Be the Family They’re Waiting For: LGBTQ+ Adopters Needed to Transform Children’s Lives
More LGBTQ+ people are needed to step forward to adopt or foster in England, in the face of an urgent need for more adoptive parents and foster carers.
Led by charity New Family Social the campaign brings together adoption and fostering agencies from across the country with LGBTQ+ potential applicants. The campaign, rolling out on social media with videos and podcasts, calls on the community to think
about how it could change lives in 2025.
In England there are some 83,630 looked-after children. Last year alone 1 in adoptions in the country were to same-gender couples. However, the actual number of adoptions to these couples fell by 40 from 2023.
Tor Docherty, Chief Executive of New Family Social, said: “LGBTQ+ people in the UK can and do adopt and foster, but our country’s most vulnerable children need more of us to come forward. You’ll help a child who’s had a chaotic start in life find and forge
their identity, changing their life and yours for the better.’
Andrew Logie, Head of Service at Adopt Birmingham, said: “The LGBTQ+ community brings unique strengths to parenting that are invaluable for adopted children. These parents are often excellent at advocating for themselves and their families, having navigated their own identity journeys. This experience translates into an exceptional ability to help children understand and embrace their own identities and histories. With adoption declining remarkably over the past few years, and so many children in England waiting in care, we desperately need more LGBTQ+ individuals and couples to step forward.”
If you’re LGBTQ+ you can find out more about adopting or fostering at a free webinar on 4 March, hosted by New Family Social. Join the charity for free to register and find out more.
If you would like to find out more about fostering in Birmingham, visit Foster Birmingham.