'I grew up in care alone - why did no-one tell me I had siblings?'

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Ashley John-Baptiste grew up in care believing he was an only child. Then, out of the blue, he received a message from a brother he never knew he had.

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He set out to explore what being split from siblings means to those who have been in the care system.

So it was a huge shock when, in my mid-20s, a man messaged me on Facebook to tell me he was my older brother. I can still remember the visceral sense of confusion I felt when I first saw his message. I had to re-read it several times. I introduced him to my baby daughter. She met her uncle. We took a photo together in an unexpected "family" moment.Meeting my brother made me think how things could have been different if I had been given the chance to get to know my siblings when I was younger. I now know that I've got at least four, all older than me.

While I had incredible friends who eased the emotional intensity of leaving care, knowing my siblings at that stage of life might have given me a sense of family and belonging. Maybe there would have been a chance to spend Christmas with family, or have somewhere to go back to between terms at university.During our meeting outside the hospital, my brother just seemed to understand everything I was saying. He had an implicit understanding of my journey and outlook. There was a connection.

Saskia was 11 at the time and contact with her brothers broke down altogether a few years later. She told me that being away from them made her feel like she was "not strong any more". According to the law across all parts of the UK, siblings should be kept together when it is possible and safe to do so. But with a rise in the number of children in care there simply aren't enough foster carers - especially now children need a room of their own. All of this means councils are struggling.

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🥰 such amazing feeling good for him😍

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