LGBT+ adopters and foster carers provide an invaluable resource, parenting some of our country’s most vulnerable children. A new campaign – Adoption & Fostering Support Week for LGBT+ families – aims to provide more and better peer and agency assistance to those adopters and foster carers playing these key roles.

The campaign will run from 14-18 September and is the first to specifically develop support for LGBT+ adopters and foster carers. It will exclusively target New Family Social’s LGBT+ adopter and foster carer members, with bespoke articles and information on the charity’s new website. It will be backed by a social media campaign and targeted advertising. The results of New Family Social’s LGBT+ members’ 2020 survey also form part of the campaign.

James Lawrence, Head of Communications & Engagement at New Family Social, said: ‘LGBT+ adopters and foster carers need and deserve practical and easily available resources to help them parent in a range of scenarios. Adoption & Fostering Support Week for LGBT+ families will do just that, in a secure and confidential space. As 1 in 7 adoptions in England in 2019 were to same-sex couples, the need for enhanced, tailored support for LGBT+ people parenting looked-after children continues to grow.’

The charity leading the campaign, New Family Social, is also responsible for the annual LGBT+ Adoption & Fostering Week that encourages more LGBT+ people to explore both parenting routes. Since that recruitment campaign’s inception the proportion of LGBT+ people adopting has consistently increased to its current record levels.