1 in 8 adoptions in England are by same-sex couples

File photo. A woman attends the opening of Germany’s first gay parent counselling centre on March 15, 2013 in Berlin, Germany. (Sean Gallup/Getty)
One in eight adoptions in England are now to same-sex couples, according to stats released this week.
The LGBT statistics released on Thursday by the Department for Education shows that the proportion of children being adopted by same-sex couples in England is the highest since records began.
“LGBT+ people are more likely to consider adopting children that can be seen as ‘harder to place’—because of factors such as their age or if they have special needs.”
— Tor Docherty, New Family Social
3,820 children were adopted in England in 2018.
Of those, 450 were adopted by same-sex couples, amounting to 12 percent of children, or one in eight.

New statistics show that one in every eight adoptions in England is to a same-sex couple.
The total number of children adopted has fallen has fallen by nearly 30 percent since 2015, declining from 5,360 to 3.820.
However, the number of same-sex adoptions has remained stable at around 450 per year.
Same-sex adoptions are more common, stats show
Tor Docherty of New Family Social told PinkNews: “LGBT+ people can bring fantastic parenting skills to their adopted children. We’re thrilled to see agencies consistently recognising that LGBT+ people pay a key role in helping transform the lives of our most vulnerable children.”

Same-sex adoptions have remained stable, as total adoptions declined
New Family Social, a peer support charity for LGBT+ adopters and foster carers, added: “We know from snapshot research that LGBT+ people are more likely to consider adopting children that can be seen as ‘harder to place’ – because of factors such as their age or if they have special needs – which can make it easier for social services to match vulnerable children with potential parents.”
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