We are proud of our LGBTQ+ Carers!

June is Pride Month, a month in which we celebrate the LGBTQ+ community all over the world. As we near the end of June, we are celebrating our LGBTQ+ Foster Carers and urging those considering fostering to get in touch.

We are looking for Foster Carers from all walks of life to look after the rising number of children and young people in the care system, regardless of your identity, relationship status, children or race. The agency highlight that LGBTQ+ Foster Carers are invaluable to support the diverse children coming into care. Children’s charity, Barnardo’s, has recently reported a 44% increase in referrals of children needing a foster home*.

"We look for carers that can show our young people that it is OK to be you."

Dominic McDowall, one of our LGBT Foster Carers, said:

“We went from a same-sex couple to ‘well done, you’re dads.’ It was a daunting experience but the pre-care we received was huge and the training we received was immense. Having someone at the end of the phone all the time, there is no such thing as a silly question. We felt ready to bring a young person into our home. It is amazing to work with a company that celebrate our differences”

Ashleigh Cole, our Placements Manager, said:

“Not only do we embrace peoples differences we celebrate them. We have many carers from the LBGTQ+ community within Blue Sky that foster either as a couple or alone, and for each and every one of those carers, their sexual preference has not and will never be criteria to foster within Blue Sky. We look for role models within our carers, we look for ‘stickability’ and most importantly we look for carers that can show our young people that it is OK to be you.”

We are proud members of New Family Social which promotes the care and upbringing of children by LGBT+ adopters and Foster Carers, which allow these families to socialise and share support.

*Information collected June 2020.