LGBT+ Adoption and Fostering Week returns from 1 March 2021 – the annual campaign to encourage more LGBT+ people to explore these parenting routes and to tackle some of the ongoing misconceptions around starting a family.
With some 80,000 children in care in England in 2020, there’s an urgent and real need for more people to adopt and foster. LGBT+ people are uniquely placed to help vulnerable children navigate their identities. This is reflected in the record numbers of adoptions to LGBT+ people in England in 2020, with 1 in 6 adoptions being to same-sex couples.
Despite lockdown it’s still possible to explore the adoption and fostering assessment process, with sessions now taking place online.
Cabinet member for children’s services, Cllr Matt Smith said: “Ensuring that children live in loving, stable homes is a key priority for us as corporate parents.
“There is a range of misconceptions among prospective adopters and foster carers regarding their eligibility for example, if they are single, in a LGBT+ relationship or of an older age.
“That’s why the theme ‘You can adopt’ is so important, specifically within the LGBT+ community.”
For more information visit togetherforadoption.co.uk.
Together for Adoption brings together the adoption services of Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, St. Helens, Warrington and Wigan