With an urgent need for more adoptive parents and foster carers in the county, Cumbria Fostering & Adoption is asking residents to find out more about both routes to building their family during LGBTQ+ Adoption & Fostering Week, which launches next week (3 March).
Led by charity New Family Social the annual campaign brings together adoption and fostering agencies from across the country with LGBTQ+ potential applicants.
This year’s campaign, rolling out on social media with videos and podcasts, calls on LGBTQ+ people to think about how they could ‘change lives in 2025’.
In England there are some 83,630 looked-after children. Last year alone 1 in 5 adoptions in the country were to same-gender couples. However, the actual number of adoptions to these couples fell by 40 from 2023.
Cllr Emma Williamson, Executive member for Children and Family Wellbeing at Cumberland Council, said: “LGBTQ+ people in the county can and do adopt and foster, but our most vulnerable children need more people to come forward. By becoming a part of Cumbria’s biggest family you’ll help a child who’s had a chaotic start in life to find and forge their identity, changing their life and yours for the better.”
Cllr Janet Battye, Cabinet member Children’s Services Education and Skills at Westmorland & Furness Council, said: “We are proud to support LGBTQ+ Adoption & Fostering Week and we hope that by doing so, we can reach even more people across the county who can join our fantastic team of foster carers and adopters. Our upcoming virtual events offer a great opportunity to hear from our carers and adopters and to find out more about the excellent training and support we offer and how you really can ‘change lives in 25’.”
Attend an event online:
If you've been thinking about fostering or adoption but aren't sure where to start, our online information events are the ideal introduction, whether you're new to the idea or have been researching it for a while:
• Thursday 6 March – Join our online fostering information event from 6pm to 7pm and listen to a short presentation about fostering and hear from our local foster carers. To book a place on our event please email claire.crisp@cumberland.gov.uk before 12pm on Wednesday 5 March.
• Saturday 15 March – Join our online adoption information event from 10am and our adoption experts will give an overview of the adoption process, the timescales involved and answer any questions guests many have. We also welcome a guest speaker who is kind enough to share their own experiences of adoption. To register visit our event booking page at cumbriaadoption.org.uk.
Find out more at cumbriafostering.org.uk or cumbriaadoption.org.uk