refugee]]: Originally from Somalia, she fled to the UK after being separated from her father and brother while fleeing from a gang of rebels and losing her mother to an illness in a refugee camp.

* AlliterativeName

* BitchInSheepsClothing
* TheChessmaster

* FalseFriend
* FauxAffablyEvil
* JerkassWithAHeartOfGold: Ryan is very devious and has a tendency to manipulate others to get his way, but deep down he does care for everyone and is only bad because of his DarkAndTroubledPast.

* {{Jerkass}}: Initially, until she mellowed down.
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Although Sasha is very moody, she has a big heart and looks out for the others.

* WackyCravings: Starts eating coal when she first discovers she's pregnant.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Becomes this with Alex. The two become best friends who are there for one another, even after Alex leaves.

* BreakTheCutie: When she was responsible for ruining the DG's holiday and everyone started going against her.
* DontSplitUsUp: She hates being separated from Johnny.

* ThePrankster: Originally his defining trait, it has been downplayed in ''The Dumping Ground'' as the series progresses and he matures. He always does pranks to mess with people, namely because it's his specialty. Some of the other kids watch this to their amusement. In Series 3 and 4, he switches to magic tricks.

* Jerkass: Jay has a nasty streak about him and often belittles others, including Sid.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: In "The Brothers Murray", Scott reveals that he was once a tearaway like his brother Nathan. Though Scott matured and left it behind, Nathan continued on this path until one night got into a bad situation. Scott blamed himself for not being there to talk him out of it.

[[folder: Introduced ''The Dumping Ground'' Series 1]]

[[folder: Introduced ''The Dumping Ground'' Series 3]]

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Bird has a crush on Candi-Rose, but when she meets and falls for another boy, Bird, after initially trying to sabotage them, makes amends by bringing the boy to the DG and allowing them to go out together.