March 02, 2018
LGBT Adoption & Fostering Week begins this Monday, 5th March, and St. Francis’ Children’s Society (SFCS) is taking the opportunity to encourage members of the LGBT community to consider adoption.
More LGBT adopters and foster carers are needed to provide loving, stable homes for vulnerable children, particularly for those over four years old and sibling groups. 1 in 10 adoptions in England in 2017 were to same-sex couples, but over 70,000 children are in care.
Alison Miller, CEO of SFCS says: ‘We know from experience that LGBT people often come to adoption and fostering with an open mind and real enthusiasm, as it’s often their first choice for growing their family. Many children in care have had a very traumatic start to life, and we’ve seen them thrive with their new parents.
‘We need people with stability, love and resourcefulness who can who can help a vulnerable child with whatever needs they may have.’
SFCS are marking LGBT Adoption & Fostering Week in a number of ways. During the campaign, we will be publishing real stories from two LGBT couples who adopted through SFCS – keep an eye on our Latest News page throughout the week.
We will be hosting a special information evening at the SFCS offices in MK at 6.30pm on Wednesday 7th March, and one of our LGBT adopters will be there to share their experiences of adoption. You can find out more here. Although the event will celebrate LGBT adoption, it is open to anyone who is thinking about growing their family through adoption.
And we are delighted to announce that we will also be co-hosting an exciting panel discussion about LGBT adoption with the RoundabOUT Network in Milton Keynes. The event is taking place at 12.30pm on Friday 9th March at the Dentons offices in central MK. Please email LeanneS@sfcs.org.uk or visit our Facebook page to find out more.
On top of all of this, we will also be beavering away on Facebook and Twitter throughout the week. We’ll be sharing loads of advice, information, films and podcasts to help members of the LGBT community find out more about adoption.
Now in its seventh year, LGBT Adoption & Fostering Week is organised by New Family Social, a charity that supports LGBT adopters and foster carers across the UK.
Tor Docherty, New Family Social’s Chief Executive, said: ‘Record numbers of LGBT people now choose to adopt or foster. But YouGov polling shows that many believe they’ll be discriminated against by agencies, with eight in ten lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people expecting to face barriers if they apply to become adopters.
‘We’re delighted that SFCS is trying to encourage more LGBT people to explore adoption.’
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