Short film to highlight the urgent need for foster carers premiers

A new short film to highlight the urgent need for foster families in Staffordshire has been released.

‘Any of us’ is the message in a powerful new fostering film highlighting that most people can foster and make a difference to a child’s life.

The film looks at three very 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 needed to be a foster carer.

The film was premiered today (Tuesday 26 September) at the Everyman Cinema in Birmingham as part of a project involving over 80 Local Authorities across England. It’s the sixth film produced by a partnership of Local Authorities and Trusts.

Mark Sutton, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at Staffordshire County Council said: “Having watched several of these impactful films in the past, we know they do help to promote the amazing work done by foster carers.

“It’s great how the film shows that anyone can foster and that foster carers come from all different backgrounds. These are the families that make a real difference to the lives of hundreds of children in Staffordshire every day.

“We currently have a shortage of families in Staffordshire and are looking to recruit around 60 more families this year. We’ll be sharing the film on our social media channels and I would encourage others to do the same. Anyone interested in fostering or finding out more should get in touch with the team.”

The film has been produced by Reel TwentyFive and project managed by CAN Digital’s Rachel Brown.

Rachel explains the thinking behind the film: “Whilst there is always a core message about the difference fostering makes within our films, ‘Any Of Us’ has been more ambitious in telling three different stories from diverse foster carers, based around them sharing their experiences with people considering fostering.

“We hope that this will mean that the film and its messaging will appeal to as wide an audience as possible and encourage people to foster for their local authority.”

People can watch the film at www.fosterforstaffordshire.co.uk/anyofus and you can find out more about fostering by calling 0800 169 2061 and requesting an information pack.