Leicestershire County Council welcomes LGBT+ people, single or in couples, who are interested in fostering
It doesn’t matter who you are – it’s the little things that mean so much to a child in care. From watching cartoons and going swimming together, to having their own seat at the dinner table and knowing you’ll be there to pick them up from school every day; many of these children simply need a loving family environment to support them.
As a county with a diverse population, we want to ensure our cohort of foster carers continues to be reflective of the needs of children in care in Leicestershire. We know that everyone is different and that lots of different people from all backgrounds make fantastic foster carers. We also know that we don’t receive as many applications from LGBT+ people – couples or single people – as we’d expect. Because of this, we do lots of work to make sure that LGBT+ people don’t count themselves out, and feel encouraged to find out more about fostering.
As members of New Family Social, a registered charity who work with agencies across the UK to support LGBT+ people and families who are considering fostering or adoption, we also regularly attend Pride events to let people know that now, in 2018, there’s a real need for more LGBT+ foster carers.
Fostering is genuinely rewarding in so many ways and you can make a real difference to the life of a young person who needs you, with excellent training, financial allowances and regular placements from Leicestershire County Council.
All we ask before getting in touch is that you’re over 21 and have lots of patience and love to give. Even if you don’t have a spare room, if you could take care of a child 0-2 years whilst being available to them fulltime, then let us know. There are lots of different types of fostering – you could be more suited than you think!
Fostering is a big decision for anyone – we know lots of people do think about it and have a lot of questions. So our friendly team hold regular 'find out about fostering' events at County Hall, Leicestershire to dispel myths and cover everything you need to know about becoming a foster carer with Leicestershire County Council. You’ll have the opportunity to hear personal stories from current foster carers too.
The events are informal and relaxed – with plenty of refreshments! It’s great if you can let us know you’re coming but we don’t mind if you just drop in. We also have a BSL interpreter at some of our events, so please do check with us if you’d benefit from this.
After the event, either speak to one of us in more detail or just take away an information pack and get back in touch with us if you’d like to.
Our next fostering events are:
Wednesday 15 August
Thursday 6 September
Thursday 27 September
We also hold regular adoption events too. The next dates are:
Thursday 30 August
Wednesday 3 October
Thursday 15 November
If you’ve been thinking about fostering or adoption and can give a child a loving and secure home, give us a call on or join us at one of the above events. We’d love to see you there.
For more information, visit www.fosteringleicestershire.com or www.adoptionleicestershire.com
