A Christian fostering and adoption agency that faced the prospect of closure over their policy of placing children with Christian married couples have revealed plans to expand their work across the UK.

Cornerstone Fostering and Adoption agency were investigated in 2008 by the Equality and Human Rights Commission after new equality laws came into force.

In 2010, the Charity Commission questioned the organisation over its requirement for carers to be committed Christians, and required proof that such a policy was exempt from religious discimination law.

Cornerstone, with the help of the Christian Institute’s legal team, drafted a response to the Charity Commission and in January 2011, the regulator gave the adoption and fostering agency a clean bill of health.

It noted that Cornerstone’s requirement for carers to be committed Christians was lawful on the basis that it seeks to provide a distinctly Christian-based adoption and fostering service.

General Manager of Cornerstone Pam Birtle said that Cornerstone faced having to close down in the face of the regulations, but that now “our vision is to have a Cornerstone office in every region of the nation, so that whenever any Christian family contemplates fostering or adoption, that they would know that our number is the number to call.”