New figures published by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland show that 1 in 6 adoptions in the country in 2024 were to same-gender couples.

This is the highest proportion of adoptions to LGBTQ+ people in a year ever seen in the Northern Ireland. 

In England and Wales in 2023 the proportion stood at 1 in 5. Scotland saw 1 in 8 adoptions in 2023 to same-gender couples.

New Family Social calculated the proportion based on the narrative published by the Department of Health in the report Children Adopted from Care in Northern Ireland 2023/24. The report says:

'Almost three quarters (74%) of the adopters were different sex couples who were either married or unmarried. Some 16% were same sex couples who were married, in a civil partnership or unmarried.'

16 per cent is the equivalent of 1 in 6 (1 in 6.25).

All data published by UK governments undercounts LGBTQ+ people's engagement with adoption. This is because the data focuses on the composition of the adoptive family rather than covering the sexual orientation and gender identity of the adopters.

As a result our calculations have to exclude:

• single adopters who are LGBTQ+
• bi adopters in a different-gender relationship
• trans adopters in a different gender relationship

Booking's now open for the 2024 LGBTQ+ adoption & fostering briefing for sector professionals. It's open to everyone who works in adoption and fostering in the UK.

This free online session will take place on at midday on 27 November and will last for an hour.

If you're not an Orange member of New Family Social - or haven't already received an invitation - you can apply to attend by completing this form.

1 in 8 adoptions in Scotland in 2023 were to same-gender couples, says New Family Social. The LGBTQ+ peer-support charity calculated the figure based on new statistics released by National Records of Scotland.

Out of 369 adoptions in total, 29 were to male couples and 15 to female couples. The total for 2023 – 44 – equals the previous highest number to LGBTQ+ people in the country in 2021.

In England and Wales, 1 in 5 adoptions were to same-gender couples in 2023. In Northern Ireland in the same period it was 1 in 8.

All UK governments publish data that undercounts the full engagement of LGBTQ+ people in adoption. Current statistics focus on the composition of the adoptive family – whether that family is one man, one woman, one man and a woman, two men or two women. This makes it impossible to include single LGBTQ+ adoptive parents in New Family Social’s calculation. Bi adopters in different gender relationships and trans adopters in different gender relationships are invisible in current data.

Tor Docherty, Chief Executive of New Family Social, said: ‘It's wonderful to see that more and more same-gender couples choose to adopt and provide a stable and nurturing environment for children who need it. We know that LGBTQ+ people already make great adoptive parents across the UK. Hopefully these figures will encourage more prospective adopters in Scotland to step forward and help transform the lives of looked-after children.’

‘LGBTQ+ people now play a key role in adoption. It’s time for the sector to develop and adopt minimum baseline standards of good practice when it works with our community. These will inspire confidence in LGBTQ+ people. We want to know that whichever agency we choose, we'll work with professionals who focus on the strengths our community brings to adoption - rather than misconceptions and prejudice. New Family Social's work tells us that not all LGBTQ+ people who adopt in the UK have a journey free from discrimination. Baseline standards would help agencies to better assess and support our community.’

Adopter type in Scotland	Adoptions in Scotland in 2022	Adoptions in Scotland in 2023
Female couple	9	15
Male couple	23	29
Total same-gender couples	32	44
All adoptions by adopter type	370	369
Same-gender couples as percentage of all adopter types	8.7	11.9
Same-gender couples as proportion of all adopters types	1 in 12 [1 in 11.5]	1 in 8 [1 in 8.4]

Lost Boys and Fairies - a new drama focusing on a gay couple's adoption journey - is now available on streaming, via iPlayer on the BBC.

The drama is set in Wales - where 1 in 5 adoptions in 2023 were to same-sex couples - and is dual language. Written by a gay man who has adopted the series has been lauded as 'incredibly emotional' by The Guardian and highly praised by others.  

 

LGBTQ+ people in the UK from minoritised ethnic groups are being called on to consider adopting or fostering this March. Social workers can struggle to find appropriate adoption and fostering placements for looked-after children from the global majority. Too few approved adopters and foster carers share the same culture and heritage as these vulnerable children. LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week returns today - 4 March - to encourage more LGBTQ+ people to consider exploring these routes to parenting.

In England in 2023 there were 83,840 looked-after children. Three in 10 of these children - 29 per cent - were from minoritised ethnic groups. While 1 in 5 adoptions in England in 2023 were to same-gender couples, the need for more adoption and fostering applicants is both great and urgent.

This LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week, agencies across the UK want to hear from any LGBTQ+ people interested in either route to forming their family. Throughout the week a number of events will take place. These include an information webinar featuring LGBTQ+ people from minoritised ethnic groups who’ve adopted or fostered. There’s also free training for applicants and professionals on how to prepare LGBTQ+ people for transracial adoption or fostering.

Tor Docherty, New Family Social Chief Executive said: ‘LGBTQ+ potential applicants from minoritised ethnic groups should count themselves in as potential adopters or foster carers, not rule themselves out. In an ideal world every looked-after child would find a placement with a family that shared their culture and heritage. Where this can’t happen, agencies must work hard to help LGBTQ+ applicants to understand how to meet their child’s culture and heritage needs.’

LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week is led by New Family Social – the UK’s peer-support charity for LGBTQ+ adopters, foster carers and special guardians. The campaign – unique in the country – brings together LGBTQ+ potential applicants with adoption and fostering agencies. When it started in 2012, adoptions in England by same-gender couples stood at 1 in 31. In 2023, the proportion was 1 in 5. The campaign this March is supported by some 120 adoption and fostering agencies from across the UK.

You can follow LGBTQ+ Adoption & Fostering Week online and through Instagram (@newfamilysocial) and Facebook (@newfamilysocial).

If you’re LGBTQ+ in the UK and want to find out more you can register for a free webinar on 6 March, which will feature the stories of LGBTQ+ adopters and foster carers.

Check out the campaign

LGBTQ+ Adoption & Fostering Week will return from 4 March, 2024. The annual campaign brings together adoption and fostering agencies from across the UK with LGBTQ+ potential applicants.

Registration is now open for agencies that want to participate in the campaign. Our Orange professional members can sign up via this site, or non-member professionals visit LinkedIn for further details on how they can register.

Orange member registration

 Find out more on LinkedIn 

1 in 5 adoptions in England in 2023 were to same-sex couples, according to new statistics published by the Department for Education and analysed by New Family Social. Some 600 adoptions in the reporting period were to same-sex couples, which is both the highest total number and proportion on record in the country.

The news comes following March’s LGBTQ+ Adoption & Fostering Week, the only national campaign that specifically focuses on encouraging LGBTQ+ people to consider adoption or fostering. Led by New Family Social – the UK’s peer support charity for LGBTQ+ adopters and foster carers – the campaign brought together some 100 agencies.

Tor Docherty, New Family Social’s Chief Executive, said: ‘These results are fantastic news - not just for LGBTQ+ people in England thinking about adoption but most importantly for those vulnerable children waiting to be matched with a new forever family.

‘LGBTQ+ people now play a key role in adoption. It’s time for the sector to develop and adopt minimum baseline standards of good practice when working with our community. These will make sure that LGBTQ+ people can have confidence that whichever agency they choose, they’ll work with professionals who focus on the strengths LGBTQ+ people bring to adoption, rather than misconceptions and prejudice. We know from our work that not all LGBTQ+ people who adopt in England have a journey free from discrimination and baseline standards would help agencies to better assess and support our community.’

Analysis of data taken from Department for Education

Adopter type	Adoptions in 2022 [2021/22]	Adoptions in 2023 [2022/23]
Female couple [married]	110	130
Female couple [civil partnership]	30	30
Female couple [unmarried / not in a civil partnership]	40	70
Male couple [married]	180	190
Male couple [civil partnership]	40	40
Male couple [unmarried / not in a civil partnership]	130	140
Total same-sex couples	530	600
All adoptions by adopter type	3000	2960
Same-sex couples as percentage of all adopter types	17.7	20.3
Same-sex couples as proportion of all adopters types	1 in 6 [1 in 5.7]	1 in 5 [1 in 4.9]

Limitations of data – as the Department for Education reports on the composition of the adoptive family, rather than sexual orientation or gender identity of adopters, it undercounts LGBTQ+ people’s engagement. Absent from the data are LGBTQ+ single adopters, bi people in a different gender relationship and trans people in a different gender relationship.

Compared to the rest of the UK, in Northern Ireland in 2023, 1 in 8 adoptions were to same-sex couples. The most recent statistics for Wales show that 1 in 4 adoptions in 2022 were to same-sex couples. In Scotland – where adoptions are reported by calendar rather than financial year – 1 in 12 adoptions in 2022 were to same-sex couples.

New Family Social's online annual briefing for adoption and fostering sector professionals takes place 29 November.

Booking info

The LGBTQ+ briefing for adoption and fostering professionals in the UK will return on 29 November. Booking for the free online event - run by New Family Social - is open now.

The briefing shares the latest statistics, good practice and relevant news for those working in the sector who support LGBTQ+ applicants, adoptive parents, foster carers or special guardians. 

Orange members can log in now to register. Professional who aren't members can apply to attend by completing an online form.

Orange members' registration

Non-members'  application to attend - Online registration is now closed. Please call 0203 880 2683 for event availability. [29/11/2023]

Newly published data from the Department of Health in Northern Ireland shows that 1 in 8 adoptions in the country during 2022-2023 were to same-sex couples. This was an increase from 2021-2022 where the proportion was 1 in 10.

Exact figures for the country are unavailable beyond the total number of adoptions - 108 in the reporting period - but the accompanying narrative from the Department of Health says that:

'Some 75% the adopters were different sex couples who were married or in a civil partnership and 5% were different sex unmarried couples. Some 7% were same sex couples who were married or in a civil partnership and 6% were same sex unmarried couples. A further 6% were single adopters'

Northern Ireland is the first of the UK countries to publish statistics covering 2023. By contrast the remaining UK countries most recent figures showed that:

• 1 in 4 adoptions in Wales in 2022 were to same-sex couples. [Reporting period 2021-2022 / 65 out of 285 adoptions]
• 1 in 6 adoptions in England in 2022 were to same-sex couples [Reporting period 2021-2022 / 540 out of 2950 adoptions]
• 1 in 12 adoptions in Scotland in 2022 were to same-sex couples [Reporting period calendar year 2022 / 32 out of 370 adoptions]

All data published in UK countries undercounts LGBTQ+ people's involvement with adoption. This is because it focuses on the adoptive family's composition - showing whether the adoptive parent is one man/one woman/two women/two men, etc. - rather than the sexual orientation and gender identity of adopters. As a result single LGBTQ+ adopters can't be counted. Similarly invisible in statistics are bi adopters in an opposite gender relationship or trans adopters in an opposite gender relationship.

Download our summary [log-in required]  

Latest Northern Ireland statistics

Arjay & Tom share their story of adopting twins - 12 weeks ago - in the latest instalment of Adoption, Fostering & Tea. The couple talk about their adoption journey, the matching process and the joy of their new family.

Check out the episode on Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts from. ️‍ https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/adoption-fostering-tea-the-new-family-social-podcast/id1511504425?i=1000632538752