Cornwall will host a special event to encourage people from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities to consider adoption and fostering.

The event, organised by Cornwall Council, is part of the UK’s first LGBT adoption and fostering week, from Monday.

It follows a study carried out by Cambridge University and New Family Social, a LGBT adoption support charity, which highlighted the skills and experience lesbian and gay people can bring to raising children who have been in care.

According to the study, 72 per cent of the 130 social workers surveyed saw the “amount of energy and enthusiasm” LGBT adopters bring to the process as a significant strength.

And 76 per cent saw “openness to difference, and supporting a child with a sense of difference” as equally important.

The first LGBT adoption and fostering week comes at a time when adoption figures are at a ten-year low.

The Cornwall event is one of 18 being hosted by adoption and fostering agencies across the UK and will provide information for prospective LGBT adopters and foster carers.

Nigel Jackson, Cornwall Council’s family services placement manager, said: “LGBT people have a key role to play in meeting the urgent need for more new homes for children in care.

“We are keen to encourage more applications from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities and hope that as many people as possible will come along to our event on February 23.”

Veronica Yates, the council’s adoption services manager, added that Cornwall had successfully placed children with LGBT adoptive parents for a number of years.

She said: “We warmly welcome applications from LGBT couples or single people. We offer comprehensive training and ongoing support to all our adopters plus support groups directly targeted at LGBT adoptive families.”

Local LGBT adoptive and foster parents will be on hand during the event to talk about their experiences.

Mari and Debbie, a lesbian couple from Redruth, fostered for 11 years before adopting their son last summer. Although the assessment process was robust, they said they never found their sexuality to be an issue.

They said: “Initially we thought it would be (an issue) and it put us off inquiring for a while, but When we finally plucked up the courage to ring the fostering service, we discovered that we would not be the only lesbian foster carers by a long shot.”

They are now in touch with several lesbian or gay couples who are foster carers or adopters and are keen to recruit this new drive to recruit more families from diverse backgrounds.

Debbie said: “Lesbian or gay couples may make fantastic parents and be able to offer the attention – and the understanding of difference – that children need.”

The event will be held next Thursday [Feb 23] from 2pm to 6pm at New County Hall in Truro.