Call for more LGBTQ+ foster carers as fostering applications fall 14% in Greater Manchester
- In LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week 2024, Greater Manchester Fostering Unfiltered campaign calls for members of the LGBTQ+ community to change a child’s life by fostering for their local authority.
- This comes as 6,105 children are currently in care in Greater Manchester, whilst the number of fostering applications in Greater Manchester falls by 14%.
- Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) celebrates LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week from Monday, 4 March 2024.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is encouraging the LGBTQ+ community to foster with their local authority as the number of fostering applications falls across Greater Manchester.
This week (4-10 March 2024) marks LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week which is supported by Greater Manchester’s own Fostering Unfiltered campaign to inspire people from all walks of life to become foster carers.
The Fostering Unfiltered campaign will be sharing real stories of LGBTQ+ foster carers, resources and information throughout the week across Residents are also urged to visit Fostering Unfiltered to find out more about fostering and enquire.
LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week is a campaign started by New Family Social over a decade ago. When the campaign started, just 1 in 31 adoptions were to same-sex couples but last year that stood at 1 in 5. There is no national data on the sexual orientation or gender identity of those who currently care for our most vulnerable children. However, more foster carers from the LGBTQ+ community has the positive effect of both diversifying the foster carers network across Greater Manchester, and taking children in need out of care.
The need for more foster carers from all walks of life is greater than ever, with Greater Manchester’s Fostering Unfiltered determined to fix this. Despite 6,105 children currently in care in Greater Manchester, the number of applications received by Greater Manchester Local Authority fostering services in 2022/23 fell by around 14% compared to the previous year (2021/22). LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week is just one of many campaigns key to reversing this trend.
GMCA’s lead for Children and Young People, Councillor Mark Hunter, said:
“We are extremely grateful for the 1,500 foster care families that we have across the city-region. However, with 6,000 children in care in Greater Manchester, we need to address this issue head on.
“The need for more members of the LGBTQ+ community across the city-region to consider fostering is as great as ever. We warmly welcome and encourage fostering applications from residents of all sexual orientations and any gender identity that can offer a stable caring environment that gives these young children the best chance in life.”
When deciding to become a foster carer, there are a number of options when it comes to who to foster for. Most people foster for their local council, but they might also chose to foster for a not-for-profit organisation, such as a charity, or for a private agency (known as IFAs). One of the biggest reasons people choose to foster with their local authority is to keep children local. Many foster carers also find working for their local council more personable and can make use of local support networks.
Chris and Michael Smith are a same-sex couple that have fostered for Manchester City Council for over ten years.
They said: “Our first fostering panel was with an independent fostering agency, and it was challenging. We received a lot of questioning about the fact we were a same-sex couple.
“However, when we moved to our local authority, that was never even a question as it is part of everyday normal life and times have changed since we went through the process eleven years ago. Our experience of fostering panel within the local authority was incredibly positive as it was a lot more personable.”
“We urge other members of the LGBTQ+ community to come forward and foster for their local authority. LGBTQ+ carers have so much to offer a young person as they understand tolerance and acceptable through their own lived experiences and that’s what makes them exceptional carers. There really are no barriers to fostering; fostering is as diverse as the LGBTQ+ community itself you can make a substantial difference to a young person.”
(Chris (left) and Michael Smith who have fostered with Manchester City Council for 10-years)
Gaynor and Karen Minton-Westhead are a couple that have been together for 41-years. They started their fostering journey 21-years-ago when they became the first same-sex couple to foster, and then adopt, for Tameside Council and have recently decided to start the fostering process all over again with Stockport Council.
They said: “When we first started fostering over twenty years ago, there was a lot of stigma and it was quite challenging however, there’s nothing like that now and we’ve found everyone to be so supportive of our fostering journey.
“Whether you’re a same-sex couple, a heterosexual couple, a single parent, it doesn’t matter, if you’ve got love and room in your home, you can make a child’s life worthwhile. All they need is stability, love and nurturing and not to mention they keep you young!”
(Karen (left) and Gaynor Minton-Westhead who have fostered with Tameside Council for more than 20-years)
Fostering Unfiltered has the clear ambition to inspire more people in Greater Manchester, from all walks of life, to become foster carers and provide loving and stable homes to children across the city-region. The campaign embraces the realities of fostering with refreshing honesty and reflects the real lives of existing foster carers by sharing their everyday experiences and challenges.
Article Published: 05/03/2024 12:19 PM