Fostering is... Everything

'Everything' will be launched on 17^th October. It is the seventh film produced by a growing partnership of councils and children's trusts to promote local authority fostering. The 'Everything' project is the largest collaboration yet, with participants from Cumbria to Devon and Lancashire to Essex.

Cllr Laura Mayes, Cabinet Member for Children's Services said: The 'Everything' project has given our fostering service an amazing film that shows the long-term impact fostering can have, with relationships between carers and children lasting well into adulthood.

All councils need to recruit more foster carers, and by collaborating to produce this emotionally powerful film, we will show people how rewarding and life-changing fostering is.

The message is the same for all of us - we need more people to step forward and become foster carers. 'Everything' will help us to reach more people in our communities and encourage them to find out more about this really rewarding role.

We are committed to giving vulnerable children and young people we care for the best chance to thrive, which for the vast majority of them is with local fostering families.

'Everything' follows foster carer Mike and his family on a journey through time with two of the children they have looked after, who are now adults. A surprise 60^th birthday party for Mike gives Will and Zara a chance to reflect on how being fostered made a difference to their lives, thanking him for everything.

Thanks to footage shot on a genuine old camcorder, we are taken to the 1990s, to see how Will settles into the family. We also jump back to the 2010s, when a young Zara is being taught to play the guitar by Mike, something that comes full circle when she performs a song at the party. Mike's son Chris is involved throughout, showing the important role the children of foster carers play.

The concluding message of the film is that what you do with your life could forever change someone else's - encouraging people to foster in order to make that change.

The film was developed with the input and insight of foster carers and people with care experience, was produced by Reel TwentyFive and project managed by public sector media partner CAN/Rachel Brown. Project Director, Rachel Brown describes the main message of the film: 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.

Having over 100 councils taking part in the project, the film will reach a very wide audience, encouraging people to find out more and take the steps towards becoming a foster carer.

Fostering with your local council or children's trust means you can better support local children and young people who need a safe and nurturing home where they can grow and thrive.

The national launch of 'Everything' will be held at the Everyman cinema in Birmingham on 17^th October and council fostering services involved in the project will also be holding local launches around the country.

'Everything' is the latest in a series of film collaborations that started in 2017 with 'Giants', which was supported by a small number of local authorities in the midlands and has now grown into a national project across England, reflecting the need to recruit more foster carers.

Nikki is a Wiltshire Council foster carer who has been with Wiltshire Council for 18 years. She explained what it means to provide fostering long term.

We've kind of added to our family. It's really lovely and everybody in the wider family really get into it and support us.

Nikki also recognises the impact the fostering has had - providing a family for the child she was fostering but also benefits for her own family too.

We feel we've been blessed with another daughter and she sees us as her mum and dad sort of thing and it's been really nice. It's been lovely for her as well to have that sense of belonging.

Nikki has some great advice for those considering fostering: I would say whether you've heard of fostering because you've seen an advert or if it's more personal to you - definitely pick up the phone and make enquiries and see if it's right for you.

It can be life changing for you and the child. It's a very big decision but a very rewarding decision.

The support we've received over the 18 years from social workers and the whole team has been really amazing. We've had such a good relationship with every department which makes everything go a lot smoother and a lot happier if you have that support network around you while you're fostering.

Foster carers need to be aged 21 and over and have a spare bedroom have a spare room (or you can use your own bedroom, if you have space for a cot, to foster a baby aged up to twelve months)

You need time to care for a child and a willingness seek to understand young people who have experienced trauma and loss. Fostering payments are from £400 to £740 a week, per child depending on skills and experience. 

For more information on fostering visit https://fostering.wiltshire.gov.uk/ (opens new window) email fostering@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window), call 0800 169 6321 or text the word Foster to 60002.

'Everything' is available at https://youtu.be/rHuq8UTbNsI (opens new window) (full version) or https://youtu.be/wbC2Gpkp3LU (opens new window)  (30 sec version)