Looked After: A Childhood in Care – Ashley John Baptiste

Ashley John Baptiste, a broadcaster and journalist for the BBC, had a different upbringing to many of his colleagues and others in the public eye.

Since his birth in 1990, from an early age, when he was just a toddler Ashley entered the foster care system spending 16 years growing up with four different foster families and spending two years in a residential care home.

Despite his difficult and complicated upbringing, Ashley overcame his troubled childhood to study at Cambridge University, where he graduated with a 2:1.

Ashley has recently written a book called Looked After: A Childhood In Care, where he talks in depth about his complex childhood and the experiences he had in the fostering system. His book has been described by Fatima Whitbread as an ‘inspiring story of triumph over adversity’ as Ashley discusses within the book the challenges he faced as a child in the care system and how he overcame the challenges to become the man he is today.

With the current shortage of foster carers within the UK, Ashley’s story is as important as ever. There is an urgent need for more foster carers and the relevance of his experiences need to be shared and his new book is an excellent way to share the memories of his childhood.

Find out more about Ashley’s journey –> ‘I grew up in care alone – why did no-one tell me I had siblings?’ – BBC News

Interested in fostering? Join Beacon today! –> Become a foster parent | Beacon Fostering