Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
Adoption and Fostering Week
LGBT parents have been offering loving homes
for children in need for many years. However,
more LGBT adopters and foster carers are needed
to provide loving, stable homes for children in
the UK, particularly for those over four years old
and sibling groups. While 1 in 12 adoptions in
England in 2015 were to same-sex couples, there
are still some 69,540 children are in care in need
of a loving home.
To help meet this need, New Family Social – the
UK’s LGBT adoption and fostering charity – is
holding the fifth LGBT Adoption & Fostering
Week from 7 March. In 2015 the week saw 55
awareness-raising events held across the country,
backed by a social media campaign that reached
a huge 9.4 million people. A plethora of events
are planned for 2016, to help LGBT people
explore whether adoption or fostering is for them.
The week is also an opportunity to celebrate
the achievements of families headed by LGBT
adoptive parents or foster carers
Tor Docherty, New Family Social Chief
Executive, said: ‘We know from our members
that LGBT people often come to adoption and
fostering with an open mind and real enthusiasm,
for many it’s their first choice for growing their
family. Adopted and fostered children have
frequently had a very traumatic start to life, and
we’ve seen them thrive with their new parents.’
‘We’re thrilled that record numbers of LGBT
people now choose to adopt or foster. YouGov
polling in 2013 showed many believe they’ll be
discriminated against by agencies - with eight in
ten lesbian, gay and bisexual people expecting
to face barriers if they apply to become foster
parents. Almost half expected to be treated worse
than a heterosexual person by an adoption agency
if they wanted to adopt. We’re delighted that
agencies around the UK increasingly recognise
that LGBT people can meet the needs of these
children, with parenting skills to help them
achieve their full potential.’
If you’re interested in finding out more about
adoption or fostering you can find your nearest
information event, hosted by an agency that
welcomes LGBT people at
You can hear LGBT people talking about
adopting on the New Family Social website.
LGBT foster carers talk about their experiences
on the site, as do children fostered by LGBT
people.
You can also follow the week using the hashtag
#LGBT2016
7-13 March 2016
spring 2015
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