LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week 2024

Tuesday, 5 March 2024 06:00

By Chris Collman

LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week 2024 runs until Sunday 10 March 2024.

While Devon County Council want to celebrate their adopters and foster carers every week of the year, this week they are giving particular attention to celebrating members of the LGBTQ+ community who are thinking about fostering or adoption.

The Council need more adopters and foster carers from all backgrounds, regardless of their sexuality, gender, relationship status, race, ethnicity or religion.

Top facts! In England, in 2023…

one in five adoptions were to same-sex couples. With 600 out of 2,960 adoptions being to same-sex couples – this was the highest number on record in England and was also the highest proportion
there were 83,840 looked-after children. This was an increase from 2022. Three in 10 of these children (29 per cent) are from the global majority

On the Adopt South West website, they have answered some questions from LGBTQ+ people about adoption.

Use the ‘Ready to adopt?’ checker to learn more about who can adopt and when the time might be right for you.

Did you know LGBTQ+ adoptive parents represent the second largest group of all adopters in England? In 2023, one in five adoptions were to same-gender couples.

Matthew and his husband adopted a little boy

They met other adopters who helped with their anxieties. They found the matching process the hardest.

“We put ourselves forward for a few children but then we trusted our social worker and he found us our little boy.”

Here, Devon adopter, Matthew, shares their adoption journey.

Amanda White, Interim Head of Adopt South West, said:

“We welcome LGBTQ+ adopters in the South West. Our experience tells us that children thrive in LGBTQ+ families and at Adopt South West we have some great LGBTQ+ parents, and with great parents come great families for our children.

“There are children all across our region looking for loving homes and many are primary school age children, brothers and sisters and children with disabilities and additional health needs. No matter their background, all they need is their loving family to change their life.

“We want children who haven’t had an equal start in life to have an equal chance in life. Love, time and commitment to a child are three of the most important attributes you can have to adopt a child.

“If you’ve been thinking about adopting, on your own, or with your partner, then we’d love to hear from you and look forward to welcoming more people into our Adopt South West family.”

Across Devon, we currently have 383 Foster Carers, far less than the amount of carers we need to meet demand. It is of paramount importance to us to keep foster children in their local area, continuing to attend the schools where they are known by their friends and teachers. Having to move them out of their known area means not only do they lose their familiar home environment with pets, toys and siblings, but also lose the connections they have with education, health and friendships.

Michael and Steve are two of our inspirational foster carers.

“My husband Steve and I have been fostering now for around 18 months and have been thoroughly enjoying the role. For us, being foster carers has given us a sense of purpose, and being able to provide a loving and safe home environment to vulnerable children is something that we feel passionately about.

“Being a Foster Carer has allowed us to progress ourselves as professionals within the Fostering Devon team as well as act as role models for the children we care for. We enjoy the training and development opportunities Fostering Devon has available and we’ve felt fully supported from the very beginning of our assessment journey, and have been lucky enough to be assigned some of the most fantastic social workers.

“The role of fostering has been by no means an easy journey but as time goes on we cannot see ourselves doing anything else and look forward to new opportunities and meeting and caring for future children.”

Emma Nobes, Service Manager at Fostering Devon, adds:

“This week, as every week we welcome enquiries from Devon’s LGBTQ+ community, the most important thing to us is that you can provide a loving, safe and stable foster home for a child or young person for as long as they may need.

“Every child in our care is unique, and all have very different needs. Here at Fostering Devon we are interested in what you have to offer a child or young person, we need people with different skills, abilities and experiences – who you are really does matter to us. Please get in touch.”

Foster Carers for Devon County Council receive excellent training opportunities, support from our community and generous allowances.

Further information

Throughout the week, members of the LGBTQ+ community from the global majority who’ve adopted or fostered are sharing their stories and personal clips about their journeys to parenting and caring.

We encourage lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender+ people to think about giving a loving home to a child through adopting with Adopt South West or fostering with Devon County Council’s Fostering Devon.