Posted on 28th Sep
A powerful new fostering film has been launched as part of the ongoing drive to attract more people to care for a child or young person.
Nottinghamshire Country Council is one of more than 80 local authorities and children’s trusts supporting the ‘Any Of Us’ project which showcases fostering and how anyone can become a foster carer.
The film is the sixth produced by a growing partnership of councils and trusts to promote local authority fostering.
Coun Tracey Taylor, Cabinet Member for Children and Families at the council, said: “We are delighted to be supporting this national project to highlight how anyone who cares has the potential to become a foster carer.
“Most potential foster parents already have the skills needed to change the lives of children and we hope this powerful film and its message will help to encourage more people to come forward.
“Our foster carers do an incredible job to support and provide loving care for some of the most vulnerable children and young people in Nottinghamshire, helping to shape a child or young person’s life by providing a safe and secure home – which is always the best place for a youngster to thrive.
“We need more carers to ensure that every child in need can have a safe, loving, and stable home environment and I hope people who watch ‘Any Of Us’ will consider joining our wonderful fostering community.
“It makes sense to collaborate to produce a film that communicates a universal message – that we all need more people to step forward and become foster carers.
“We really care about the work that we do, which ultimately is about giving children a chance to thrive and become the best person they can be.”
‘Any Of Us’ looks at three different people who all show some of the attributes needed to be a foster carer in incidents from their daily lives – Ayesha going to the aid of a pedestrian after a minor road accident, Neil calming down an aggressive situation in a snooker club, and Marsha identifying a young person showing signs of distress and intervening with them at school.
Different individuals in very different scenarios, but each in their own way showing the caring instinct that is fundamental to being a foster carer.
The film develops so that it becomes clear that one of these three everyday people will become the foster carer to Chloe.
But which one of the three will be the one to make the difference?
The main character’s stories are all interwoven with Chloe’s, as we see her journey into fostering.
The film has been produced by Reel TwentyFive and project managed by CAN Digital/Rachel Brown.
Sarah Thomas, chief executive of the Fostering Network, said: “The Fostering Network has supported this project since the first collaborative film ‘Giants’ in 2017. It’s fantastic to see the fostering services work together to amplify their message to recruit much-needed foster carers.
“There’s currently a shortage of 6,000 fostering households in England, so films like this have a vital role to play in encouraging more people to become foster carers.
“A lot of people – rightly – praised the John Lewis fostering advert at Christmas time, as poignant and socially responsible.
“‘Any Of Us’ is right up there alongside it. Now it’s our job to have it seen as widely as possible, so more people to take the first step and become the foster carers we need, right across England.”
