For more than a decade, HRC Foundation has worked closely with foster care and adoption agencies across the country through the All Children - All Families (ACAF) project. ACAF helps agencies improve policies and practice in order to best welcome and support LGBTQ youth and families. Once agencies  successfully “roll out the welcome mat” for LGBTQ folks, they often host LGBTQ-specific parent recruitment events.

RaiseAChild, a non-profit organization in California, assists foster care and adoption agencies with just that through its annual “Let Love Define Family®” tour of free recruitment events. Each year, RaiseAChild works with agencies engaged in ACAF to offer the LGBTQ community the opportunity to learn about building families through foster parenting and adoption.

Just before National LGBTQ Pride Month, eight ACAF agencies partnered with RaiseAChild for the most recent recruitment tour: ExtraordinaryFamilies, Five Acres Foster/Adoptive Family Agency, Kidsave International, LA County Department of Children & Family Services, Penny Lane Centers, The Village Family Services, Vista Del Mar Adoption Program, and Walden Family.

These events turned out RaiseAChild’s highest number of LGBTQ prospective parents yet.

“They also turned out RaiseAChild’s largest and most diverse attendance of non-LGBTQ ally prospective foster and adoptive parents too,” said Rich Valenza, Founder and CEO of RaiseAChild. “It is evident that our ‘Let Love Define Family®’ motto is working across all communities.”

Events like this clearly show LGBTQ parents that agencies are welcoming and supportive of their efforts to foster or adopt.

“I felt so welcomed at the event and loved the diversity of people that attended,” said Sandra B., future foster parent. “The panel was very informative as well as the agencies I met with my partner. We are excited about taking the first step to becoming foster parents.”

HRC Foundation’s All Children – All Families project is thankful to our participating agencies and organizations like RaiseAChild for their commitment to removing barriers for LGBTQ folks interested in foster parenting or adoption.

To learn more, take a look at HRC’s information on foster parenting and adoption. Want to stay up-to-date on All Children - All Families resources and activities? Subscribe to “Field Forward,” the program’s monthly e-newsletter at hrc.im/field-forward.