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 (3-9 March) by lighting up the city walls in rainbow colours.
Led by charity New Family Social, this year’s campaign, Change Lives in ‘25 is calling for more people from the LGBTQ+ community to build their family through adoption and fostering. This is in light of an urgent need for more adoptive parents and foster carers for the UK’s most vulnerable children.
Cllr Bob Webb, City of York Council’s Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “We urgently need more local foster carers to provide loving homes for local children and young people.
“Our amazing foster carers are as different and diverse as the children and young people in our care. We welcome people from all backgrounds, religions, cultures, relationship status and sexuality. What’s most important is that our carers are willing and able 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: “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.
“We appreciate 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 an acceptance that everyone is an individual and equally important.
“When you adopt with us, you’ll be joining a vibrant community of experienced LGBTQ+ adopters. We are proud of the diversity of our adoptive families with 1 in 5 of our adopters coming from the LGBTQ+ community but we need more people to come forward. We currently have 70 children waiting to find their forever homes.
We offer all our LGBTQ+ adopters free Gold membership to New Family Social, with all the benefits and support that entails. And, of course, everyone who adopts with us is welcomed and supported by our warm, friendly and experienced staff.”
To find out more about fostering in York visit https://fostering.york.gov.uk/ or call 01904 555678
You can find out more about adoption at One Adoption North and Humber’s next online information event on Wednesday 12 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.