11/03/2022 - Celebrating 10th LGBTQ+ Adoption & Fostering Week

7 to13 March is LGBTQ+ Fostering and Adoption Week, which celebrates the significant and valuable contribution of the LGBTQ+ community to adoption and fostering children.

Cllr Tahmina Saleem, portfolio holder for Children’s Social Care said: “We would like to say a huge Thank you to our foster carers and adopters from the LGBTQ+ community. Your amazing commitment changes children’s lives every day. Luton prides itself on inclusion and has always welcomed fostering and adoption applicants from our diverse LGBTQ+ community.”

The need for more LGBTQ+ people to consider adoption or fostering has never been greater. In England, in 2021 there were 80,850 looked-after children. When this campaign started 10 years ago 1 in 31 adoptions in England, were to same-sex couples, now it's 1 in 6. While the increasing figures are encouraging, there's still much more to do.

#BeTheChange – the theme for the campaign in 2022, asks LGBTQ+ people to think about adoption and fostering, and also the range of children they could care for or parent. The campaign highlights LGBTQ+ people who care for harder to place children including older children, sibling groups and children with life-limiting or life-changing conditions. In national media and on the Internet there are articles as well as podcasts from foster carers and adopters about their experiences.

Warren who fosters with Luton along with his partner Stuart said: “We have been fostering for over three years and have since adopted one of our foster children. We specialise in supporting baby placements and have had the privilege of fostering a newborn baby, who went onto adoption and to foster a baby with Down's syndrome, who was later adopted by a wonderful same sex couple.” 

“Luton's social workers, managers and senior leaders have always treated us and our large family of children with the utmost respect and care. Their policies and approaches are both inclusive and celebratory of who we are and we feel Luton are great allies of our LGBTQ+ community. The team are supportive and always open to feedback. We wholeheartedly encourage others from our community to consider fostering for Luton.”

If you would like to find out more, please contact us on 01582 547569.