Foster Carers Needed for Children in Hertfordshire
A ground-breaking short film has been produced to highlight the urgent need for foster carers.
In a unique national collaboration, Hertfordshire County Council has joined 55 other local authorities across England to share ideas and jointly fund the creation of a short film to raise awareness of fostering.
It is aimed at finding more people who may be interested in becoming foster carers and providing nurturing, positive homes for children and young people across the country who need them.
The new film, simply called ‘Childhood’, highlights the impact of neglect on children, particularly brothers and sisters who may be left at times to try and care for each other.
It shows the journey of ‘Sophie’ and ‘Charlie’ who are in a very difficult home situation where their needs are not being met, to being nurtured and supported through foster care to attend school and be able to enjoy their hobbies and interests. In other words, have a childhood.
Councillor Fiona Thomson, Hertfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families, said: ‘There is a huge shortfall in foster carers across the country and I’m extremely proud that Hertfordshire has joined forces with other local authorities to highlight this urgent need.
‘We are hoping this short film will highlight why foster care is so important, and how the determination and dedication of foster carers really do help to change lives.
‘Anyone who fosters with Hertfordshire County Council will receive generous pay and allowances, local support and training. We already have amazing foster carers but urgently need more to come forward as we have many children still needing help.’
In Hertfordshire, there are 1,000 children living in care and in need of a loving and supportive home.
Childhood was officially launched with a premiere at the Everyman cinema, Birmingham on 13 October, with an introduction from Kevin Williams, the Chief Executive of The Fostering Network, and Rachel Brown, project manager working with Council Advertising Network.
Kevin Williams said: ‘Foster carers are the bedrock of children’s social care; they are vital in our society and our young people rely on their care, dedication, passion and skills to support them when they need it most.
‘Across the UK, around 9,265 more fostering families are needed, to make sure every child that can’t live with their own family gets the care they need. Currently, there are over 70,000 children living with almost 56,000 foster families in the UK, and the number of children coming into care keeps rising.’
The film is available to watch and share from all participating local authority platforms, including Hertfordshire County Council’s YouTube channel: youtu.be/E6dqFH8Xi1Y
If you are interested in fostering, please contact Hertfordshire’s recruitment team on 0800 917 0925 or for more information, visit www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/fostering.