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Cumbria Times
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12:38 PM 26th February 2021
family

LGBTQ+ People Desperately Needed As Adopters

 
Campaign calls for LGBT+ people to consider these routes to #BuildYourFamily

The latest statistics from the Department of Education show that 1 in 6 adoptions in 2020 were by same-sex couples.

Currently the Department only record limited data on LGBTQ+ adoptions this is because recording is still relatively recent. This new data excludes bisexual people, Trans people not in a same sex relationship and single LGBT adopters. Therefore, the real number of LGBTQ+ adopters will be considerably higher.

With 2,030 children currently waiting for adoption of which nearly 900 part of a sibling group there is a huge need for more adopters. 52% of these children have been waiting over 18 months for a family, a 10% increase in waiting time since 2019-20

Leading children’s charity and one of the largest voluntary adoption agencies in the UK, Adoption Matters, who cover the whole of the North of England, are proud members of New Family Social - the UK charity working for LGBTQ+ adopters, foster carers and their children who organise LGBTQ+ Adoption & Fostering Week each year, and always welcome enquiries from the LGBTQ+ community.

Adoption Matters’ couple, Michael and Les and single adopter Charlie have shared their stories in the hope of encouraging other couples to think about adoption.

Adoption Matters Chief Executive, Norman Goodwin, CBE says:
"We know from experience that LGBTQ+ people often come to adoption with an open mind and real enthusiasm – it’s often of their first choice for building their family.

"You can be single, over 50 and you don’t need to own your own home to consider adoption. We need people with stability, love and resourcefulness who can who can help a child with whatever needs they may have.

"We offer ongoing support and training to all our families and our Centre for Adoption Support offer a LGBTQ+ adopter support group"

To find out more information and meet some of the Adoption Matters team, the agency will the charity will be holding an online event during the week on Wednesday 3 March at 6:30pm. To register a place visit: www.adoptionmatters.org/events

If you can’t make the event, you can download an adoption information pack from the website visit www.adoptionmatters.org