More foster carers are urgently needed in Bristol to take on children and “change lives” according to a new campaign. Bristol City Council is urging potential carers to consider if they could help look after one of the hundreds of children in the city needing a stable home.
A heart-warming and emotional short film has been produced to promote how foster carers can impact the lives of children they take in. The council has joined 100 other councils across the country in campaigning to increase the number of foster carers.
Evidence shows that being placed in foster families tends to provide the best outcomes for children who can’t remain with their birth parents. An update on the campaign was given to councillors on the children and young people policy committee on Thursday, October 17.
Green Councillor Christine Townsend, committee chair, said: “About 100 local authorities were involved in contributing and making a short film. It’s quite emotional and heartfelt, but it’s real. You see the good sides of it, but also the challenging elements of what it is to be a foster carer.
“This is being used to try and encourage people to come forward if they are considering being a foster carer. We know that for children, who for whatever reason aren’t able to remain with their birth families, their best outcomes are with a family, and we’ve known that for decades.”
The short film ‘Everything’ follows a foster carer and his family as they celebrate his 60th birthday party. Two of the now grown-up children he looked after attend the party and they reflect on how being fostered made a difference to their lives.
The film jumps back to the 1990s and the 2010s, showing the highs and lows of fostering, and ends with a message that “what you do with your life could forever change someone else’s”. The film was developed with the input of foster carers and people with care experience, was produced by Reel TwentyFive and managed by public sector media partner CAN/Rachel Brown.
Speaking after the meeting, project director Rachel Brown said: “Many people don’t realise how common it is for relationships made through fostering to last well beyond the ‘official’ caring role. This has a huge impact on the lives of those who have been fostered, giving them stability and security well into adulthood. We also wanted to reflect how the children of foster carers make a difference to children when they come into care, helping them to feel part of the family.”
Fostering ranges from as short-term as looking after a child over the weekend, to as long-term as looking after them until they turn 18. Carers don’t need to be married, own their own home or have any qualifications, and they receive financial support from the council to help look after children.