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  • 4 Mar 2024 07:48 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    LGBTQ+ people in the UK from minoritised ethnic groups are being called on to consider adopting or fostering this March. Social workers can struggle to find appropriate adoption and fostering placements for looked-after children from the global majority. Too few approved adopters and foster carers share the same culture and heritage as these vulnerable children. LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week returns today - 4 March - to encourage more LGBTQ+ people to consider exploring these routes to parenting.

    In England in 2023 there were 83,840 looked-after children. Three in 10 of these children - 29 per cent - were from minoritised ethnic groups. While 1 in 5 adoptions in England in 2023 were to same-gender couples, the need for more adoption and fostering applicants is both great and urgent.

    This LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week, agencies across the UK want to hear from any LGBTQ+ people interested in either route to forming their family. Throughout the week a number of events will take place. These include an information webinar featuring LGBTQ+ people from minoritised ethnic groups who’ve adopted or fostered. There’s also free training for applicants and professionals on how to prepare LGBTQ+ people for transracial adoption or fostering.

    Tor Docherty, New Family Social Chief Executive said: ‘LGBTQ+ potential applicants from minoritised ethnic groups should count themselves in as potential adopters or foster carers, not rule themselves out. In an ideal world every looked-after child would find a placement with a family that shared their culture and heritage. Where this can’t happen, agencies must work hard to help LGBTQ+ applicants to understand how to meet their child’s culture and heritage needs.’

    LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week is led by New Family Social – the UK’s peer-support charity for LGBTQ+ adopters, foster carers and special guardians. The campaign – unique in the country – brings together LGBTQ+ potential applicants with adoption and fostering agencies. When it started in 2012, adoptions in England by same-gender couples stood at 1 in 31. In 2023, the proportion was 1 in 5. The campaign this March is supported by some 120 adoption and fostering agencies from across the UK.

    You can follow LGBTQ+ Adoption & Fostering Week online and through Instagram (@newfamilysocial) and Facebook (@newfamilysocial).

    If you’re LGBTQ+ in the UK and want to find out more you can register for a free webinar on 6 March, which will feature the stories of LGBTQ+ adopters and foster carers.

    Check out the campaign

  • 12 Dec 2023 15:26 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    LGBTQ+ Adoption & Fostering Week will return from 4 March, 2024. The annual campaign brings together adoption and fostering agencies from across the UK with LGBTQ+ potential applicants.

    Registration is now open for agencies that want to participate in the campaign. Our Orange professional members can sign up via this site, or non-member professionals visit LinkedIn for further details on how they can register.

    Orange member registration

     Find out more on LinkedIn 

  • 20 Nov 2023 14:19 | Anonymous member (Administrator)



    1 in 5 adoptions in England in 2023 were to same-sex couples, according to new statistics published by the Department for Education and analysed by New Family Social. Some 600 adoptions in the reporting period were to same-sex couples, which is both the highest total number and proportion on record in the country.

    The news comes following March’s LGBTQ+ Adoption & Fostering Week, the only national campaign that specifically focuses on encouraging LGBTQ+ people to consider adoption or fostering. Led by New Family Social – the UK’s peer support charity for LGBTQ+ adopters and foster carers – the campaign brought together some 100 agencies.

    Tor Docherty, New Family Social’s Chief Executive, said: ‘These results are fantastic news - not just for LGBTQ+ people in England thinking about adoption but most importantly for those vulnerable children waiting to be matched with a new forever family.

    ‘LGBTQ+ people now play a key role in adoption. It’s time for the sector to develop and adopt minimum baseline standards of good practice when working with our community. These will make sure that LGBTQ+ people can have confidence that whichever agency they choose, they’ll work with professionals who focus on the strengths LGBTQ+ people bring to adoption, rather than misconceptions and prejudice. We know from our work that not all LGBTQ+ people who adopt in England have a journey free from discrimination and baseline standards would help agencies to better assess and support our community.’

    Analysis of data taken from Department for Education

    Adopter type Adoptions in 2022 [2021/22]   Adoptions in 2023 [2022/23]
     Female couple [married] 110   130
     Female couple [civil partnership] 30  30 
     Female couple [unmarried / not in a civil partnership] 40  70 
     Male couple [married] 180  190 
     Male couple [civil partnership] 40  40 
     Male couple [unmarried / not in a civil partnership] 130  140 
     Total same-sex couples 530  600 
     All adoptions by adopter type 3000  2960 
    Same-sex couples as percentage of all adopter types 17.7  20.3 
     Same-sex couples as proportion of all adopters types 1 in 6 [1 in 5.7]  1 in 5 [1 in 4.9] 

    Limitations of data – as the Department for Education reports on the composition of the adoptive family, rather than sexual orientation or gender identity of adopters, it undercounts LGBTQ+ people’s engagement. Absent from the data are LGBTQ+ single adopters, bi people in a different gender relationship and trans people in a different gender relationship.

    Compared to the rest of the UK, in Northern Ireland in 2023, 1 in 8 adoptions were to same-sex couples. The most recent statistics for Wales show that 1 in 4 adoptions in 2022 were to same-sex couples. In Scotland – where adoptions are reported by calendar rather than financial year – 1 in 12 adoptions in 2022 were to same-sex couples.


    New Family Social's online annual briefing for adoption and fostering sector professionals takes place 29 November.

    Booking info



  • 6 Nov 2023 09:28 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The LGBTQ+ briefing for adoption and fostering professionals in the UK will return on 29 November. Booking for the free online event - run by New Family Social - is open now.

    The briefing shares the latest statistics, good practice and relevant news for those working in the sector who support LGBTQ+ applicants, adoptive parents, foster carers or special guardians. 

    Orange members can log in now to register. Professional who aren't members can apply to attend by completing an online form.

    Orange members' registration

    Non-members'  application to attend - Online registration is now closed. Please call 0203 880 2683 for event availability. [29/11/2023]

  • 30 Oct 2023 15:54 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Newly published data from the Department of Health in Northern Ireland shows that 1 in 8 adoptions in the country during 2022-2023 were to same-sex couples. This was an increase from 2021-2022 where the proportion was 1 in 10.

    Exact figures for the country are unavailable beyond the total number of adoptions - 108 in the reporting period - but the accompanying narrative from the Department of Health says that:

    'Some 75% the adopters were different sex couples who were married or in a civil partnership and 5% were different sex unmarried couples. Some 7% were same sex couples who were married or in a civil partnership and 6% were same sex unmarried couples. A further 6% were single adopters'

    Northern Ireland is the first of the UK countries to publish statistics covering 2023. By contrast the remaining UK countries most recent figures showed that:

    • 1 in 4 adoptions in Wales in 2022 were to same-sex couples. [Reporting period 2021-2022 / 65 out of 285 adoptions]
    • 1 in 6 adoptions in England in 2022 were to same-sex couples [Reporting period 2021-2022 / 540 out of 2950 adoptions]
    • 1 in 12 adoptions in Scotland in 2022 were to same-sex couples [Reporting period calendar year 2022 / 32 out of 370 adoptions]


    All data published in UK countries undercounts LGBTQ+ people's involvement with adoption. This is because it focuses on the adoptive family's composition - showing whether the adoptive parent is one man/one woman/two women/two men, etc. - rather than the sexual orientation and gender identity of adopters. As a result single LGBTQ+ adopters can't be counted. Similarly invisible in statistics are bi adopters in an opposite gender relationship or trans adopters in an opposite gender relationship.

    Download our summary [log-in required]  


    Latest Northern Ireland statistics

  • 30 Oct 2023 11:24 | Anonymous member (Administrator)


    Arjay & Tom share their story of adopting twins - 12 weeks ago - in the latest instalment of Adoption, Fostering & Tea. The couple talk about their adoption journey, the matching process and the joy of their new family.

    Check out the episode on Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts from. ️‍ https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/adoption-fostering-tea-the-new-family-social-podcast/id1511504425?i=1000632538752

  • 18 Oct 2023 14:57 | Anonymous member (Administrator)


    After a two year assessment journey Neil and Stuart were matched - and now live - with their son. However, his birth parents want to contest the adoption. Check out their story in the latest instalment of 'Adoption, Fostering & Tea'. 


    Listen on Apple podcasts


  • 1 Oct 2023 16:39 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    How do you know when it's the right time to adopt? Cameron shares his story in the latest instalment of Adoption, Fostering & Tea.

    He and his husband are researching adoption and wondering whether they know enough. Should they move house first?  When is the right time to start the process?

    You can check out his questions and solutions on Apple podcasts now, or wherever you get your podcasts from.

  • 18 Sep 2023 14:31 | Anonymous member (Administrator)


    Stuart and Simon return to update us on their story in the latest instalment of 'Adoption, Fostering & Tea'. The couple adopted siblings in 2020 and share the joy and challenges they've gone through since their first appearance on the podcast. ️‍

    Listen on Spotify

    Listen on Apple Podcasts


  • 18 Sep 2023 14:24 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Voluntary adoption agencies across the UK have come together with a joint mission to stop brothers and sisters who are waiting in care from being separated when adopted.

    Almost half of children currently waiting in care* are part of a family group and voluntary adoption agencies (VAAs) are looking for people who can offer them a permanent and loving home.

    Diagrama Adoption and Fostering is among 23 VAAs from across the UK that have together created a guide for people considering adoption containing helpful information and advice from parents who have already adopted sibling groups.

    Kate Patel, Head of Adoption and Fostering, Diagrama Foundation said, 'The impact on children in care who are separated from their brothers and sisters can be huge. It is vitally important that a permanent family is secured for them, however if this means they are separated from their siblings when they have already experienced a difficult start in life, then this can be really challenging.

    'Yet so few people feel equipped or able to consider adopting a sibling group of two, three, or even four children.

    'We are excited to be part of this project sharing first hand, heartfelt experience and advice from families who have already done this incredible thing of adopting a sibling pair or group.'

    VAAs are specialists in finding families for children who wait the longest in care. They work in partnership with local authorities to find families for children waiting for a permanent home.

    As independent, not-for-profit organisations VAAs offer intensive services to provide families with support - both when the children are placed and into the future.

    Maggie Jones, Chief Executive, Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies (CVAA) which represents VAAs across the country said, 'Brother and sisters who are adopted together are often the only constant thing in each other’s lives in times of huge upheaval, loss and trauma.

    'The voluntary adoption sector are specialists in finding families for sibling groups and being there for them with bespoke packages of support for as long as it’s needed.'

    Find out more about Diagrama Adoption

    Find your nearest Voluntary Adoption Agency 

    *There are currently 2,030 children waiting to be adopted in England. 890 of those are in a family group. 520 children who are part of a sibling group have been waiting for 18 months or more to find a home.

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