Below is a summary of what the major parties have said in their manifestos about their plans for adoption, fostering, ongoing support for adoptive parents/foster carers and their kids and engaging LGBT+ people with these parenting routes.

Brexit party

No explicit references to adoption, fostering, ongoing support for families doing either or improving LGBT+ engagement.

Read the whole manifesto 

Conservative party

‘We will prioritise stable, loving placements for (children in care) – adoption where possible or foster parents recruited by the local authority. We will review the care system to make sure that all care placements and settings are providing children and young adults with the support they need.’

Read the whole manifesto

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)

Manifesto currently unavailable

Green party

‘(Will) support councils to extend staying put arrangements, to enable fostered young people to stay with foster parents until they are 21.’

‘(Will) create a fully inclusive education system, where children with special education needs are able to access their local school and are fully supported in that school. This means ensuring accessible buildings, an inclusive curriculum and the provision of specially trained teachers across the school system. Specialist schools will be retained, for when children and parents would prefer that option.’

Read the whole manifesto

The Independent Group for Change

No explicit references to adoption, fostering, ongoing support for families doing either or improving LGBT+ engagement.

Read the whole manifesto

Labour party

‘(We will) put LGBT+ equality at the heart of government, ensuring our public services are LGBT+ inclusive and delivering on the national LGBT Action Plan…

‘Labour will launch a wholesale review of the care system, including kinship care, considering national standards such as a central register of foster parents and regulation of semi-supported housing, to ensure we meet the needs of every child.

‘We will protect and build on Staying Put for over-18s in care and the Adoption Support Fund.’

Read the whole manifesto 

Liberal Democrats

‘(We will) increase statutory paternity leave from the current two weeks up to six weeks and ensure that parental leave is a day-one right, and address continuing inequalities faced by same-sex couples.

‘(Will) triple the Early Years Pupil Premium (to £1,000) to give extra help to disadvantaged children who are at risk of falling behind from the very beginning of their education.’

‘(Will) end the crisis in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities funding by allocating additional cash to local authorities to halve the amount that schools pay towards the cost of a child’s Education Health and Care Plan.’

Read the whole manifesto

Plaid Cymru

No explicit references to adoption, fostering, ongoing support for families doing either or improving LGBT+ engagement.

Read the whole manifesto

Scottish National Party

Manifesto not yet published

UKIP

No explicit references to adoption, fostering, ongoing support for families doing either or improving LGBT+ engagement.

Read the whole manifesto