Stoke on Trent Pride

Members of our Stoke & Shropshire team braved the drizzle to attend Stoke Pride on Saturday 7 August, 2021 to raise the profile of adoption in LGBTQ+ community.

The event held at, Hanley Park also included live entertainment, a fun fair and a pride parade around the park.

Sue and Jacqui who attended on the day, gave out lots of adoption information packs and held lots of conversations with visitors to their stand. They were also delighted that the Lord Mayor of Stoke on Trent, Councillor Chandra Kanneganti visited the stand and chatted about adoption. (Pictured above: Sue, Jackie and Lord Mayor of Stone on Trent Councillor Chandra Kanneganti).

The latest statistics from the Department of Education show that 1 in 6 adoptions in 2020 were by same-sex couples. Currently the Department only record limited data on LGBTQ+ adoptions this is because recording is still relatively recent. This new data excludes bisexual people, Trans people not in a same sex relationship and single LGBT adopters. Therefore, the real number of LGBTQ+ adopters will be considerably higher.

With 2,030 children currently waiting for adoption of which nearly 900 part of a sibling group there is a huge need for more adopters. 52% of these children have been waiting over 18 months for a family, a 10% increase in waiting time since 2019-20.

Adoption Matters Chief Executive, Norman Goodwin, CBE says: “We know from experience that LGBTQ+ people often come to adoption with an open mind and real enthusiasm – it’s often their first choice to build their family.

“You can be single, over 50 and you don’t need to own your own home to consider adoption. Sexuality isn’t an important factor in our assessment of prospective adopters, what we need is people who can offer stability, love and resilience who can who can help a child with whatever needs they may have. We offer ongoing support and training to all our families for as long as they need it.”

We welcome enquiries from the LGBTQ+ community, to download an adoption information pack now, click here.