New bullying film stars children in care

The 10-minute film Misunderstood is now being used as a training resource by local authorities

Children in care in Staffordshire feature in a new short film exploring the impact of bullying to help train social workers.

The children worked with Staffordshire Virtual School and Vamos Theatre to write, produce and star in the film.

Misunderstood is based on experiences of young people in care being bullied at school, and is being used by council to better understand the challenges they face.

One of the young people in the film said: "I know from my own experience that children in care are bullied more than other children. It has helped me to work through my own traumatic experience.

In January, Staffordshire County Council said it was supporting 5,042 children, of which 1,345 were in care.

The project received praise from the Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel De Souza.

Ms De Souza said: “It was a pleasure to watch this brilliant and incredibly moving short film, produced by a group of brave care-experienced young people from Staffordshire.

“The harsh realities of the online world and bullying are creatively portrayed in a way that can resonate with all young people, but particularly those from the care-experienced community.

"I want to thank this talented group of young people for creating this touching film, raising awareness."

Short clips of the film "Misunderstood" can be watched on Staffordshire County Council's YouTube page.