‘Any Of Us…because it really can be’ is the message of a new film jointly funded by South Gloucestershire Council and a partnership of local authorities and children’s trusts, to raise awareness of fostering and encourage potential foster carers to come forward.
The film demonstrates how anyone has the potential to foster a child or young person if they have the capacity to care. It launches today (26 September) and is the sixth film produced by a growing partnership to promote local authority fostering. The project is the biggest ever public sector fostering film collaboration, with over 80 participants from across the country.
‘Any Of Us’ looks at three different people who all show some of the attributes needed to be a foster carer during 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.
As the film develops it becomes clear that one of these three people will become a foster carer. But which one of the three will be the one to make the difference? Find out by watching the film…
South Gloucestershire Council Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Councillor Maggie Tyrrell, said: “Many people across our communities have the potential to become fantastic foster carers and may not realise it. We hope this film helps our residents to recognise those qualities in themselves, as it could be the start of a rewarding career as a foster carer with us.
“We are keen to reach those people and I encourage them to come forward as they could make a positive difference to a child or young person’s life. Working directly with South Gloucestershire Council as a foster carer means that you can support your local community with a service that is dedicated to caring for local children and young people who need a nurturing, safe, home. I encourage people to contact the council’s fostering service to find out more information. The team are always there to support our foster carers and will be happy to answer any questions you may have.”
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.”
