The proportion of LGBTQ+ foster carers making up the total number of carers in Wales is on the up, according to new figures.
There are 56 LGBTQ+ households in Wales that are registered foster carers, an increase of 30% compared with 2024.
This LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week, starting March 2, Foster Wales Wrexham is urging LGBTQ+ people to consider making enquiries to become foster carers and change lives in 2026.
In Wrexham there are currently 290 children in foster care. Couples or single people can foster, and many LGBTQ+ people have unique personal life experience to bring to the care of children and young people.
Lisa and her wife Kate have been fostering with Wrexham Council since 2021. Through their embrace of diversity and unwavering dedication, they have created a loving family that defies convention and is built on compassion.
Lisa said: “Our foster children came into our lives and quickly became a permanent part of our family. We feel incredibly fortunate to have them and to be able to provide a loving, stable home. Alongside our two biological children, our household is always full of energy — it’s become our new normal, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Watching all of our children grow in confidence has been truly heart-warming. The bond they share, and the kindness they show one another, means everything to us. This diverse and loving family we’ve built is our world.”
Cllr Robert Walsh, lead member for children’s and family services, said: “Foster parents help shape the futures of children and young people in Wrexham; each one brings their own valuable life experience. I hope this LGBTQ+ Adoption and Fostering Week raises awareness that everyone and every family who can offer a stable and caring environment for children and young people can come to us to see how we can work together.”
Suzanne Griffiths, Director of the National Adoption Service for Wales and Foster Wales, said: “Foster carers make an extraordinary difference to children and young people every day by offering stability, understanding and a safe place to thrive. They draw on their own life experiences, compassion and resilience to meet the individual needs of each child. For some children, foster carers can help them move on to adoption, which will provide the lifelong security they need when returning to their birth family is not possible.
“With so many children currently in need of loving homes, we would strongly encourage anyone considering fostering or adoption to come forward and start a conversation with their local team today.”
You can follow LGBTQ+ Adoption & Fostering Week online and through Twitter(@lgbtadoptfoster) and Facebook (@newfamilysocial).
For more information on fostering in Wrexham visit: https://wrexham.fosterwales.gov.wales.
