Media: Highlighting plight of children in care.(British Association for Adoption and Fostering)(advertising )

 
Brand: National Adoption Week 
Client: British Association for Adoption and Fostering 
Brief: Raise awareness of the need for permanent homes for thousands of 
children 
Target audience: Policy-makers, opinion-formers, national and regional 
news editors, local authorities 
Budget: Pro bono 
 
AGENCY 
Media/creative: FCB London 

At the beginning of National Adoption Week, the British Association for Adoption and Fostering had two goals: to find adoptive parents for those children waiting for permanent homes, and to highlight the lack of stability for the thousands of children in care.

The first objective was already well covered thanks to the support the BAAF received from high-profile media partners such as The Sun and GMTV.

The annual push has always proved to be a successful part of the BAAF's efforts to find families for the 4,000 children in care waiting to be adopted. Combining the reach and influence of the UK's leading tabloid with the UK's biggest breakfast magazine show provided an outstanding platform for raising awareness of the issue among potential adoptive parents.

The communications brief, therefore, focused on the second objective.

Many children, for whom adoption is the plan, may never find a 'forever family' because of a lack of adoptive parents - this is a particular problem for older children, children from black and minority ethnic backgrounds and groups of brothers and sisters. Other children will move from one foster placement to another because of a huge shortfall in foster carers across the UK.

The BAAF's overall aim was to minimise disruption for children placed with foster carers. It therefore encouraged local authorities to allow suitable foster carers to upgrade to become approved adopters. That way, if efforts to return the child to its natural home failed, the foster carer would be able to adopt directly, minimising upheaval for the child.