Children from the global majority among those waiting the longest for placements

Caritas Care is proud to highlight the important contributions LGBTQ+ couples and individuals make to adoption during LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week. Caritas Care is committed to supporting and empowering LGBTQ+ adopters and foster carers on their adoption journey and prides themselves on being an inclusive adoption agency.

This LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week, LGBTQ+ people in the UK are being called on to consider adopting or fostering.  Social Workers can struggle to find appropriate adoption and fostering placements for looked after children from the global majority.  There are currently too few approved adopters and foster carers who share the same culture and heritage as these vulnerable children.

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 were to same gender couples, the need for more adoption and fostering applicants is both great and urgent.

Tor Docherty, New Family Social CEO said, “ LGBTQ+ potential applicants from minoritised ethnic groups should count themselves in as potential adopters and 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.”

Susan Swarbrick, CEO at Caritas Care said, “ LGBTQ+ couples and individuals bring unique and life-long experiences to adoption.  It’s phenomenal how far we have come as a society and we are incredibly proud to have played our part in encouraging people from the LGBTQ+ Community to consider adoption or fostering.  We are behind this campaign and agree that LGBTQ+ potential applicants from all culture and backgrounds should count themselves in as potential adopters or foster carers and not rule themselves out.”

For more information about Caritas Care and our commitment to LGBTQ+ adopters, please visit www.caritascare.org.uk or contact our Adoption Team on 0800 652 6955.