![\"allenesaunders\"](\"https:\/\/proudparenting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/AllenESaunders.jpg\")
\nData published has revealed that one in 10 adoptions in England is by a same-sex couple.<\/p>\n
\nData published has revealed that one in 10 adoptions in England is by a same-sex couple.<\/p>\n
The data comes from the Department for Education, which published an update on children in care and fostering.<\/p>\n
The stats reveal that of the 4,690 children adopted in the year ending March 31, 450 were adopted by same-sex couples.<\/p>\n
200 children were adopted by same-sex couples in civil partnerships, 70 children were adopted by married same-sex couples, and a further 180 were adopted by same-sex couples who are unmarried.<\/p>\n
The growth, coupled with a decline in overall adoption by opposite-sex parents, means that the total proportion of children adopted by same-sex couples is at 10 percent for the first time.<\/p>\n
It represents a drastic rise from 2012, when just 160 children were adopted by same-sex couples, accounting for less than five percent of adoptions in that year.<\/p>\n
Gender breakdowns show that adoption has become more popular for both male and female couples, with 250 children adopted by same-sex male parents, and 200 adopted by same-sex female couples.<\/p>\n
The data points have been rounded to preserve anonymity.<\/p>\n
Tor Docherty of LGBT adoption charity New Family Social, said:<\/p>\n
“Although the total number of adoptions fell in England in 2016, it\u2019s heartening to see that agencies continue to consider and successfully place children for adoption with same-sex couples. It\u2019s key in every adoption case that the needs of the child remain paramount and that agencies consider the full range of potential parents.”<\/p>\n