National fostering film launches in Stockport

“Any of Us” is the largest public sector fostering film collaboration involving over 80 local authorities across the UK. It is the sixth film produced by a growing partnership of councils and children’s trusts to promote local authority fostering, reflecting the need to recruit more foster carers in Stockport and across the country.

The national launch of ‘Any Of Us’ will be held at the Everyman cinema in Birmingham on 26th September and the film will be available to watch and share from midday 26 September on the councils website and Stockport Council’s Facebook and Twitter pages using the hashtags #FosterForYourCouncil and #anyofus.

The message of “Any Of Us” is “because it really can be - any of us can foster a child or young person, if you have the capacity to care.

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 characters in the film are professional actors.

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.

Cllr Wendy Meikle, Cabinet Member for Children, Families & Education, says, “It is fantastic to see Stockport working with over 80 fostering services to amplify our message to recruit much need foster carers in Stockport. Stockport is delighted to be involved in this project which is about giving our Stockport fostering service a high-quality film that highlights the fact that anyone who cares has the potential to become a foster carer.
This innovative collaborative project has been a superb way of working together to make the production of a high-quality film that will be a real asset to our recruitment of new foster carers for Stockport.
While we already have many brilliant foster carers in Stockport, the reality is we are always need more people to open their homes and their hearts to fostering and really care about the work they do.
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, here in Stockport and across the country.”

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.

Watch the film on our webpage and on YouTube.

For more information about fostering with Stockport Council contact the council’s fostering team on 0161 474 3400 or visit the our Fostering webpage.