Press releases

Local authority raises the bar in gay adoption

Issued: 11 August 2008

A local authority is being commended for their success in recruiting same sex couples for adoption and fostering.

The British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) claim Manchester City Council sets a shining example to others. In the past two years they have approved six same sex couples for adoption and a further three for fostering.

A change in law, which was implemented in 2005, allowed unmarried couples to adopt and thereby included same sex couples. However numbers who adopt remains very small. In 2006/07 there were only 90 same sex couples in England who adopted, and a recent survey by Stonewall1 revealed that 9 out of 10 gay people expect barriers to becoming a foster parent.  

Mo O’Reilly, Director of Child Placement Services at BAAF says: “In 2006 there were only 42 same sex couples referred to the Adoption Register for England and Wales. The fact that Manchester has approved nine couples for fostering and adoption in two years is therefore quite staggering. It’s really encouraging to see such great work being done.

“Unfortunately our anecdotal experience is that some agencies do have a hierarchy for child placement which sees heterosexual couples getting preference over others. This may be born out of personal prejudice, or not knowing how to tell a birth parent that their child has been placed with a gay or lesbian couple. However there are signs that things are getting better. Agencies, like Manchester, are forging strong links with the gay community and providing stable homes for children in care.”

BAAF have produced a best practice guide to gay and lesbian adoption called Recruiting, Assessing and Supporting Gay and Lesbian Carers and Adopters.

Notes to editors:

• Serves You Right: Gay and Lesbian people’s expectations of discrimination, Stonewall (2008)
• For more information please call BAAF press office on 020 7421 2632/3 or email esther.freeman@baaf.org.uk. For out of hours enquiries, call the press office mobile on 07767 444 589.