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Cumbria Fostering has won two prestigious awards for its participation in 'Any Of Us' - a short film encouraging people from all backgrounds to become a foster carer. The fostering film won the ‘Best Collaboration’ and ‘Best Creative Comms’ categories at the comms2point0 UnAwards which recognises excellence in public sector communications at a ceremony held in Birmingham. Shortlisted in five categories in all, the film project is a collaboration involving more than 80 council fostering teams from across the UK, who contributed to the production, administration and launch costs. The UnAwards judging panel said: “This is exactly the kind of campaign the public sector needs right now. It combined precious resources to secure a better chance of success for everyone who collaborated – boosted by smart targeting and a beautifully shot video. It just goes to show what can be achieved through our industry working together to address common challenges.” According to national charity The Fostering Network, 7,200 foster carer families are needed across the UK in the next year to make sure all the children who need fostering get appropriate care. The latest Ofsted stats revealed the number of foster carers working for local authorities has fallen by 11% since 2019. The message of the fostering film is “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 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. Claire Lloyd, Cumbria Fostering Service Manager, said: “First and foremost, this award-winning project is about giving our fostering service a high-quality film that highlights the fact that anyone who cares has the potential to become a foster carer. “It made great business sense to collaborate with other council fostering teams to produce a film that communicates a universal message: We all need more people to step forward and become foster carers. “Consider if you can offer a home to our most vulnerable children and young people and get in touch with Cumbria Fostering.” You can find out more and register your interest in fostering at cumbriafostering.org.uk or you can speak to our team today on 0300 013 2065
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