Can LGBT+ People Foster?

The short answer: yes—your identity is not a barrier

What the law and practice say today

In the UK, your sexual orientation or gender identity does not prevent you from becoming a foster carer. Fostering services are expected to recruit, assess, and support carers without discrimination, and national guidance makes clear that what matters is whether you can offer a safe, stable, loving home. In practice, local authorities and independent fostering agencies (IFAs) actively welcome LGBT+ applicants and assess everyone against the same criteria.

Why agencies welcome LGBT+ carers

Matching children with diverse, inclusive families

Children in care come from many backgrounds and have a wide range of needs. When fostering services build a diverse pool of carers—including LGBT+ single carers and couples—they can make better matches, keep children in their communities, and improve placement stability. This isn’t a “special category” of fostering; it’s simply good practice that expands placement choice and honours equality duties in public services.

The basics of eligibility

What you must be able to show

Across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the basics are consistent. You need to be an adult (most services look for 21+), have the right to live in the UK, and be able to meet a child’s day-to-day needs—often on a full-time basis. You and any adult in your household will complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, and you’ll go through a thorough home-study (the “Form F” assessment in England). Many services look for a spare bedroom so a child has their own space. None of these criteria change because you’re gay, bi, trans, non-binary or queer; the same standards apply to everyone.

Couples, single carers and families with children

Relationship status and family makeup

You can foster as a single person, in a couple, or as part of a larger household. Civil partners and married or unmarried same-sex couples are all routinely assessed, and single LGBT+ carers are common and successful. If you already have children, assessors will look at how fostering might affect the whole family and what support network you have around you—a consideration that applies to all applicants. The central question is whether your home environment is safe, emotionally warm and consistent.

Trans and non-binary applicants

Equal access and respectful assessment

Trans and non-binary people can foster. Good practice guidance for agencies and assessors is clear that gender identity is not a barrier to approval. Assessments should focus on capacity to care, resilience, support networks, and how you will meet a child’s needs; they should also ensure confidentiality and dignity throughout the process. If you’re trans or non-binary, you should expect the same standards of respect and inclusion as any other applicant.

How the assessment works

From enquiry to approval panel

Your journey usually starts with an enquiry call and an information visit. If you proceed, you’ll join a preparation course (often called “Skills to Foster”), then begin the assessment. A social worker will meet you several times to discuss your life history, motivation to foster, experience of caring, routines, boundaries, and your approach to safety and safeguarding. They’ll ask about your support network and how you manage stress or conflict. References, medical checks and a home safety assessment are standard. The final report goes to a fostering panel, which makes a recommendation to the service’s decision-maker. This process looks the same for everyone, regardless of sexuality or gender identity.

What assessors are looking for

Stability, insight and an inclusive mindset

Fostering is complex work undertaken in a family setting. Assessors are chiefly interested in your ability to provide consistent care, form secure relationships, work as part of a professional team, and keep children safe. They will explore your understanding of trauma and loss, your approach to education and health, and how you’ll support identity and culture—including sexuality and gender identity—without judgment. If you are an LGBT+ applicant, your lived experience of inclusion and resilience can be a strength: many services value carers who can model acceptance, challenge bullying, and advocate confidently at school or in health settings.

Matching and placement considerations

What “good matching” looks like for LGBT+ carers

Matching is about the child’s needs, not the carer’s identity. Sometimes a child may benefit from a household that can confidently support questions about sexuality or gender identity, or from carers who are practiced in tackling prejudice and building inclusive routines. At other times, ethnicity, religion, location, siblings, or school are the dominant factors. The key is open conversation during matching: read referral information carefully, ask questions quickly, and be clear about your strengths and limits so that any “yes” is a safe yes.

Support, training and supervision

What you should expect once approved

Every foster carer should receive regular supervision from a supervising social worker, access to 24/7 support, and a training programme that builds skills over time. Look for agencies and councils that provide trauma-informed training, safe-caring guidance, and specific learning on supporting LGBT+ young people. Quality services will have clear anti-bullying policies and will stand alongside you if you encounter prejudice, whether from extended family, peers, professionals or the wider community.

Allowances, fees and practicalities

What the money covers and how tax works

All approved foster carers receive a weekly allowance to cover the child’s needs—food, clothing, transport, activities and so on. Many services also pay an additional fee that recognises your time and skills. In England, the government sets national minimum allowance rates and updates them annually; agencies may top these up depending on the child’s needs and your experience. Foster carers are treated as self-employed for tax and can claim Qualifying Care Relief. None of these financial rules differ for LGBT+ carers.

Home life and safer caring

Setting boundaries that protect everyone

Before a child arrives, you’ll agree a safer-caring plan that covers privacy, bathrooms, bedtimes, visitors, devices and social media. These plans are about clarity and consistency. LGBT+ carers sometimes worry that their family life will be over-scrutinised; in reality, every household is expected to set age-appropriate boundaries and record key decisions in a way that stands up to professional review. Ask your agency for examples of good safer-caring policies and for help adapting them to your home.

Supporting LGBT+ children and young people

Everyday inclusion that makes a difference

Many children in care are still figuring out who they are. As a carer, you don’t need to be an expert; you need to be kind, curious and consistent. Use a young person’s chosen name and pronouns, agree respectful ground rules at home, and coordinate with school to challenge bullying and ensure they can learn safely. Encourage hobbies and peer connections, and make space for honest conversations without pressure to “declare” anything before they’re ready. If you need advice, ask your supervising social worker to signpost training and local support groups. Stories from charities and networks show that when carers create psychologically safe homes, young people thrive.

Common myths—answered with facts

Clear up the worries you hear most often

People sometimes say “I’m LGBT+—will I be treated differently?” Legally and practically, services should hold everyone to the same standard, and equality law protects you from discrimination. Others worry “I rent—does that rule me out?” Renting is fine; what matters is a stable home and, in most cases, a spare bedroom. Some ask “Do I have to hide my identity?” Absolutely not. Agencies aim to place children where they will be accepted for who they are—and that includes you.

How to get started

Simple steps to move from interest to approval

Pick a local authority or IFA and book an enquiry call. Ask about their training, 24/7 support, placement types and recent Ofsted (or national regulator) feedback. Confirm the essentials—DBS checks for all adults in the home, the expectation of a spare bedroom in most cases, and the timeline from preparation training to panel. If everything feels right, you’ll start your home-study and work with your assessor to build an honest, evidence-based picture of your capacity to care.

Final thought: your identity is a strength, not a hurdle

Why your story matters to children in care

Fostering is about providing day-in, day-out care that’s reliable and kind. LGBT+ people bring the same core qualities as anyone else—patience, stability, humour, empathy—and often add hard-won skills in advocacy and inclusion. UK law protects your right to be assessed fairly; practice guidance backs services to recruit diversely; and many councils explicitly invite LGBT+ carers to apply. If you can offer a child a safe bedroom, warm meals, school runs, boundaries, and a home where they can grow into themselves without fear, you may be exactly who a child is waiting for.