Little Big Man

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My own “success” happened in spite of my time in care, not because of it. I am not defined by my scars but by the incredible ability to heal. Healing can hurt too. Here are a few organisations for support and information: Become has been supporting and campaigning for children in care and young care leavers since 1985. The Care Leavers’ Association is a national user-led charity aimed at improving the lives of care leavers of all ages. The Fostering Network is the UK’s leading fostering charity; it champions fostering and seeks to create vital change. PAIN – Parents against Injustice is a voluntary organisation, run and funded by volunteers who provide help and support to families caught in the care system. Samaritans is a 24-hour service offering emotional support for anyone struggling to cope. One of the greatest signs of my own sense of independence when I left care was the day I could ask for help when I needed it. Acting had always been a part of Stanley's school life, he would often take part in productions and impress teachers and parents. "Years later when I pulled myself together I went to Anna Schers theatre in Islington which was for inner city kids who couldn't afford to go to mainstream drama schools. I got an agent and started working, but surprise surprise I got roles playing the thief or robber.

I must have been around 7 or 8 years old when this photo was taken. I had the world on my shoulders already at that point," Stanley reflects. "You can tell from my eyes and my facial expression that I was an unhappy camper and wore the thousand-yard-stare at such an early age. I felt switched off from the world and distant." It’s also a book about belonging and the search to find an authentic voice through the redemptive power of creativity and recovery. When he was four, Kriss Akabusi’s parents returned to Nigeria, leaving him alone in the UK with his younger brother. They moved between several foster placements before entering a children’s home. Akabusi joined the British army aged 16 and later embarked on a glittering athletics career as a sprinter and hurdler. Ben Ashcroft FRSANatalie Hirst spent eight years living in foster care in Greater Manchester and had a mixed experience, but her resilience helped her to develop the strength and skills to overcome many challenges. “My experience has taught me the importance of having kind, supportive adults in the lives of children in care to help them feel safe, cared for and treated like one of the family,” she says. “These experiences have shaped who I am today, an independent woman, passionate about my career and working with local authorities in Greater Manchester to ensure every young person has a voice, choice and control over decisions made about them.” Michelle Brown

The view of care leavers is typically: unable to achieve a higher education, expected to fail in life,” says Michelle Brown, who went into care at 11 and was “hugely let down” by her local authorities – she was left on the streets aged 15 after one of her foster carers relocated. “Many of us who stood at the Foundling Museum have had to battle our way through systemic failures and discrimination. Today we stand proud as care leavers and remove society’s stigma.” Brown defied expectations by progressing to university and getting a Masters. She is now a psychodynamic psychotherapist and the director of two companies. Nze Kriss Kezie Akabusi MBEStanley also remembers receiving parcels from his mum's great great aunt in Jamaica which would consist of fresh mint to make mint tea, or cocoa to make hot chocolate. His mum would often make hot chocolate from the pure cocoa, grating it and adding nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon and condensed milk. My own interests and experiences also weave into my stories so that readers can get an insight into my South Asian heritage, as you can see from this story about Karak Chai which I'm ever so passionate about!

The 51-year-old says his life changed when his mum was diagnosed with schizophrenia (Image: MyLondon) Today we are living in an era where these topics are no longer taboo. It seems we are all open to having the uncomfortable conversations we once avoided and learning from each other’s life experiences. I was born in the era of forcible adoption – my mother was coerced into giving me up,” says Louise Wallwein. Her adoption broke down when she was nine and she moved through various children’s homes around Manchester until leaving care at 17 – “because I came out as a lesbian and it was a Catholic children’s home”. Wallwein later dramatised her search for her birth mother in the acclaimed one-woman show (later a book) Glue. Chris Wild Production editor Kamillah Brandes notes: "The vulnerability of young Stanley is immediately evoked, staring directly at the reader, but his gaze also holds a glimpse of the persistence and determination that helped to make Stanley who he is today."

Stephen Bailey

Born into a Jamaican family in a London suburb, he began rehearsing for the role of survivor from an early age.