Adoption Matters awarded Commended Agency status by national LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Charity

24 September 2021
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Adoption Matters has been awarded commended agency status for 2021 by UK’s LGBTQ+ adopters.

Following public nominations and a judging panel Adoption Matters today (24 September) receive commended agency status for 2021 by New Family Social’s LGBTQ+ adopter and foster carer members. The announcement comes at the close of the charity’s Adoption & Fostering Support Week for LGBTQ+ parents.

Some 130 nominations and testimonials for agencies and social workers were received from LGBTQ+ people at different stages of the adoption and fostering process.

Norman Goodwin, CBE, Adoption Matters Chief Executive said: ‘We’re honoured to be a New Family Social Commended Agency, especially as we were nominated by our own families. Vulnerable children need families who are resilient, empathic and who’ll advocate for them at every stage in their lives. Our experience has shown us that our LGBTQ+ families have these qualities in abundance.’

New Family Social’s nominating members said:

“[Adoption Matters is] so child centred, very supportive and really, really had our back through complications”.

“They provide [Adoption Matters] life[long] adoption support [to us]”.

Sexuality isn’t an important factor when it comes to adoption. What IS important is the commitment, resilience, stability & love that children who have suffered early childhood trauma, ALL need.

Adoption Matters  is a proud member of New Family Social and offers free access to the charity’s services as part of its support package for its LGBTQ+ adopters.

For more information about Adoption Matters visit: www.adoptionmatters.org/proud

Notes

  • New Family Social is the UK’s charity for LGBT+ adopters and foster carers, with some 5,500 members. It offers peer support services to LGBT+ adopters and foster carers across all four nations. The charity also works with adoption and fostering agencies to help develop their response to applications by LGBT+ people and improve those agencies’ ongoing support for those already parenting.
  • In 2020, 1 in 6 adoptions in England were to same-sex couples. Research suggests that LGBT+ adoptive parents are more likely to adopt older children, sibling groups, or those with additional needs and disabilities than other adopters. All statistics of same-sex couples adopting are from the nation’s relevant government department. In all cases the statistics underestimate the number of LGBT+ people adopting as bisexual people and trans people in a differing-sex relationship are excluded. Also absent from the data is any sexual orientation or gender identity of single adopters. No government department in the nations publishes equivalent data for foster carers.
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