Pride in Fostering: Stockport Council calls for more LGBTQ+ people to consider fostering

As Stockport Pride and Manchester Pride returned this year, Stockport Council’s fostering team were proud to be hosting a stand at Stockport Pride on 31st July and took part in the Manchester Pride Parade on Saturday 26 August 2023.

As more and more people from the LGBTQ+ community are discovering that their sexuality and gender identity is no barrier to becoming a foster carer, Stockport Council has been actively involved in promoting the Greater Manchester fostering campaign, Fostering Unfiltered, the new campaign which brings together all ten local councils and foster carers from Stockport and Greater Manchester and hopes see more people from LGBTQ+ to come forward and foster with their local council.

The 10 local authority fostering teams and foster carers promoted the campaign at Manchester Pride and were delighted to be joined in the Manchester Pride Parade by Cllr Wendy, Meikle, Stockport’s Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education who said, “it was a privilege to walk with our amazing fostering teams and carers from Stockport and across Manchester from our LGBTQ+ community, they are truly inspirational and I hope will inspire more people to come forward into the rewarding role of fostering.

I am proud to support our new fostering campaign, Fostering Unfiltered, and see our LGBTQ+ foster community grow here in Stockport and across Greater Manchester. We know from experience that LGBTQ+ people often come to fostering with an open mind and real enthusiasm, as their first choice for forming a family. Many of our children have had a very traumatic start to life and we have seen them thrive with their new LGBTQ+ parents and we’re keen to hear from anyone who is thinking of fostering to contact the Council for more information.”

Local Stockport foster carers James and Stephen have been fostering teenagers and siblings for Stockport Council for the last 10 years recall "We were uncertain about how being in a same-sex relationship would affect us becoming foster carers. However, the system doesn’t discriminate. Stockport Council were so supportive. The young people we work with are totally appreciative of the help and care they get.

Our sexuality doesn’t even come into it. We have enough room for three children and we wanted to be flexible. My parents have been foster carers for a few years so Stephen and I always wanted to follow suit. Ten years ago we decided we’d do something about it! It’s very rewarding to see the change in the children, even after a short period of time, it’s fantastic! Your age, gender, sexual orientation or marital status are not important, - it’s what you can offer a child that matters”

The fostering team hold monthly open evenings on the 3rd Wednesday of every month for LGBTQ+ individuals to come and meet local foster carers and talk about fostering here in Stockport. The next open evening is taking place on Wednesday 20 September at Stockport Quaker House 2 Cooper Street, Stockport.SK1 3DW.

If you would like to find out more about fostering with Stockport Council, contact Stockport Council’s Fostering Team on 0161 474 3400 or visit www.stockport.gov.uk/fostering.

More information about the new Fostering Unfiltered campaign can be found at www.fostering-unfiltered.org