The protests outside Birmingham schools have understandably prompted concern from many LGBT+ parents. Last year 1 in 8 adoptions in England were to same-sex couples, news that was warmly welcomed by New Family Social. We were also pleased when parliament passed regulations that meant that from September 2020 all secondary schools in England will be required to teach Relationships and Sex Education, and all primary schools in England will be required to teach Relationships Education.

However, recent demands that teachers airbrush LGBT+ adoptive parents or foster carers out of relationships lessons aren’t in the best interests of their vulnerable children – or the wider class. The needs of our children to understand and value different family structures in modern 21st century Britain is paramount, to properly prepare them for adult life.

New Family Social is committed to supporting LGBT+ people who adopt and foster, throughout their parenting journey. This includes working with education and partner organisations to better support LGBT+ adoptive and foster families, to enable these parents to help their children reach their full potential. Much of this work is carried out discretely to avoid further enflaming the current situation that has already caused considerable distress to some of the affected children and staff at the schools.

If you’re an LGBT+ parent and want to find out more about the changes to education check out the information on Stonewall’s website.