FtSE Member News: Action for Children backs LGBT Adoption and Fostering Week

Leading British charity Action for Children to back key adopters and foster carers event next year.

Action for Children has been chosen as one of the main sponsors of Britain’s second ever LGBT Adoption and Fostering Week.

LGBT Adoption and Fostering Week, which will run from 4 to 10 March next year, is a national campaign run by New Family Social, the UK charity for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adopters and foster carers.

The week aims to find more families from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities to change the lives of children currently in care.

Darren Johnson, director of children’s services at Action for Children, a leading British charity, says: ‘Over the years, our LGBT foster carers and adopters have been pivotal in helping transform the lives of some of the UK’s most vulnerable children.

‘Our priority is finding the right placement to best meet the needs of the children and young people we work with – and we welcome more applications from LGBT foster carers and adopters.’

Andy Leary-May, director of New Family Social, says: ‘More and more LGBT people are choosing adoption and fostering as a way to form a family, and we want prospective parents to see just how rewarding it can be, and how much advice and support is on offer from our huge community of families around the UK.’

Action for Children’s support of LGBT Adoption and Fostering Weeks comes close on the heels of its excellent rating in this year's Stonewall Workplace Equality Index which rates Britain’s top gay-friendly employers. The charity jumped 68 places, and has been placed sixth best-performing organization in the voluntary sector.

Dame Clare Tickell, Action for Children chief executive, said: ‘This achievement demonstrates our continued commitment to promoting equality and diversity, and we will continue to strive to improve our results – as we do in all of our services – year on year.’

The Stonewall rating has been achieved through an ongoing commitment to improve staff training on anti-bullying, managing diversity, and carrying out equality impact assessments. Examples of this can be seen across Action for Children’s projects from mentoring and personal development programs for LGBT young people and positive practice on same-sex fostering and adoption.

For further information on fostering with Action for Children, call +44 (0)845 0845 200 5162 or visit actionforchildren.org.uk/fostering. For adoption call +44 (0)845 355 5533 or visit actionforchildren.org.uk/adoption.

And to learn more about the LGBT Adoption and Fostering Week and event updates, visit lgbtadoptfosterweek.org.uk. You can find more information on New Family Social at newfamilysocial.co.uk.

Source: www.gaystarnews.com/article/action-children-backs-lgbt-adoption-and-fostering-week090812