This week brings together the UK’s adoption and fostering agencies to raise awareness of the vital need for people within the LGBTQ+ community to consider adopting or fostering under the theme ‘Different Together’.

The Awareness Week, which is run by New Family Social, is the only recruitment campaign in the UK to focus on encouraging more LGBTQ+ people to consider both routes to building their families. When New Family Social started their campaign over 10 years ago, there was little to no LGBTQ+ engagement with adoption or fostering. Back then, 1 in 31 adoptions were to same-sex couples. Last year that figure was at 1 in 5. This year’s campaign theme focuses on encouraging more LGBTQ+ people - particularly those from the global majority - to consider adopting or fostering children from minoritised ethnic groups.

With increasing numbers of children from ethnic minorities that need adoption or fostering, there’s never been greater need for more LGBTQ+ people to consider caring for a child or young person. Diagrama has introduced many LGBTQ+ people to fostering and adoption, and has successfully placed children from ethnic minorities with same sex couples as well as single people from the LGBTQ+ community.

We have supported several adopters this past year alone who have adopted children from mixed heritage. They have all been proud to share their adoption stories, telling us how the experience has positively changed their lives.

''The support we have received from Diagrama and our supervising social worker has been invaluable. We have joined support groups run by New Family Social and we have found it really beneficial to gain friendships and insights from other same sex adopters who have had an older child placed with them''.

''The whole process has been exciting, intense, a whirlwind of emotions and experiences, which has lead us to becoming parents to a beautiful daughter.''

“Our child has brought so much joy into our lives and we feel that adoption was a great decision for us''.

So if you’re thinking about fostering or adoption or just want to find out more, talk with our dedicated team who will support you through the entire process. Call us on 0800 802 1910 to learn about how you could change a life.

Find out more about the 2024 campaign on the New Family Social website: https://www.newfamilysocial.org.uk as well as across our social media channels.