Paul and Riccardo are encouraging members of the LGBTQIA+ community to foster
Submitted by Molly Grant
A couple from Northern Ireland are sharing their fostering story to encourage more people from the LGBTQIA+ community to consider fostering this pride month.
According to the ‘New Family Social’, same sex couples now account for one in seven adoptions in England, however, there is still discrimination among the LGBTQIA+ community when it comes to fostering.
YouGov has shown that eight in 10 lesbian, gay and bisexual people expect to encounter barriers to become foster carers because of their sexual orientation.
One couple who are breaking down the barriers surrounding LGBTQIA+ fostering is Paul, 59, and Riccardo, 43, based in Portadown, Northern Ireland, who began their fostering journey in 2018.
Paul said: “From the very early stages of our relationship we always talked about having children but given how we continually moved and the pressures of our jobs, we felt it would be unfair on a child or children not to give them all our focus and stability.
“When…
