Rotherham Council is hoping a major new Christmas advertising campaign will help inspire more local people to be foster carers.
This year, John Lewis has used its Christmas advert to raise awareness of children in care with the story of a man learning to skateboard, before welcoming a young teenager into the family home. You can watch the advert on the John Lewis YouTube channel.
The advert is inspired by the brand's commitment to support young people living in care and help them build happier futures. The Council has welcomed the campaign and the increased awareness of foster care it is expected to create.
It follows the Council’s recent decision to boost payments to its foster carers - from 50 percent to 100 percent for those caring for two or more children, in a bid to increase fostering in the area.
Suzanne Joyner, Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services at Rotherham Council said: “John Lewis’s caring and charitable angle for this year’s Christmas advert is already generating conversations and action around fostering. We’re delighted it’s bringing a subject which can often be an overlooked out into the open.
“Through our Fostering Rotherham campaign, we've been successful in increasing the number of foster carers enquiries but the need to provide children and young people with a safe and nurturing home remains pressing. We hope the John Lewis Christmas advert can be a catalyst to support our work to increase foster carers in the borough.”
Every year thousands of new foster families are needed. According to the Fostering Network* over 70,000 children live with almost 56,000 foster families across the UK each day. This is nearly three-quarters of the 97,000 children in care away from home on any one day in the UK.
Right from the application process, all foster carers receive support, advice, and extensive training from the Fostering Team at Rotherham Council to equip them with the key skills they need to be a great foster carer.
Councillor Victoria Cusworth Cabinet Member for Children and Young People praised the new advertising campaign, while stressing the work to find more carers is not over: “We welcome the John Lewis advert and applaud the company for shining a light on the issues facing some of the most vulnerable children in the country.
“All our foster carers are incredible, but we still urgently need more stable and caring foster homes for the children and young people in our care on both a short-term and long-term basis.
“Foster carers come from all walks of life, all with different skills and experiences so please don’t rule yourself out, whatever your age, background, or circumstances. Please get in touch via the Fostering Rotherham website or council switchboard if you think you could make a positive difference to a local child’s future.”
See the Fostering Rotherham website for more information.
