‘Any Of Us’ could foster…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’ will be launched on 26 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 from Northumberland to Brighton and Liverpool to Kent.

Councillor Bob Webb, the council’s Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said:

“This project highlights that anyone who cares has the potential to become a foster carer. 

“Here in York, we want to recruit local people to help care for local children and young people. By supporting children in their home city, we can help them to stay close to their school, existing friendship and support networks, and surrounded by their local community.  

“We know that York is a very caring city and we want everyone to consider whether they could offer a home to our most vulnerable children and young people.  It’s an extraordinary role. Our foster carers really do get the chance to help change young people’s lives.”

‘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 characters’ 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.  ‘All 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.”

To view the film and find out how you could change a child or young person’s life in York, visit www.york.gov.uk/fostering