More LGBT couples and fewer heterosexual couples are applying to adopt children in the UK

There are currently more than 3,000 children waiting in the care system for families, the charity says

Same sex couples have been allowed adopt since 2002 (REUTERS)

More gay couples and fewer heterosexual couples are applying to adopt children in Britain, new figures show.

Last year, one in seven adoption orders was made by a gay couple.

Wilsons, a private law firm that analysed the figures, noted that the number of gay couples applying for adoption increased from 510 in 2013-2014 to 586 last year. Sarah Wood-Heath, an associate lawyer at Wilsons, said: “The door has really opened now for all kinds of individuals to start their own family.

“Same-sex adoptions are at a record high, and it may be that the legalisation of gay marriage in 2013 has been a catalyst for more same sex couples to adopt.”

​Ms Wood-Heath also suggested that medical breakthroughs could explain why there are fewer heterosexual couples hoping to adopt. That number has fallen from 4,914 to 3,561.

“Medical advances have meant that alternative birthing options such as surrogacy or IVF are increasingly attractive for many heterosexual couples - there are now so many options for anyone to have a child,” Ms Wood-Heath said.

Homosexual couples have been allowed to adopt children since 2002, when the Adoption and Children Act came into force. Both partners have rights to joint legal parenting since 2005.

Scott Casson-Rennie, head of engagement and delivery at charity Adoption UK, is a same sex adopter of three. Responding to the figures, he told the Independent: “It’s important to acknowledge the huge contribution that same sex adopters make in parenting some of the most vulnerable children in our society.

"Through our engagement with our members, we find that same sex adopters are often among the most willing to consider adopting harder-to-place children such as those who are older, are part of a sibling group or have special needs."

Mr Casson-Rennie said he still meets same-sex couples in the UK who aren't aware they can adopt. "This is an issue we need to overcome so all those willing and able to parent vulnerable children are coming forward to meet these children’s needs.”

The UK is only one of 14 countries in the world where gay couples can adopt children, according to Pink Parents, a British LGBT adoption advisory site.

The site reports that - despite having equal rights - many homosexual couples worry they still suffer discrimination. They report waiting longer to adopt and say they're more likely to be given older children than their heterosexual counterparts.