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Press Releases
Nicky Campbell launches the Family Wanted campaign with his own personal journey
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Nicky Campbell explores his family history in a special edition of Who Do You Think You Are? to launch the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s Family Wanted campaign which puts the focus on foster care and adoption this summer.
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The one–off programme for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ One features Nicky Campbell as he traces the roots of his adoptive family.
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He says: "I've traced my birth family, but Who Do You Think You Are? is giving me the chance to find out more about the roots of my adoptive family who are my real mum and dad.
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"I've done the genetic researching – the technical side of things – this is the emotional side, finding out the history of the reality that I have always known and that made me."
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The programme launches two weeks of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ TV and Radio programming which includes Family Wanted – five programmes to be stripped across one week.
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Each programme follows different stories, aspects and issues concerning real life adoption and foster care in the UK today.
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Liz Cleaver, Controller of Learning at the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, says: "There are more than 70,000 children in care in the UK, a shortage of more than 10,000 foster carers, and more than 4,000 children needing adoption every year.
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"The Family Wanted campaign aims to encourage people to think about whether they can become potential adopters and long–term foster carers."
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At the end of both the Who Do You Think You Are? and Family Wanted programmes, an appeal will be shown featuring a child who needs a family to adopt or foster him or her.
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There will also be two other short films combining excerpts from the child appeals with messages from celebrities, including Sharon Osborne and Bruce Oldfield, who have personal experience of foster care and adoption.
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The Family Wanted campaign also features a storyline on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ One's emergency medical drama series Casualty; three specially-commissioned dramas and two documentaries for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 4; discussions about adoption and foster care on the Jeremy Vine Show on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 2; a storyline on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Asian Network's drama Silver Street throughout July and also a documentary on the station. ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Local Radio will also be supporting the campaign with interviews and features.
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The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ has worked closely with key organisations in the field, including BAAF (British Association for Adoption & Fostering), Adoption UK, Fostering Network, the ADASS (Association of Directors of Adult Social Services), and the DfES (Department for Education and Skills).
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Nicky Campbell, the face of the Family Wanted campaign, says: "I was adopted shortly after I was born and couldn't have wished for better parents. This is a hugely important campaign for the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ to be running, and I hope it can help other children find a family and a future."
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The TV and Radio programmes are supported for ten weeks by a dedicated phone line, a website and a series of 20 UK–wide events in September for the public to meet local agencies and people who have already fostered and adopted.
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There will also be a pack available containing an information magazine and a newsletter relevant to individual areas containing profiles of children who are in need of adoption or long–term foster care, along with contact details for agencies.
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As part of the campaign the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is also providing support training and equipment for children and young people in care, and their social workers, to collaborate on the production of 20 short films for the Video Nation website.
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SB2
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