We are excited to share International Social Service (ISS) -Australia's captivating video raising awareness of the importance of international kinship care placements, showing how fulfilling it can be for a child to remain with their extended family to retain their cultural identity and sense of belonging.

The video tells the story of Joshua, who was a baby when he was removed from his mother's care. Thanks to ISS-Australia, his maternal grandparents were assessed in Borneo and were willing and able to take care of him. The video re-visits Joshua a decade on, showing his connection to the rich Bidayuh culture and language, and how surrounded his is by familial love and care.  

At CFAB, we are only too aware of the need to explore overseas placements just like Joshua’s, as growing up around your family and culture leads to increased self-esteem and, as a result, better long-term future outcomes. Despite this, these placements are too often not considered as a long-term and permanent option for children and young people currently in care in the UK, despite there being more than 18,000 Looked After Children in England and Wales with family members abroad that could and should be explored as options for their long-term care.

To try and tackle this, we helped to develop the International Kinship Care Guide, to give more guidance to professionals placing children from local authority care with family members abroad. With awareness still needed about the importance of overseas placements, we are grateful to our Australian ISS partners for creating such a powerful video.