PUBLICITY PACK FOR ADOPTION AGENCIES

Transcription

1 PUBLICITY PACK FOR ADOPTION AGENCIES National Adoption Week November 202

2 CONTENTS Introduction.. p3 Working with national media...p4 Getting the most out of your local media p5 Event ideas.. p8 Social media... p0 Follow up work p Appendices. p2 2

3 Introduction Welcome to your publicity pack for National Adoption Week 202. We hope you find it a useful resource. In this year's pack you'll find the usual tips and ideas to help you publicise adoption locally. We've also added in a new section on how to use social media to promote adoption. Feedback and evaluation Thank you to everyone who gave us feedback on last year s campaign. We have tried to incorporate many of your suggestions. Please don t forget to fill in this year s evaluation forms at the end of the campaign too. It really helps us with future planning. Materials Last year we sent out copies of our adoption DVD, Three Stories, One Family to many local agencies. We have a few copies left so if you didn't get one last year then please contact press@baaf.org.uk to claim yours now. Copies are now limited so I'm afraid we will have restrict it to one DVD per agency. We are happy however for you to make your own copies of the DVD if you wish. DVDs are available on a first come first served basis, while stocks last. National Adoption Week website This year we will again be launching a special section of the National Adoption Week website for adoption agencies. In this section you will find useful resources, such as a poster you can download and print, and a space to list and promote your event to the wider public. Do take advantage of this free service, which will be available from the beginning of October. Those who have used it said that it really boosted attendance at their events. For more information visit Finally, if you need any further help with promoting National Adoption Week locally please contact BAAF s media team on /33 or press@baaf.org.uk 3

4 Working with national media This year we will again be offering you the opportunity to feature children waiting for adoption in the national media. In previous years we have received up to 40 enquiries for individual children using this technique, and several successful matches have been made. Our media partners have now been confirmed as the Sun newspaper and This Morning. We will be featuring children awaiting adoption across the week on This Morning, and hopefully Monday-Wednesday of campaign week in the Sun. If you are approached by other media to feature children waiting you are more than welcome to work with them, but as we will not be involved in the process we strongly advise you to read though our Practice Guidance on Featuring Children in the Mainstream Media. You will find this on our website or you can call our publications team to obtain a copy. **If you are planning to do any other national media work then we would kindly request that you contact us and let us know in advance. This way we don t clash or cause problems for each other.** 4

5 Getting the most out of your local media Last year many people worked with their local and regional media to help promote National Adoption Week. If you haven t done any media work before then you may find this guide useful. If you are planning on doing any media work you should clear it with your press office first. We are happy for your press office to contact us if they would like to discuss anything in relation to the campaign. Just call /33 or press@baaf.org.uk Writing a press release There are different ways to communicate with the media, but a press release is usually the best option. We have included an easy to use template to help you with this (see appendix ). If you would rather create your own, there are a few points you need to remember. Dos Do give it a short punchy headline Do get your key messages in the first paragraph Do include 5 Ws where, what, when, who, why (and how) Do keep it short ( page maximum) Do include contact details so journalists can call for more information Don ts Don t use jargon, acronyms or flowery language You might also want to think about including a quote from someone in your organisation. Think carefully who this will be. If they are quoted in a release the media will assume they are happy to be interviewed further. It might also be useful to provide the media with some additional information about the adoption process. A simple guide has been produced for your use which you could send out with your press release if desired (see appendix 2) Contacting the media Once you have written your news release you need to send it to all the media in your area. Use your local knowledge or try Obviously daily and weekly local newspapers are important, but don t forget regional TV and radio too! Giving interviews As previously mentioned, once you have sent out your news release you may get requests for further interviews. It is therefore important to decide in advance who your main spokesperson(s) will be. 5

6 It s important to remember that the media work to different timetables than the rest of us and often have pressing deadlines. Be prepared to do something at very short notice, and try and be flexible regarding timings. There isn t enough room in this small pack to give you a full briefing, however if you are asked to give an interview and you would like more advice, please feel free to call the BAAF press office on /33. Similarly if you d like us to look over a press release you have written we are happy to lend a hand. Just it through to press@baaf.org.uk Using case studies If you have anyone with direct experience of adoption who is willing to talk to the media please let the BAAF press office know by calling /33. If you get approached by a journalist for a case study we can advise you on how to maximize publicity. If you are thinking of asking your local paper to profile children waiting for adoption, it is important that you read BAAF s Practice Note, Featuring children in the mainstream media beforehand. Further advice can be obtained from the BAAF press office on /32 Writing a letter to editor A quick and cheap way to make an impact is by writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Often editors find it difficult to get enough letters to fill the page so yours will be gratefully received. You can send out a letter a couple of week s in advance of the week to forewarn people the campaign is coming up, and get them thinking about adoption. Alternatively send it out after the campaign to thank people who have called up in response to your publicity. There is a template letter in appendix 3, but if you wish to write your own consider these points: Keep it short 00 to 50 words at most (if you don t, the editor will cut it down for you and may cut out some of your vital points). Letters pages aren t a free form of advertising they have to raise an issue or provoke discussion. It must be relevant to the local community, so use local names and stats if you have them. Using VIPs increases your chances of getting the letter printed (see page 8). Sometimes an editor might hold on to a letter for several weeks and print it in an edition that is short of letters, so don t put a date on your letter. If you date it you ll reduce the chance of this happening. 6

7 Include your name, address at the bottom of the letter, and include a telephone number so they can contact you if they have any further questions. You may also wish to have a look at the letters page of your local newspaper(s) to find out their style. 7

8 Event ideas If you haven t organised your National Adoption Week activity yet, here are a few ideas to help get you started. Connect with Adoption Champions in your area to hold an information event which they can talk at. There are around 300 adoption experienced people registered with our Adoption Champions scheme. To find out if there is one near you contact press@baaf.org.uk Organise a film screening and show our DVD, Three Stories, One Family. Alternatively tell some adoption experienced people you know about our film competition, and then show the film they make at an open day. Arrange a Twitter Chat, to talk to prospective adopters online and answer any questions they may have about adoption. See our social media section for more information on how to use social media to promote adoption Have an information stall at a shopping centre, farmers market or even your local library. Make it fun and interactive by including face-painting or poster making for children Instead of releasing balloons that damage the environment, why not plant bulbs to represent the number of children in care. It's the perfect time of year for planting daffodils, tulips and other spring bulbs. Engage with different communities by organising a Bring a Dish party. Guests bring a traditional type of food from their culture to share with the group. It's a great ice-breaker before launching into conversation about adoption and how it all works. Don t forget the dads! Maybe organise a football match followed by a question and answer session for prospective adopters. Also give them the chance to meet other men who adopted already. Remember to add your event to Agencies who do so find it really helps to boost numbers. The photo-call If you get creative with your event it could make a great photograph. This will be a big draw for newspapers. Think carefully beforehand about what your photo will be. Avoid having people in suits standing in a line. Think instead about the human interest angle (i.e. it s about finding families for children). When you have an idea of what the photo could be send out a photo-call notice (see appendix 4), which is essentially an invitation for newspapers to send someone along to get some pictures. On larger newspapers you should send your photo-call to the picture desk, as well as the news desk. Smaller papers won t have a picture desk so just send it to the news desk, or better still phone up and get a named contact. Remember don t send photo-call notices to radio! 8

9 Taking your own pictures Your local newspaper will not always be able to send a photographer, so make sure you take your own pictures to send to news desks and/or picture desks after the event. If you can afford to hire your own photographer then great, but if not many local papers will accept amateur photos providing they are of a certain standard. Here are some tips to help yours get included.. Try not to send photographs of many people or from far away. They do not reproduce well and tend not to get used. Instead try close-ups of two or three people s faces, with daffodils or a football, or the captain of the local rugby team with a couple of children. 2. Bright colours are likely to draw the news desk s attention. For instance, closeups of children with painted faces often appear on the front pages of local newspapers. They don t have to be adopted children they could be children from a local primary school who are supporting National Adoption Week through an event, such as planting daffodils. 3. Action shots are much more interesting than people standing in a long line. If you re organising a children s daffodil planting in the park make sure the photo shows just that. A couple of children having fun by digging around in the dirt will bring more life to your event than a parade of men in grey suits! 4. If you are taking people s pictures for use in publicity you will need to gain consent. We have included a standard model release form in appendix 5 but your communications department may have one which they may prefer you to use so it s worth checking with them first. If it is a large event with hundreds of people, where gaining individual consent would not be unrealistic, it is fine to put up signs at the entrance to the event and around the site. We have provided an example in appendix When sending photos in don t forget to caption them. They should include the names of the people in the photos (and ages if they are children), the name of the event, the date and where it took place. You should also include a contact name and telephone number for journalists who need more information. Most people send photos by nowadays, but if you are sending hard copies you can stick this information on the back. Make sure you keep your own copies though as you shouldn t expect to get these back. Involving local VIPs Getting the support of your local MP(s) can be really useful for publicity. If you don t know who your local MP is you can find out by going to This will give you full contact details, including where to address a letter. To help you we have provided a template 9

10 letter in appendix 7. However you may want to personalise it, perhaps including local information or anything you know might appeal to your MP. They will take much more notice of someone from their own constituency so remember to clearly mark your address on the letter. As well as your local MP, there are other VIPs that you could invite to take part in National Adoption Week. Mayors or local councillors would also be of interest to your local newspapers. Maybe there are also some local celebrities who would come along to your event. They don t have to be nationally famous a local radio or TV presenter would be ideal. 0

11 Using social media Although there's been some anxieties around social media in relation to contact issues this shouldn't put you off using it as a marketing tool. Many agencies, including BAAF, have been using it for several years now, achieving some great outcomes, including gaining high profile support, increased media coverage, and providing people with exclusive access to adoption experts. Before embarking on any kind of social media activity you should talk with your digital communications team. Where this team sits within your organisation may differ it is usually in marketing or PR, but sometimes it may be within the IT or web department. Please get clearance with the relevant people before engaging in any online communications activity. If you would like one-to-one support on how you could use social media please contact press@baaf.org.uk or call /33. We hope you found our recent BBC social media seminar useful. If you d like to follow up on anything discussed here, you may be interested to know that this week (commencing 24 September) is Social Media Week and there are various free seminars across London. Head here to view the full schedule: In the meantime, here are some simple activities to get you started.. If your organisation has a Facebook 'fan' page then tell people what you are doing during National Adoption Week. If you are organising an event then use the page to invite them along. Or you may like to post our adoption film on your Facebook wall. You can find our film at: 2. Social media isn't just for broadcasting messages, it's for listening too. Why not use your Facebook page to ask people what kind of event they would like to attend during National Adoption Week, or ask them about questions they need answers to. 3. Organise a Twitter Chat. BAAF has been running these for several months now and they have proved successful. We choose a subject and invite people to post questions. We then have an expert on hand to answer those questions 'live'. We ll let you know when we next have one - so get online and join in to see how it works. Tag tweets with #adoptfosterchat to join in. 4. Make a short film about adoption and upload it to YouTube. Films don't have to be expensive or complicated, and YouTube has made it so easy to share them with others. You could simply film an interview with your

12 Director of Children's Services on a mobile phone and post it to your agency's YouTube channel. Alternatively, if you are feeling a bit more creative why not have a go at making a film about what adoption means to you personally and entering it in to the National Adoption Week Awards 202. More information about that can be found at 2

13 Follow up work National Adoption Week doesn t finish on th November for most of us. As well as following up all those new enquiries you will have hopefully generated, there is lots of post publicity work to think about. Here is a checklist for you to go through. Checklist Have you captioned and sent out your photos to the local press? Have you written to your VIPs to thank them? Have you written a letter to the editor of all your local newspapers? Have you completed your evaluation form to BAAF (to follow)? Good luck!! 3

14 APPENDIX NEWS RELEASE NEWS Calling out for 'forever families' in [your area] National Adoption week 5- November 202 Adoption experts say there is a desperate need for more people to come forward to provide 'forever families' in [your area]. They hope that this week's National Adoption Week will provide an inspiration for some people to come forward. [Name of agency] is looking for families for [specify types of children you are particularly looking for families for e.g. black and minority ethnic children, sibling groups, older children, disabled children etc.). They welcome applications for all sectors of the community. [Name] from [agency] says: There are no blanket bans in adoption, so please don t think we ll turn you down because you re over 40, single, or don t own your own home. What we really need are people who can offer a child or sibling group a loving and supportive family for life. People who can help a child recover from the reasons why they came in to care and can help them go on to thrive in a new family. Initially, we are simply asking people to come forward and find out more about adoption. If you think you might have what it takes, please pick up the phone today. National Adoption Week is organised by the British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF) and aims to raise awareness of adoption and encourage potential parents to come forward. There are an estimated 4,000 children across the UK needing adoption every year, many of whom will have suffered trauma in their short lives. [Choose from the most appropriate quote for your area below] David Holmes, Chief Executive of BAAF, says: It is a sad fact that some children are simply unable to remain with their birth family, because of neglect, abuse or perhaps just because their parents are unable to cope. Adoption is one of the best ways we know of giving these children a new family for life. Children with lots of different types of early experience may need adopting - some of them have had traumatic experiences, others have learning difficulties or health problems and it s crucial that loving and permanent families are found for them. Priscilla McLoughlin, BAAF Northern Ireland Director, says: While we are making progress in Northern Ireland in the field of adoption, sadly, some children are still waiting too long for permanent and loving families. We especially need families who can adopt toddlers or school age children or make it possible for groups of brothers and sisters to grow up together. 4

15 Barbara Hudson, BAAF Scotland Director, says: In Scotland we are seeing the increasing impact of drug and alcohol misuse on children. Whether it is children being born with a dependency to drugs and/or the physical and mental health consequences of this, or parents who are struggling to deal with their own difficulties so are unable to provide consistent and loving care to their children. Many of these children will need permanent new families who can provide a firm foundation for their future. Adoption has never been more important! Wendy Keidan, BAAF Cymru Director, says: We are increasingly concerned about the acute shortage of adoptive families coming forward for all children where adoption is the plan. Over the past twelve months we have witnessed a concerning trend, in some parts of Wales in particular, that the numbers of children requiring adoptive families has continued to rise but the numbers of prospective adopters coming forward has continued to fall. This has the consequent effect of children waiting too long in foster care before going to live with their new family. We would urge anyone interested in adoption to come forward and make that critical first phone call to your local adoption agency. Anyone interested in finding out more about adoption can call [your number] or visit [your website]. For more general information about National Adoption Week visit Notes for editors ENDS. For more information please call: [Your name, number and ] 2. For more information about National Adoption Week please call the BAAF press office: /33 (out of office hours ) or press@baaf.org.uk 5

16 APPENDIX 2 Additional information for the media The 0 steps to adoption ) Express an interest. Call [your name] on [telephone number] or visit [website address]. We will give you general written information about the adoption process to help you decide if adoption is for you. 2) Start the assessment process. From formal application to approval should not normally take more than eight months. You will be invited to a preparation course; allocated a social worker who will carry out your assessment by visiting your home on a number of occasions; undergo police and health checks; and asked to provide details of personal referees. Your social worker will write a report called a Prospective Adopters Report based on the information gathered. 3) Go to panel for approval. Your social worker will present your report to the adoption or permanency panel who will recommend whether you should be approved as an adoptive parent. The great majority of people (94%) who come this far are approved. 4) Enquire about a child. Your agency will usually employ a number of strategies to help find a child who is the most suitable match with you. You can also find out about children waiting by responding to profiles of children featured in publications such as Be My Parent ( published by the British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF). 5) Find a child. If you, your social worker and the child s social worker think you might be a suitable match, you will be offered more information. You may not be the only family considered, so be prepared to try more than once. 6) Go to panel for linking. When everyone is happy the right match has been found, it will go to the adoption or permanency panel of the child s agency for approval. 7) Meet the child. How long the introduction takes varies a great deal: it may be longer for an older child, sometimes up to eight weeks. 8) Take the child home. The child must live with you for some time before an adoption is made legal at least 0 weeks in England and Wales, and 3 weeks in Scotland. 9) Make the adoption legal. An adoption only becomes legal when a court makes an adoption order. The adoption transfers all parental responsibility to the adoptive family and is permanent. The child is now legally part of your family time for a celebration! 0) Bring up your child. Adoption is a lifelong commitment. It's not always easy, but support is available. And as many adoptive parents will tell you, it can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. For more information about adoption, go to 6

17 APPENDIX 3 LETTER TO EDITOR Dear Editor, This year's National Adoption Week has been incredible. We've had some great feedback from local people. We'd like to thank everyone who has got in touch to help children in care find their 'forever family'. Although National Adoption week is now over, it's not too late to express an interest. If you'd like to find out more about adoption, even if it's just to get some answers on whether you qualify, please visit our website at [your website]. Thank you again, Person (from agency or you could put the letter in the name of a supporting VIP) Job title Name of adoption agency Address 7

18 APPENDIX 4 PHOTO CALL PHOTO-CALL National Adoption Week launches with [your event] National Adoption Week 5- November 202 National Adoption Week is being kicked off in [your area] with [who] doing [what] at [where]. The event is being held to help raise awareness of the hundreds of children who need adoptive families in the area. [Include short description of the event here]. Date: [insert date] Time [[insert time] Venue: [insert address] Onsite contact: [insert name and mobile number of whoever will be at the event] For more information about National Adoption Week visit ENDS Notes for editors. For more information please call: [Your name, number and ] 2. For more information about National Adoption Week please call the BAAF press office /33 (out of office hours ) or press@baaf.org.uk 8

19 APPENDIX 5 MODEL RELEASE FORM Release form I hereby give permission to [name of agency] to use my name and photographic likeness in order to promote National Adoption Week in newspapers, magazines, websites, exhibitions or advertising (delete any that you do not give permission for). I acknowledge by signing this form that I give up all claims of ownership to the images, editorial control and use of the images, and no payments will be made. I agree use of the image may be passed to third parties for promotion of National Adoption Week however the images will remain the property of [name of agency]. I have read this form carefully and fully understand its meanings and implications. I acknowledge that by signing this form I give [name of agency] authority to publish the photographs and agree with the terms listed above. I am 8 or over. Name: Telephone: Address: Signed: Date: If model is under 8 I,, am the parent/legal guardian of the individual named above, I have read this release and approve of its terms. Print Name: Signature: Date: 9

20 APPENDIX 6 PHOTOGRAPHY WARNING SIGN [FOR LARGE EVENTS] Photographs will be taken at this event for use in publicity for National Adoption Week If you do not wish your photograph to be taken please notify a member of staff Thank you! 2 0

21 APPENDIX 7 VIP LETTER Dear [Name], I would like to invite you to lend your support to help us recruit adoptive families for children in care in [your area]. National Adoption Week runs from 5- November 202 and is organised by the British Association for Adoption & Fostering. Locally we will be trying to recruit families for children in care, especially those who wait longest. This includes black and minority ethnic children, children with disabilities, older children and sibling groups. Last year National Adoption Week generated [number] enquiries from prospective adopters and we matched [number] children with families. We hope this year we will be able to do even better. Your support with the campaign could be enormously useful to us. The ways you could get involved include: [list three ways the MP could get involved with varying levels of time commitment some examples are below]. Come to an event we are holding with [target audience] at [venue] on [date] 2. Provide us with a quote for our press release 3. Put your name to a letter to the editors of our local press (which is attached) We appreciate you are very busy, but we hope the flexibility of our request will appeal to you. Even just an endorsement would make a big difference to our campaign. If you wish to find out more, or have any questions, please feel free to call me on [number]. Yours sincerely [Name] [Address] 2