How is a Special Guardianship Order different from other forms of caring?
A special guardian may have had a different legal order or arrangement prior to gaining the Special Guardianship Order (SGO). Each arrangement is different and comes with different rights and responsibilities.
It is important that professionals ensure that special guardians have a clear understanding of the benefits and legal differences of a SGO in comparison with other legal orders.
The benefits of special guardianship for children Special guardianship provides certainty for children about where and with whom they will be living until the age of 18 when they are unable to live with their birth parents. It is often used where adoption and Child Arrangements Orders (CAO) are thought to be unsuitable.
Special guardianship allows selected family members, some long-term foster carers and other carefully chosen and very significant people in a child or young person's life to provide them with a permanent home without legally and permanently changing relationships with the child or young person's parents.
In most circumstances the child will have lived with the carer for some time before the SGO is granted. Research shows that children who are able to remain with extended family members often enjoy better mental health and behavioural outcomes as a result. SGOs may enable children to reinforce their existing identity through maintaining positive family and community ties.
- Special guardianship allows foster carers, family members and other significant people to care for the child until they are 18 without legally and permanently changing relationships with the child's parents.
- Research shows that children who are able to remain with extended family members often enjoy better mental health and behavioural outcomes as a result. Special guardians are able to appoint a testamentary guardian in their will.
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