Perhaps the hardest thing to do when considering building your family through adoption or fostering is making that first call.

How will I be spoken to, will the agency want me, will they consider me because my gender or orientation is "this"?

The fact is that all of our member agencies in NFS are actively looking for LGBT+ adopters and foster carers. There are children who need safe, loving and stable families waiting right now in the care system and you could be the adult that offers them a place in the world.

The process to becoming approved to foster or adopt in the UK is thorough to ensure the child's safety and because of this the UK has one of the most open and diverse adoption and fostering systems in the world.

The broad criteria to adopt/foster is as follows:

• Over 21
• Must have lived in the UK for at least a year before starting the application process
• Must be a UK resident or have indefinite leave to remain
• Your relationship status can be :
• • single
  • married
  • in a civil partnership
  • an unmarried couple

You can be cisgender, transgender, nonbinary, gender fluid, lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual or a combination of same. You might prefer other terminology/identities and as long as you are open your agency should be able to accommodate you.  You will need to comfortable about how you identify, as the assessment will cover your ability to provide for a child and part of that means that you should "happy in your own skin", as one of our agencies nicely put it.

If you have recently (within the last year) been through a major event or change in your life (bereavement, relationship breakdown or relocation) then the agency will likely want you to have had a period of time to process and accommodate that change before starting or restarting the process.

What you don't need to be or have :

• you do not have to be a British citizen to adopt or foster a child
• there is no upper age limit but the agencies will be looking to ensure that you can look after the child until they are at least 18 years old
• you do not need to pay for adoptions or fostering 
• you do not need to have a garden but access to outside space (park / playground)

Pets

It is a myth that if you have a pet then you won't be allowed to adopt or foster.  What you will need to be able to do is to demonstrate that the pet is safe to be around, well looked-after and child-friendly.

We are trying to put your mind at rest that you will be welcomed at one of our member agencies. Some of our agencies won't have experienced every situation or orientation or gender-variance but should be willing to go through the journey with you.

If you have a question or want a chat, just give us a call and we will try our best to help.

IMPORTANT NFS FACT : We are a charity.  We get by on donations and member subscriptions. We are not financially rewarded or compensated by introducing an LGBT+ individual or couple to an agency, or when a member gets approved, or when a child or children are placed with a family. We do it to support our members in building their families and also the hope that more children find loving, happy homes to thrive in.