New Family Social, the UK network for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) adoptive and foster families reports that record numbers of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people now adopt and foster in the UK but with some 70,000 children in care in England alone, there is still a real need for more LGBT people to consider adoption or fostering. However, as our children have often experienced chaotic early years potential adopters and foster carers need to be resilient and resourceful to form remarkable families.
Is there any research around LGBT people adopting or fostering?
Recent studies have shown that LGBT people are more open to:
– adopting siblings
– children with attachment difficulties
– older children
– children with behavioural difficulties
These are all categories of children often seen by professionals as ‘harder-to-place’
What are the most recent government statistics?
- 1 in 10 adoptions in England in 2016 were to same-sex couples. In total there’s been 2,140 adoptions to same-sex couples in England since monitoring began.
- In Scotland, in 2015, there were 22 adoptions to same-sex couples. In total there’s been 67 adoptions to same-sex couples in Scotland since monitoring began..
- In Wales, in 2016, there were 20 adoptions to same-sex couples. Since reporting began there’s been 110 adoptions to same-sex couples.
(These statistics do not include single adopters who are lesbian, gay or bisexual. Also not included in data collection is whether a person is trans. Finally, as the data collected focuses on the family consistency and not the adopters’ sexual orientation, the number of bisexual people in opposite-sex relationships is unknown.)
So if you’re thinking about adoption and want to know more, why not contact us today at Adopters for Adoption and have a chat to one of our friendly adoption staff.