Child welfare - Family Equality

Every youth and family should have access to safe and supportive child welfare services. Yet, discrimination in the child welfare system is significant and far-reaching, impacting the hundreds of thousands of youth in foster care, families of origin, kin, and prospective foster and adoptive parents.

Currently, there are 14 states that allow adoption and foster care agencies to turn away qualified prospective parents because of who they are or who they love. With LGBTQ+ individuals being more likely to foster and adopt than non-LGBTQ+ individuals — and the 1 in 3 youth in foster care who identify as LGBTQ+ reporting higher rates of harassment and mistreatment — this kind of discrimination is particularly harmful.

That’s why Family Equality advocates for the best interest of all children in the foster care and adoption system by supporting families of origin, promoting family acceptance of LGBTQ+ youth, and increasing access of all children to affirming, loving, and stable homes.

Our Work in Progress

Ending Discrimination Under Biden Administration

Every Child Deserves a Family

Additional Resources

Family Equality champions the John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act, a landmark piece of legislation that would protect children, families of origin, kin, and prospective foster and adoptive parents by prohibiting discrimination in taxpayer-funded child welfare services.

Learn more about the Act and how you can get involved by joining the Every Child Deserves a Family campaign today!

Different states have different adoption and foster care laws. Some states maintain nondiscrimination protections, while others allow agencies and officials to refuse to place and provide services to children and families. Our friends at the Movement Advancement Project maintain maps that provide insight into these laws by state.

In order to better advocate for an end to discrimination in foster care and adoption, we need to hear from you! LGBTQ+ families and youth, people with foster care and adoption stories, or anyone who opposes foster care and adoption discrimination are welcome to share their story with Family Equality today.

Previous Work

Fulton v. City of Philadelphia

Help us end discrimination in child welfare!

There are hundreds of thousands of youth in foster care, many of whom are waiting to be adopted. It’s time to end discrimination in adoption and foster care — starting with the passage of the John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act.

Learn more and get involved