Adopt London East: information for special guardians

What is special guardianship? 

Special guardianship is one way of providing a long term stable home to a child.

Special guardians have full parental responsibility and take on legal powers until the child’s 18th birthday. Unlike adoption, the child still has a legal link to their birth parents.

Special Guardianship allows children to remain within the family unit or with a significant person in the child’s life. It allows children to have a sense of normality.

A parent may allow a child to live with a family member /friend for a number of reasons.

• if a parent has not bonded with the child
• parent has to work abroad and does not want to disrupt the child’s stability and education
• parent is in poor health and unable to look after the child

Who can apply to be a special guardian?

• anyone over the age of 18 who is significant in the child’s life for example: grandparents
• aunt/uncle
• brother/sister
• or a family friend. 

It cannot be the child's parent.

The foster carer can also apply for special guardianship if the child has lived with them for at least a year. If less than a year the court may grant leave to the Foster carer to apply for the Special Guardianship Order. A joint application can be made by couples and they do not have to be married or in a civil partnership.

When making an application for a Special Guardianship Order consent is needed from the person with parental responsibility which may be

• the parent 
• a person with a Child Arrangement Order
• the Local Authority, when the child is ‘looked after’
• or each of those who have parental responsibility.

If consent is not given the court can accept the application and grant a Special Guardianship Order, if deemed in the child's best interest.

Apply for special guardianship

Contact us to discuss how you can apply for special guardianship.

What kind of support is available under special guardianship?

• advice and support with parenting, including therapeutic parenting advice
• support in managing challenging behaviours
• consultation with other agencies, for example: schools and health professionals
• help with referrals to other specialist agencies and signposting to therapeutic services for children
• assistance in relation to contact between children who are, or may soon be involved in special guardianship arrangements and this may include mediation
• a range of services supporting contact arrangements including mediation
• means tested financial assessment (if eligible) 
• advice and support around financial matters
• peer support to special guardians who are involved in special guardianship arrangements
• assistance to ensure the continuance and stability of the relationship between the special guardian and the child
• access to the adoption support fund
• assessment of support needs for the child, Special Guardians or parents if:

• the child lives in LBBD and was previously a looked after child in the borough
• the Special Guardianship Order (SGO) was made over 3 years ago in another local authority and the child  now lives in Barking and Dagenham
• the child does not live in Barking and Dagenham, but was a looked after child in the borough and a SGO was made less than three years ago
• if the child lives in Barking and Dagenham, but has never been ‘looked after’ in the borough.

The team will consider undertaking an assessment of support needs when requested, although there is no  statutory obligation to do so.

Training

• 2 day Special Guardianship training which covers contact, relationships, attachment, understanding and managing the needs and behaviour of children that have experienced abuse or neglect.
• Life Story Training
• Domestic Violence Training 

Events

• Christmas lunch for special guardians
• annual summer picnic for special guardianship families

We offer support through our partnership with Adopt London East.