LGBTQ+ Adoption & Fostering Week returns from 2 March. Led by New Family Social it aims to inspire LGBTQ+ people across the UK to explore adoption and fostering as routes to building their family. The campaign focuses on the fact that there’s no such thing as the perfect time to start this journey.

Now’s the time – this year’s theme – encourages LGBTQ+ potential applicants to start their journey now. There’s never a perfect time to adopt or foster, but with an urgent need for more applicants, now’s the time to take the first steps.

In England alone, there’s widespread concern about a shortage of approved adopters for the number of children with adoption as their care plan. The government in Westminster also recently committed to recruiting 10,000 new foster care places.

 

Run by LGBTQ+ adopters and foster carers and delivered in partnership with adoption and fostering agencies nationwide, the week will challenge myths and build confidence in prospective candidates. The campaign will share the voices of those who’ve already adopted, or now foster, alongside agencies that want to hear from LGBTQ+ potential applicants.

Agencies across England, Scotland and Wales will speak directly to LGBTQ+ potential adoptive parents and foster carers, through a series of social media films. Asking what LGBTQ+ applicants can expect when going on their parenting journey with the agency, and why now is the time to start exploring adoption or fostering, the films show the human side to what can be a daunting process. With some 85 agencies participating, there are options for LGBTQ+ people across the country.

Throughout the campaign, potential applicants can: 

• Hear directly from LGBTQ+ adopters and foster carers about when they took their first steps into parenting and caring
• Hear from adoption and fostering agencies that offer LGBTQ+ applicants specific support and that are keen to hear from people in the community who could apply
• Learn about the different paths into adoption and fostering 

Tor Docherty, Chief Executive of New Family Social, said:

‘So many LGBTQ+ people tell us they felt they had to wait for a perfect moment before looking into adoption or fostering. But that time never arrived and they went ahead anyway.

‘Right now our country’s most vulnerable children still need adoptive homes and foster carers. This week’s about saying: if you’re wondering whether this could ever be for you, now’s the time to take those vital first steps. Research the process. Understand how it’ll change your life. Learn about the support you’ll need to make it a success. Look at agencies that take part in the campaign to find out which is right for you.’

In England in 2025, 1 in 5 adoptions were to same-gender couples. The proportion was the same in Wales in 2024. In Scotland the proportion stood at 1 in 8 in 2024. Northern Ireland recorded 1 in 11 adoptions to same-gender couples in 2025. No UK government publishes equivalent data on people who currently foster.

During the week, participating agencies will share information, events and short films across social media. This will help potential applicants understand what support's available and how agencies work with LGBTQ+ people at every stage of their journey. 

Check out the campaign

Notes

Across the country, there are thousands of looked-after children and young people:

• In England in 2025 there were 81,770.
• In Wales in 2024 there were 7,198.
• In Scotland in 2024 there were 11,844.
• In Northern Ireland in 2025 there were 4,188 children in care.

Submitted by Diagrama, which subscribes to New Family Social's services:

The government has announced plans to relax fostering rules and cut red tape in a bid to create 10,000 new foster placements for vulnerable children in England. Current regulations - which in some areas restrict fostering to married homeowners who don't work full-time - will be updated to make it easier for full-time workers and people from diverse backgrounds to become foster carers. Additional measures include clearer guidance for prospective carers, practical support for home improvements such as extensions, and closer regional collaboration to streamline training, approvals, and placements. An extra £88 million will be invested to overhaul the fostering system and increase the availability of family-based care.

The move comes in response to a critical shortage of foster carers, with numbers falling from 63,890 in 2021 to 56,345 in March 2025, and 1,140 fewer foster placements available in the last year alone. Ministers highlight that many children are instead being placed in residential homes, which are more expensive and less suitable for long-term development. The proposals also aim to provide better day-to-day support for carers, including programmes such as Mockingbird, which connects foster families for advice, respite, and mutual support. The plans are intended to encourage more people to step forward while ensuring that children receive stable, loving, and appropriate family care.

Kate Patel, Head of Fostering and Adoption, Diagrama Foundation, responds to the announcement:

'There is a great deal of discussion in the media today about proposed changes to fostering, and while we need time to fully digest the detail, what feels most important right now is to be clear and proud about the work foster carers already do.

'At Diagrama Fostering, we work with outstanding foster carers who provide safe, nurturing homes to children with very complex life experiences. Some of our carers work full time alongside fostering, some part time, others live in rented accommodation rather than owning their own homes. What unites them is their commitment, skill, and ability to put children’s needs first.

'Children who need fostering have often experienced trauma and instability from a very young age. They require carers who can dedicate time, emotional energy, and consistency, alongside strong professional support from their fostering agency. Any review that shines a spotlight on fostering and recognises the urgent need for more carers is welcome, but we must also remain realistic about the demands of the role.

'We would be cautious about any move to overly relax assessment or approval processes. Robust systems exist to safeguard children and carers alike and weakening these risks poor practice and an increase in allegations, which helps no one. What foster carers need is excellent, consistent support, something we know is central to good outcomes and something Diagrama prioritises.

'There have been suggestions that some independent fostering agencies make significant profits. At Diagrama, this is not the case – we are a not-for-profit organisation and every penny we receive is reinvested directly into supporting vulnerable children and their foster families.

'We note the government’s intention to reduce reliance on profit-making providers, encourage greater local authority capacity, and explore regional collaboration models similar to adoption. Not-for-profit organisations like Diagrama have a valuable role to play in supporting these ambitions and ensuring quality and stability remain at the heart of fostering.

'We will continue to review the proposals in detail and look forward to contributing constructively to discussions and consultations about how best to support children, foster carers, and the wider fostering system.'

'Life-affirming. Rewarding. Fun. Challenging. Exhilarating.' We asked our local foster carers to sum up in words what it felt like to them to foster a child. Above are some of the words they used.

Others have talked about the support, training and mentorship that's available, both from the Council and from other local Foster Carers.

If you Foster with Torbay you'll get access to:

• Extensive support and training
• a dedicated social worker
• Mentoring from an experienced Foster Carer
• Support phone line
• access to a support network including local Foster Carers Forum
• events for you and your family throughout the year from a summer barbecue to Christmas party and the Train of Lights.
• Free beach hut access and other benefits such as free passes for Paignton Zoo and free tickets for home games at Torquay United, plus much more.

Every penny allocated to Torbay Council’s Fostering service is spent on achieving the best outcomes for our children in care – unlike some private fostering agencies that run as businesses to maximise return on investment for their shareholders.

If you're thinking of becoming a Foster Carer please contact us on 01803 207 845, by sending us an email, or visiting the Torbay Council Fostering webpages 

You can also check out this Fostering South West podcast episode featuring Annette from Torbay Council's Fostering Service.

Submitted by Torbay Council's Fostering Service, part of Fostering South West which subscribes to New Family Social's services.

To mark Big Adoption Day, Diagrama Foundation will highlight the urgent need for more adoptive families, as thousands of children across the UK continue to wait for safe, loving and permanent homes.

Big Adoption Day is held to raise awareness and challenge common myths around adoption and encourage more people to explore whether they could offer a child a family. Diagrama Foundation, a voluntary adoption agency, will use the day to reassure prospective adopters that adoption is more inclusive than many people realise.

To support this, Diagrama Adoption will host a drop-in information session in Croydon on 21 January. The event will give local people the opportunity to meet the adoption team, ask questions, and learn more in a relaxed, no-obligation setting. In addition, the charity continues to run regular online information sessions, making it easier for people across London and beyond to access information about adoption.

Many children waiting for adoption have experienced early trauma and uncertainty and are simply waiting for someone to offer them stability, care and long-term commitment. Diagrama Foundation is keen to dispel misconceptions about who can adopt. There is a minimum age requirement, but no upper age limit. People can adopt whether they are single or married, whether they already have birth children or have never had children.

Diagrama Adoption is a voluntary adoption agency, meaning it is child-centred and not profit-driven. The organisation works closely with local authorities while providing personalised support to adopters, from initial enquiry through to adoption and beyond, offering post-adoption support to families.

Big Adoption Day is an opportunity to start conversations and encourage people who may have previously dismissed adoption to take a closer look.

To book into the coffee and cake event in Croydon visit - Big Adoption Day Coffee & Cake Meet with Diagrama (Drop-ins Very Welcome!) Tickets, Wed 21 Jan 2026 at 11:00 | Eventbrite

To book an online session on 14 January visit January - Intro to Adoption & Early Permanence with Diagrama Adoption Tickets, Wed, Jan 14, 2026 at 6:00 PM | Eventbrite

Submitted by Diagrama

Fostering with Swindon isn’t about having a perfect home or a perfect life. It’s about bringing the skills you already have to a child who needs them most. Every experience you’ve gathered, every challenge you’ve overcome, and every strength you carry can shape a young life in extraordinary ways.

Maybe you’re a patient listener or the friend everyone turns to for calm guidance. That skill is transformative in parent and child fostering, where a young parent needs someone steady beside them as they learn to care for their baby. Your reassurance could be the difference between fear and confidence, uncertainty and stability.

Do you enjoy getting to know families and becoming part of their network? Our families caring for a child with disabilities offer meaningful interactions, strong relationships and opportunities for the children to have wonderful lasting memories. Could you be part of the support for a family to help them thrive?

Perhaps your professional world has taught you to stay composed under pressure. Whether you’re used to leading teams, managing crises or supporting vulnerable people. Those strengths are invaluable for separated migrant children who are seeking asylum, young people who arrive alone and need a foster carer who can offer safety, advocacy, and hope in a strange new world.

If you’re naturally family focused, enjoy working with others or someone who notices the smallest change in someone’s needs, you may be perfect for fostering babies and toddlers, giving them the warmth and routine that shape healthy development.

If you’re someone who brings people together, who values connection and harmony, you could keep brothers and sisters side-by-side, ensuring they stay together through one of the most uncertain moments of their lives.

Your creativity, humour, or ability to motivate others can change the life of a teenager who’s trying to make sense of who they are and where they belong. A shared love of sport, music, gaming, or cooking might be the bridge that helps them trust again.

Has your life experience given you resilience and determination? These skills can help you get alongside a child who is being supported to move from a residential home to a fostering family home.

Your compassion. Your resilience. Your life experience. These are the skills that matter.

When you foster with Swindon, you’ll be supported every step of the way through training, guidance and a team that celebrates your strengths as much as the children’s.

Your skills, their future!

A child’s tomorrow can begin with you, today.

Submitted by Fostering with Swindon. For more information please visit their website.

The latest figures on adoptions in England and Scotland show a stark divide between male and female couples. An analysis by New Family Social this week shows that in England in 2025 there were more than twice as many adoptions to male couples (420) as female couples (200).

In Scotland in 2024 there were 40 adoptions to male couples, compared to 29 the previous year. Female couples accounted for eight adoptions in 2024, down from 15 in 2023. While the overall number of adoptions to same-gender couples remained relatively static year on year, this was due to increases in the number of male couples adopting.

The analysis looked at figures published by the Department of Education in November and the latest data from the National Records of Scotland. It found that in England adoptions by female couples fell from 220 in 2024 to 200 in 2025. In Scotland the number in 2024 fell to 8, from 15 in 2023.

Tor Docherty, Chief Executive of New Family Social said: ‘The gulf between the number of male couples and female couples adopting should give pause for thought. There’s always been an accepted difference, but the numbers of lesbian and bi women successfully adopting are now worryingly low.

‘Adoption stakeholders should look closely at their recruitment campaigns, marketing collateral and materials to check they speak to all parts of the LGBTQ+ community. At a time when there’s concern that not enough people are considering adoption, it’s complacent to assume that lesbian and bi women will do so just because they have done for years. This complacency could ultimately deny vulnerable children the widest possible pool of potential adopters.’

The data:

Country	England	England		Scotland	Scotland
Reporting period	2025	2024		2024	2023
Total number of adoptions	3040	3020		369	369
Total number of male/male couples adopting	410	380		40	29
Total female/female couples adopting	200	220		8	15
Total number of adoptions to same-gender couples	610	600		48	44
Same-gender adoptions as percentage of total	20.1	19.9		13	11.9
Same-gender adoptions as proportion of total	1 in 5	1 in 5		1 in 8	1 in 8

Adapted from the Department of Education’s Children looked after in England including adoptions and the Vital Events Reference Tables 2024, National Records of Scotland.

Notes

• Data published by the Department for Education covers 01/04/2024-31/03/25. Data published by National Records of Scotland covers 01/01/2024-31/12/24.
  
  
• All data published by UK countries undercounts LGBTQ+ people’s engagement with adoption. This data focuses on the composition of the adoptive family by binary gender, e.g. adoptions by one man & one woman, two men, two women, one man, one woman. As a result, New Family Social’s analysis cannot include LGBTQ+ single adopters or any bi people in a different gender relationship. Similarly, trans adopters in a different gender relationship are absent from the analysis.
  
  
• Wales is the only UK country to publish data on adoptions by non-binary people.

Booking's now open for New Family Social's 2025 annual adoption and fostering briefing. The online session takes place on 26 November.

Sector professionals can now apply to attend the online event. If you're an Orange member, or one of our professional contacts, you can log-in and register to attend the session.

The event's an opportunity to hear about the latest good practice when working with LGBTQ+ applicants, adoptive parents and foster carers. The session will also cover current statistics, plans for the future and more.

If you're an adoption or fostering professional and not a member of New Family Social you can complete this online form to apply to attend the session.

Adoptions by female couples in Scotland almost halved in 2024, compared to the previous year. New figures published by National Records of Scotland show that 8 out of 369 adoptions in the country in 2024 were to two female joint adopters, compared to 15 in 2023.

1 in 8 adoptions in Scotland in 2024 were to same-gender couples, with 40 adoptions taking place to male couples last year. With the number of male joint adopters in Scotland rising from 29 in 2023, the tumble in recorded adoptions by female couples mirrors a similar slide in England.

Analysis of these new statistics by New Family Social, shows Scotland remains the country with the lowest proportion of LGBTQ+ adopters in the UK. In England in 2023/24, 1 in 5 adoptions were to same-gender couples, and in Wales and Northern Ireland the figure was 1 in 6.

James Lawrence, Head of Communications & Engagement at New Family Social said: ‘While the proportion of same-gender couples adopting in Scotland remained static in 2024, it masks a worrying decline in the number of adoptions to female couples. Adoption leaders in Scotland need to look closely at their recruitment strategies, assessment and matching practice to identify possible causes for this fall and take action. Looked-after children deserve to have access to the greatest possible pool of potential adoptive parents and this includes LGBTQ+ people.’

The data:

	2024	2023
Adoptions total [Scotland]	369	369
Two male joint adopters	40	29
Two female joint adopters	8	15
Total number of adoptions to same gender couples	48	44
Number of adoptions to same-gender couples as percentage  of all adoptions in year	13	11.9

Data from National Records of Scotland

Limitations of the data

All data published by any UK government undercounts LGBTQ+ people's engagement with adoption. This is because the published data focuses on the composition of the adoptive family rather than covering the sexual orientation and gender identity of the adopters.

As a result our calculations have to exclude:

• single adopters who are LGBTQ+
• bi adopters in a different-gender relationship
• trans adopters in a different gender relationship

This afternoon - 01 April - the government confirmed the first details of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund for 2025/26. The fund - which pays for essential therapeutic services for adoptive and special guardianship order families in England - closed on 31 March.

Janet Darby MP - the Children's Minister - said that 'therapy which started in the last financial year can continue into 2025/26, even ahead of 2025/26 budget announcements' and that '£50 million has been allocated for the fund this year' with more details due to be announced in the House of Commons later this year.

The announcement came a day after the Fund closed for 2024/25.

There's currently no information on when the Fund will reopen to new applications, although the Minister said the government will open 'applications to families and children across our country as soon as we can'.

While this information will be a relief to many LGBTQ+ adoptive parents who rely on the fund, questions remain around the future of the fund beyond 2025/26. New Family Social supports calls for the Fund to be placed on a permanent basis to avoid the distress caused to vulnerable children and their families this uncertainty caused. 

Find out more:

BBC News

Community Care

LGBTQ+ people in the UK are called upon to change lives in 2025 through adoption and fostering. Led by New Family Social, the annual LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week campaign returns from 3 March.

Adoption and fostering can have a profound and positive impact on the lives of vulnerable children. In England in 2024 there were some 83,630 looked-after children.

The campaign brings together adoption and fostering agencies with LGBTQ+ potential applicants. It highlights the unique strengths and insight that LGBTQ+ people can bring to parenting and caring roles. While LGBTQ+ people already play a significant role in adoption and fostering, there’s an urgent need for more to do so.

LGBTQ+ Adoption & Fostering Week is supported by a range of podcast episodes, and campaign videos that will roll out across social media.

Tor Docherty, Chief Executive of New Family Social, said: ‘If you adopt or foster, you’ll change lives in 2025. Caring for a looked-after child transforms both your life and theirs. As LGBTQ+ people we know what it means to develop your identity and navigate sharing information about yourself with others. As a community we’re uniquely well-placed to help adopted children and those in foster care navigate the reality of their lives.’

Government statistics show that 1 in 5 adoptions in England in 2024 were to same-gender couples. In Wales and Northern Ireland it stood at 1 in 6. In Scotland in 2023, 1 in 8 adoptions were to same-gender couples. While all UK countries need more people to foster, none publishes data on the number of LGBTQ+ people who foster.

For more information, visit the campaign page where you’ll also find an agency locator.