Success stories from LGBTQ+ foster carers

Foster carers in the UK come from diverse backgrounds, and includes those from the LGBTQ+ community – both couples and single people.

If you are a member of this community and are considering fostering, look no further than these success stories to learn more about experiences of those looking after children in foster care.

Darren and James Sharpe

This couple has fostered children for over 12 years, with Darren, who also has multiple sclerosis, encouraging those considering fostering to apply, despite their doubts and hesitancy to do so. He wanted to assure people that “being gay is no barrier” to providing foster care in Cheshire, Merseyside or any other county in the UK, and neither is disability or race, commenting:

“The world is a diverse place, so why should foster care be any different?”

Dan and Barry

Dan and Barry started their fostering journey when they took in a young boy on weekends, before fostering him on a long-term basis. Dan sees fostering as important in “giving children the life they deserve” and ensuring they have happier childhoods.

Joanna and Emma Johnstone

These teachers started fostering in late 2023, and decided to foster as Emma, who did not have children of her own, wanted to have the experience of being a parent that Joanna had.

While there are challenges, Joanna said that fostering children in need is “very, very rewarding”, and that giving the children they foster a life and experience of a family changes their lives as well.