Wanted: prospective LGBT foster/adoptive parents

LGBT singles and couples considering becoming foster or adoptive parents will have the opportunity to learn more about the process, hear from experienced LGBT foster/adoptive parents and have their questions answered at informational events co-hosted by The Home for Little Wanderers and the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) in January and March.

The first of the informal sessions is scheduled for Jan. 30 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Home for Little Wanderers' Roslindale campus. The second is slated for March 11 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education in Cambridge.

The two sessions are geared specifically toward reaching out to prospective parents in the LGBT community. "Some of our most successful placements have been with parents in the LGBT community," said Janice Halpern, MARE's director of public relations and fundraising. "And there are many [LGBT people] who may not be aware that adopting an older child from foster care can be a great way to build their family and meet the needs of a kid who needs some love."

According to Halpern, there are currently about 10,000 children in foster care in Massachusetts. Though about 2400 of them are on the path to finding permanent homes and families through adoption, Halpern said there are at least 600 foster children with no current prospects for adoption. As Halpern puts it, they "have nobody -- no grandparent, no aunt, no teacher who is willing or able to provide them with a permanent home. So those 600 are the children that we're trying to find families for."

Halpern stressed that the sexual orientation of a prospective foster/adoptive parent is not a factor in determining their eligibility. "The factors that are considered are really [based on] what's in the best interest of the child."

One of the best things about the sessions, said Halpern, is that each will provide prospective parents the opportunity to meet and hear from experienced LGBT foster/adoptive parents. "There's nothing like hearing from somebody who's living it," said Halpern.