LGBTQ+ people in the UK are called upon to change lives in 2025 through adoption and fostering. Led by New Family Social, the annual LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week campaign returns from 3 March.

Adoption and fostering can have a profound and positive impact on the lives of vulnerable children. In England in 2024 there were some 83,630 looked-after children.

The campaign brings together adoption and fostering agencies with LGBTQ+ potential applicants. It highlights the unique strengths and insight that LGBTQ+ people can bring to parenting and caring roles. While LGBTQ+ people already play a significant role in adoption and fostering, there’s an urgent need for more to do so.

LGBTQ+ Adoption & Fostering Week is supported by a range of podcast episodes, and campaign videos that will roll out across social media.

Tor Docherty, Chief Executive of New Family Social, said: ‘If you adopt or foster, you’ll change lives in 2025. Caring for a looked-after child transforms both your life and theirs. As LGBTQ+ people we know what it means to develop your identity and navigate sharing information about yourself with others. As a community we’re uniquely well-placed to help adopted children and those in foster care navigate the reality of their lives.’

Government statistics show that 1 in 5 adoptions in England in 2024 were to same-gender couples. In Wales and Northern Ireland it stood at 1 in 6. In Scotland in 2023, 1 in 8 adoptions were to same-gender couples. While all UK countries need more people to foster, none publishes data on the number of LGBTQ+ people who foster.

For more information, visit the campaign page where you’ll also find an agency locator.