Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples should have the right to be assessed for their suitability to adopt, a conference has been told.

The conference on LGBT parenting brought together Irish and international experts in this field to explore the issues facing LGBT parents and their children in Ireland today.

A study into LGBT parenting was also launched at the conference. According to its findings, the proposed introduction of equal marriage rights here will be key to tackling the stigma and prejudice faced by those affected.

"A very positive finding from this study was that, for the majority of LGBT parents, their immediate family members including their children, were overwhelming accepting and supportive of their LGBT identity. However, it was the lack of legal rights and recognition of their family which was of greatest concern for them in their daily lives," commented the study's co-author, Paula Fagan.

The report recommends that same-sex couples should be allowed to be assessed for suitability to adopt. They should also have the right to be eligible to apply to adopt a child they have fostered.

The conference heard from Dr Fiona Tasker of the University of London who has examined international studies on this issue and found that the adopted children of same-sex couples have similar outcomes to the adopted children of heterosexual couples. This includes psychological wellbeing, ability to settle with their adoptive parents and social adjustment at school.

Dr Tasker's work suggests that love and support, rather than family structure, are important for a child's development. Same-sex couples can provide these and as a result, children can thrive in these families as well as they can in opposite sex couples.

However, according to Grainne Healy, chairperson of Marriage Equaity, children with LGBT parents ‘suffer because of the failure of the law to recognise their family'.

"The proposed Children and Family Relationships Bill will provide changes in legislation which will protect same-sex headed families and we welcome this move. We also look forward to the marriage equality referendum in Spring 2015, after which children with LGBT parents will move closer to experiencing equality in law and equal status in Ireland, including the establishment of the right for same-sex couples to have the option of marrying the person they love and provide legislative security for their family," she commented.

This was backed up by the LGBT study's co-author, Dr Jane Pillinger, who noted that ‘only the family based on marriage is protected by the Irish Constitution'.

"This means that a multitude of family forms are excluded from having rights in Ireland, and those who suffer most from this exclusion are children. In the case of children with gay dads and lesbian mums, legal discrimination means they don't have a right to one of their parents. This can lead to a multitude of economic, social and emotional upsets for children and their parents, which can be easily avoided if the laws were updated to protect these specific family forms," she said.

The conference on LGBT parenting took place in Dublin.