Any Of Us…because it really can be

That’s the message of a powerful new fostering film – any of us can foster a child or young person, if you have the capacity to care.

‘Any Of Us’ launched on 26^th September. It is the sixth film produced by a growing partnership of councils and children’s trusts to promote local authority fostering. The ‘Any Of Us’ project will be the largest public sector fostering film collaboration yet with over 80 participants, and Cheshire’s pioneering foster carer recruitment service, Foster4, are proud to be taking part.

Cllr Adam Langan, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at Cheshire West and Chester, said of the project:

“It was great to join together with over eighty other local authorities from across the country to create this short film that highlights the fact that anyone who cares has the potential to become a foster carer. 

“We want to recruit local people to look after local children. Children thrive when they are living close to their schools and connections. We need more people to step forward and become foster carers in Cheshire West and Chester.

“Fostering is something you can do full-time or something you can do around a job. For instance, you could become a short stay foster carer and provide respite care at weekends. Or if you think that saying goodbye would be too difficult, you could consider becoming a permanent foster carer where the child or young person stays with you until they reach adulthood.

“If fostering is something you have been considering for a while, perhaps watching ‘Any Of Us’ will inspire you to pick up the phone or fill out an enquiry form on the Foster4 website. We hope it does.”

‘Any Of Us’ 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 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. Project Director, Rachel Brown 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 wider audience as possible and encourage people to foster for their local authority.

Fostering directly with your council or children’s trust means that you can support your local community by working a with a fostering service that is dedicated to supporting local children and young people who need a nurturing, safe fostering home.”

Sarah Thomas, chief executive of the Fostering Network says:

“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."

Visit the Foster4 website to request an information pack:

www.foster4.co.uk 

You can also come along to an in-person Information Session:

Next session: Tuesday 24th October 6-7:30pm at Winnington Community Building, Northwich, CW8 4UD.

There is no need to book, please just come along.

Alternatively, you can come along to an online Information Session.

To get an invite link for these online Information Sessions, you will need to sign up here:

Foster4 website:

Friday 20th October 12:30pm

Monday 30th October 6pm

Friday 17th November 12:30pm