ARC Adoption is delighted to be supporting LGBT+ Adoption & Fostering Week which returns today – 7th March – for its tenth year with an important message of #BeTheChange.

The week-long campaign is organised by LGBT+ charity, New Family Social, and brings together 70 adoption and fostering agencies as well as LGBT+ adopters and carers from across the UK to encourage positive change for some of the country’s most vulnerable children.

#BeTheChange – the theme for 2022 – asks LGBT+ people to think about the range of vulnerable children they could parent or care for. In the adoption world, children aged five and over, siblings who need to stay together, children with additional needs, and those from black and ethnic minority groups, often wait longer for families, and collectively, we are advocating for these children to find their place in a loving, permanent home, sooner.

Throughout the week we will be sharing the experiences of some of our fantastic adopters, including Paddy and Lee who adopted their son when he was five. 

The 10^th anniversary of LGBT+ Adoption and Fostering Week is also celebrating a positive change in the number of same sex couple adoptions. In 2012, when the initiative started, only 1 in 31 adoptions were to same sex couples, and in 2021 it stood at 1 in 6. At ARC Adoption, last year, 1 in 3 of the adopters approved to adopt were in same sex relationships, higher than the national average – and as an agency who prides itself on being fully inclusive, it is something we are proud of.

Lorraine Jefferson, Assistant Director at ARC Adoption North East said:

“We welcome enquiries from all, and anyone contacting ARC Adoption can always expect a very warm welcome from our team. The main thing we are looking for in adopters is the ability to provide a lifelong, stable and nurturing home, and in our experience, LGBT+ community members often have additional life experiences and resilience, which can help make them fantastic adopters to a wide range of children.”

As a proud supporter and member of New Family Social, our LGBT+ adopters benefit from free membership of their site, with full access to all of their resources. Simply ask us for details.

For more information on LGBT+ Adoption and Fostering week, and to follow the stories and information being shared, keep your eyes peeled on the social media channels of both New Family Social and ARC Adoption North East this week. You can also visit the New Family Social campaign webpage, or contact the ARC Adoption team at any time for a chat.