LGBTQ+ Brits Worried They Can’t Foster Due To Their Sexuality

Despite the reality, a surprising number of queer Brits worry that they are ineligible or would be denied the right to foster a child due to their sexuality. 

In a survey by Swiis Foster Care, the largest independent foster agency in the U.K., 32% of LGBTQ+ people said that they were interested in fostering, but 19% of those responders said that they “were unsure if they would qualify because of their sexuality.” This is due to the popularity of the myth that queer people are often denied the ability to foster children. Queer people believe this myth at a “consistently higher rate” than straight people. 

In reality, sexuality is not a requirement for foster care in the U.K. A person who wants to be a foster parent only needs to be older than 21, have a spare bedroom in a stable living environment (regardless of whether they are renting or own their home), have British Citizenship or Indefinite Leave to Remain, and be truly interested in providing a safe home for a child. 

An increase in the number of LGBTQ+ foster carers could improve the treatment of LGBTQ+ youth in foster care, as they often face discrimination and mistreatment in foster care by either the carers or other children, which could be lessened by the involvement of queer adults to help. 

This treatment can also be improved by increasing the general knowledge of LGBTQ+ children in foster care and better training of foster carers about what to do to help queer youth. The Fostering Network describes how foster care needs to improve with queer youth, saying that “meeting the needs of LGBTQ+ young people is not an adaption or skill you acquire. It is something that happens naturally when you question and challenge heteronormative assumptions which are the default in our society.”