York supports LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week

City of York Council’s fostering team and One Adoption North and Humber, the regional adoption agency for York, North Yorkshire and Humber, are showing their support for LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week (4-10 March).

This year’s campaign, #DifferentTogether, reinforces the message that people from all backgrounds and sexualities make excellent adopters and foster carers, who are in an incredible and unique position to form a family with our vulnerable children and young people and celebrate being ‘different together’.

Cllr Bob Webb, City of York Council’s Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said:

“Our foster carers are all ordinary people doing an extraordinary role and they’re all as different as the children and young people in our care. We welcome people from the LGBTQ+ community who want to foster, what’s most important is that our carers have the qualities needed to give a child or young person a stable, loving home.

“I’d urge anyone who’s thinking about fostering to get in touch. It really does change children’s lives.”

Tom Maxwell, head of agency at One Adoption North and Humber said:

“Every child deserves to have a family who can provide the love, nurture and stability for them to feel safe and thrive.

“We recognise that LGBTQ+ adopters have many distinct qualities, strengths and insights from their own life experiences that would make them excellent adoptive parents and strong advocates for their children: empathy and resilience, an openness to difference, and acceptance that everyone is an individual and equally important. Adopted children often feel ‘different’ – many having experienced loss, trauma, and questions around identity and belonging. A parent who can understand and empathise with ‘being different’ can give LGBTQ+ adopters a unique perspective.

“At One Adoption North and Humber we welcome and celebrate the huge difference LGBTQ+ people make to the lives of vulnerable children and young people when they adopt.”

To find out more about fostering in York visit www.york.gov.uk/fostering or email foster4york@york.gov.uk to attend out online information event on 13 March at 4pm.

You can find out more about adoption at One Adoption’s next online information event on Wednesday 6 March. Book your free place by visiting the One Adoption website: https://www.oneadoption.co.uk/information-events

For more information on adoption visit www.oneadoption.co.uk

LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week is organised by national charity New Family Social.