Solihull Council has welcomed this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert campaign, which highlights children in care.
The 90 second advert, entitled The Beginner, tells the story of a man learning to skateboard before welcoming a young teenager into the family home.
It is inspired by the brand's commitment to support young people living in care and help them build happier futures, and Solihull Council welcomes the campaign and the increased awareness of foster care it is expected to create.
The endorsement follows the Council’s recent online campaign launch to recruit more foster carers from across the region.
The ‘Foster for Solihull’ campaign encourages people to consider becoming a foster carer and give children a loving home and a sense of belonging.
Councillor Michael Gough, Solihull’s Cabinet Member for Children & Education, said: “John Lewis’s sensitive and charitable angle for this year’s Christmas advert is already generating conversation and action around fostering, which is frequently an overlooked issue.
“Through our new ‘Foster for Solihull’ campaign, we are working to highlight fostering and increase numbers of carers, so we are delighted for this to gain national attention and show first-hand the varying experiences for young people in a complex care system.
“We believe all of Solihull’s children should grow up with a sense of belonging. A foster carer’s role is to help a child grow up feeling safe, supported and part of a family and we are hopeful that this Christmas advert will be a catalyst to support our work to increase foster carers.”
Foster for Solihull prides itself on the wealth of support and resources for its fostering families, which is a combination of 24/7 access to an experienced fostering team, as well as training that’s exclusive to 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.
Councillor Michael Gough added: “We applaud John Lewis for shining a light on the issues facing some of the most vulnerable children in the country.
“We welcome people from all walks of life, including those with or without children, single applicants, and those in employment to become foster carers. We know this is a life changing decision that makes an incredible difference to a child’s life, and that’s why we are there to support our carers together, every step of the way.
“Please get in touch if you think you could make a positive difference to a local child’s future.”
Find out more by visiting the Foster for Solihull website at www.fosterforsolihull.co.uk.