Andrew and Sam adopted their son three and a half years ago – and will be joining Norfolk County Council’s fostering and adoption team at The Forum during Norwich Pride tomorrow. Here, Andrew explains how their lives are richer and more fulfilling through raising a family.
The proportion of adopters in Norfolk who come from the LGBT+ community is higher than nationally, according to Norfolk County Council – and include people like Andrew and Sam. Alongside flying the Pride flag from Friday July 29 until Monday August 1, the council will also be in The Forum during Norwich Pride on Saturday July 30, where visitors can find out more about its services.
Members of the county council’s fostering and adoption team will also be attending, together with carers and adopters. This will include Andrew and Sam, who adopted their son three and a half years ago, and who will be joining the team during the day.
Andrew says: ‘We’re thrilled to be joining the Norfolk Adoption and Fostering team at Norwich Pride this year because it’s such a great opportunity to talk to people from the LGBT+ community who, like us, know their lives would be richer and more fulfilling by raising a family.
‘Adoption is the primary way of achieving this, particularly for gay men like me and Sam. It’s also an incredible honour to know that as an adoptive parent you are going to be changing a child’s life for the better by giving them the stable family life they need and deserve. Obviously, adoption is not without its challenges, and we know ourselves, when we started out on our own adoption journey, how incredibly helpful it was to talk to people like us who had already been through the process themselves and could pass on their first-hand knowledge and advice. We are more than happy to do the same for others who may be considering adoption.’
You can watch videos of Andrew and Sam talking about their experience of adoption including the training and support they received during the process from the Norfolk Adoption Service – as well as first-hand advice to others considering adopting, on the Norfolk Adoption Service Facebook page. As well as being a part of this important event Norfolk County Council works with partners throughout the year to reduce hate incidents across the County and undertakes activities to promote equality for our LGBT+ residents, families, and colleagues.
Norfolk County Council is supporting this year’s Norwich Pride event on Saturday (July 30). Norwich Pride is a celebration of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT+) community for everybody with a vision to turn Norwich into a rainbow and demonstrate that Norwich is a city where everyone can feel safe and proud to be themselves.
Cllr Margaret Dewsbury, Cabinet Member for Communities and Partnerships, says: ‘We want Norfolk to be a county that is fully inclusive and supportive of a diverse community and this event means we can work positively to overcome prejudice of any kind.
‘We are a proud sponsor of Norwich Pride, and we will be flying the Pride flag in July as we have done for the last 13 years to mark the weekend of Norwich Pride celebrations. We were honoured to be the first organisation in Norfolk to sign Norwich Pride’s ‘pride pledge’.’
Visit Norfolk County Council Adoption Service on Facebook. For more information about Norwich Pride and the events taking place visit Norwich Pride – A celebration from the LGBT+ community for Norwich and Norfolk.
Featured image of Sam (left) and Andrew
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