Some minority ethnic communities have religious and cultural difficulties with adoption as it is set out in law. Hi can anyone help me I have my neice and nephews from social services as they are on a child protection order since November last year I’ve been having them on and off for year but this time had them since January social worker now wants me to go for an emergency SGO me and my hubby both work and was told we will get financial support as these kids have nothing and I feel like I’m starting from scratch how long does an emergency sgo take plz x. I am not aware that any such order as an ’emergency SGO’ exists. Sometimes SGOs are made along side a Supervision order so the LA would be involved in that, but its generally discouraged to have Supervision Orders running alongside SGOs. Yet this Next Avenue investigation has come to a key conclusion: changes are desperately needed. The issues that are intended to be addressed in the making of a supervision order are most likely to be achieved through the process as set out above. However, I don’t quite understand the long-term impact e.g. Myself and partner have the youngest child and my mum has the eldest 2.  See R (TT) v London Borough of Merton [2012] EWCA 2055. Probably not. An alternative to adoption – still regarded as a draconian last resort by some family courts – special guardianship became a legal order in 2005. We are not singling any profession or agency out for criticism over and above any other but this has become a real problem and a real risk for the children concerned.Andrew Webb (ADCS) Anthony Douglas (Cafcass). He had not paid a penny of maintenance for his son either, I know the law here is not worried about that however in the USA the law is very different. I can prove that this social services department took my son from me by lying and falsifying tests, I understand thats a strong allegation but as I say I can prove it, I tried to complain to their complaints department about this and presented tmy evidence but they refused to investigate my complaint telling me that it was a matter for the court which im not sure how it is so as my complaint was ENTIRELY about the conduct of social workers who work for them its got nothing to do with the court but this is what they said to me to get out of investigating my complaint. The Best Practice Guidance (see below) says it is important for Special Guardians to understand the following: The Best Practice Guidance from 2020 (see below) does not think this is a good idea.Â. This view was strongly supported by respondents to the consultation on the PFU report.5.10 The Government will legislate to create this new option, which could be called ‘special guardianship’. So basically my question are – where is the support for the parents in all of this? Wat really gets to me is many times during this process I warned social services the kind of person this woman is (and her late husband) and the hostility she has torwards me and my sons natural mother but it fell on death ears I was made out to be the jealous jilted father who was being unfair on them and not thinking of my son. The father is convincing the social worker that he is clean, however, sadly drug users and sellers do tell on each other and I have been regularly informed that he is still a drug user. I signed my time away to help my grandson to keep him safe and free from drug environment so I do not understand why the social worker will not put my grandson’s father through a drugs test to prove he is not using. I have informed the social worker of this however she seems to favour this lad and telling me that he will not have to have a drugs test whereas my daughter had to. Section 14C confirms that a special guardian is entitled ‘to exercise parental responsibility to the exclusion of any other person with parental repsonsibility for the child’. Hi I am my children were placed with my in-laws last year. A supervision order should not need to be used as a vehicle by which support and services are provided by the local authority. The rate of increase in their use has accelerated in the past year, especially for infants. I can’t comment on that but they have the PR to make that decision, which means you might need a solicitor. I desperately need help my son is subject to a special guardianship order however the special guardians have banned me from giving him Christmas/birthday cards and also banned me from taking any photos or videos of him what can I do about this a social worker has told me I can apply for a child arrangement order to have these things included is this true. You are talking about a child. But I assume the process must be much more straightforward; presumably the parents will have to sign a statement saying they agree and understand what they are agreeing to. Special guardianship orders are made with the court also looking over the local authority's support plan, which should include what practical and financial support it will provide. Since their introduction, Special Guardianship Orders have been made in a wide variety of situations – much wider than the original legislation anticipated. We have been more than fare by not contacting her etc but still no change when all this happend we were told he should have a decent level of contact with ourselves and extended family so why is it that she can get away with this when we’ve done nothing wrong And now my son is the one suffering plz could you email me anything at all that could help us sort out this sorry mess thank you. That’s brilliant, glad you have got the support you need in RL. I couldn’t say what your chances of success would be, but presumably not high as a court has already ordered a SGO for this person. will children’s services be more involved after the SGO has been granted versus if we went the private route? This is just as crucial if professional concerns relate to the long term capacity of the proposed special guardians to parent well, as it is if the child has neither lived with the proposed special guardian/s nor has a relationship with or attachment to the proposed special guardian.5. However, for reasons of risk and speed, or simply as a result of an inability to engage effectively with a family network, it is not always possible to explore this option to the right depth and at the right time. Which is ALL medicated and under a DR. Now this social worker has told my mum today, that there is no way is she getting to keep this kids and In November will be going Into care ????????. Councils need to provide the right support and guidance, Councils need to provide the right support and guidance to carers and children subject to Special Guardianship Orders, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has said.The advice comes following publication of the Ombudsman's report, 'Firm Foundations' which highlights the variety of problems faced by special guardians in seven out of 10 complaints it upholds about councils on this subject.The Special Guardianship Order (SGO) gives children more permanence than a regular fostering arrangement, and gives their guardians more rights to make decisions on their behalf. Required fields are marked *. Appendix E sets out Best Practice Guidance, which the report recommends is implemented immediately. Care must be taken to provide a balanced assessment of the special guardian, rather than over-emphasising untested positives.8. Contact is always considered by the court and there are times when it is decided that the person with the SGO should be able to make that decision, because otherwise contact is inflexible, and can’t easily be increased or decreased if circumstances improve or deteriorate. for my Grandson. This is because someone who doesn’t have the consent of the LA needs more scrutiny. All assessments/suitability reports, whether started and finished pre-proceedings or whether started and finished during proceedings, should comply with the Schedule set out in Regulation 21 of the Special Guardianship Regulations 2005 (2005 No.1109). Hello, myself, partner and also my mum are about to have an SGO on my 2 nephews and my neice. It does sound as if your mum has a lot to cope with but hopefully there is support that could be put in place to help her carry on looking after your nephew and niece. And the ranks of guardians and conservators include some highly dedicated, caring and selfless people. “Many foster carers are keen to get the local authority out of their lives. But its also difficult to get a LA to offer you accommodation if it thinks there is a safe family member. It is very important that proposed Special Guardians get access to proper legal advice about their options. PARENTAL ALIENATION – trends, strategy and pitfalls. Well helen I already have contact as part of the sgo, as for legal advice I simply dont have the money for a solicitor. I think it is more realistic to think about applying to discharge the SGO, rather than appealing against it as it was made so long ago. Our guidance is written for learning and prevention purposes. Natalie , Fight for your child now ! The father was also quite violent in the relationship he has two other children from another ex and he did the same to her he left her many times and the children do not live with him. In one case, a council wrongly calculated the allowance it paid to scores of families over a number of years.There has been a steep increase in the number of SGOs made over the past seven years. About the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory The Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (Nuffield You can apply to discharge the SGO BUT I question whether the time is right now. Normally special guardianship allowance is not taken in to consideration as income for benefit purposes. John sits on the Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board and is the chair of the Kinship Care Alliance. This requirement acknowledges the reality that children going into special guardianship may have suffered trauma and will need reparative parenting. Phone the council up or look up on their website who the head of children’s services is and send an email to them explaining that you have been not allowed to use it. so in other words they put her needs/wishes before wats right for a child seems a bit backwards to me, I have to instead report her to social services like a new case which will send them round to her door which is then going to create far more bad feelings between us than if the people already involved do it and I dont see how thats the best for my boy either, the system is completely wrong. Our research review has explored the current evidence, and this reinforces the message that Special guardianship is an important positive option. Consideration of how best special guardianship can be used to meet the needs of children and carers; Authors. Not all adults with intellectual disabilities need guardians. My daughter had her son taken due to her drug-taking however the father has now asked to see his son albeit at a contact centre however, he is still using. I have been told I can make a referral to social services because of her behaviour and to be honest I think im going to because I really feel I have no choice but I know this will just cause more bad feelings between us because lets face it she is not going to like being referred to social services is she, nobody is going to like that but ive got to protect my son from these twisted plans of hers the woman is absolutely ridiculous, her behaviour is self centred and morally disgusting. It will only be used to provide permanence for those children for whom adoption is not appropriate, and where the court decides it is in the best interests of the child or young person. However, not too much weight should be put on the use of the word ‘significant’ . Hence I now have my grandson. There shouldn’t be a ‘cap’ put on the number of people who put themselves forward, but equally, everyone has to be realistic. the children could be placed with you by a variety of routes while that assessment is ongoing – by a child arrangements order or by treating you as foster carers, but that would also require an assessment. Since the order had been made it had been hell – my mother in laws attitude changed and it is a nightmare. Adoption may not be best for some children being cared for on a permanent basis by members of their wider birth family. Act for yourself or get a McKenzie friend from “jusice for families” to help you explain clearly how your life has changed for the better since the time they made the SGO; Good luck ! Home > Articles > 2019 archive. It isn’t possible to know all of the issues the SW has concerns about, nor would I wish to, but it is possible that they are a barrier to caring for these children. I don’t know what came over me, especially to suggest that our benefactor is a burke. Where an SGO is being considered at a late stage in proceedings, care must be taken to ensure that minimum standards are complied with and that the suitability report covers the issues sufficiently. If you look on Parents and Families https://childprotectionresource.online/parents-and-families/ there are links to three specialist charities that deal with grandparents. The Adoption and Children Act 2002 introduced Special Guardianship and Special Guardianship Orders. Special guardianship is one such option and typically involves placement with family members such as grandparents. If there is any issue about the child being harmed or needing social work intervention in any way, you need to make a referral as anyone would. their position within the family will change as they take on the responsibility for both the day-to-day and long-term parenting of the child; this may result in strong feelings being expressed by the birth parents and other family members towards the SG particularly during any contact they have after an order is made; when an order is made and the child was previously looked after, that the SG will be entitled to an assessment of their own and the child’s support needs. Send message. sorry you are finding this an uphill struggle. Teams are called different things in different LAS but you need their team involved in first responses, the SW who will go out an assess the current situation. Anyway, this case relates to Special Guardianship Orders, and the vexed problem of who picks up the responsibility and tab, after the case is ended. Email them and copy in enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . Individuals seeking to prevent, modify, or terminate a guardianship must have information about the guardianship in order to participate meaningfully in the proceedings. Sometimes it is clear the Special Guardianship Order process and sign off has been undertaken to ensure the case is completed within the statutory 26 week timescale. better preparation and training for special guardians; reduction in the use of supervision orders with special guardianship orders; interim guidance specifically to address the lawful extension of care proceedings beyond 26 weeks when special guardianship is being considered as an option.Â. But I don’t think it should automatically rule you out – they should be looking at how you could cope and what supports they could put in place. Hi, I just wondered if anyone could give me some advice. I think you need to be honest with yourself about whether you could now offer the children a stable and happy home. My daughter volunteered to social services that she felt her drug taking was out of control and she needed help. My other sister who lives with my mum has alosid halusinations (I cant spell the words-Sorry) or bipolar ( which thst lavel hasnt been given to her offically yet) autism and ADHD. The guardian is appointed by a judge to act on behalf of someone who cannot manage his or her own personal affairs. You say you are considering leaving your husband ‘due to his domestic abuse and infidelity’. Why are children being demonised by those who raised them? 1960s, and special guardianship. Jargon and Cliche in professional practice, Interim Removal and Emergency Protection Orders, I want to appeal or discharge the care order. Some adults are able to live independently with minimal support. SGO orders should only be made after very careful assessment including looking at a support package for the carers. It is wrong ingnoring medical advice The local authority should undertake an initial family and friends care assessment, or ‘viability assessment’. Becoming a child’s Special Guardian is clearly a very significant step; its going to impact you financially and possibly your relationships with other family members. I live with my nan under a sgo … im now about to turn 16 and have wanted to be moved from her care since i was 12 , once i am 16 can i still legally leave/move out with her consent or does the sgo need to be removed through court first ? I bet some of their members will have been through exactly this situation and may be able to give you more focused advice about best way to proceed. A special guardianship order (SGO) is a private legal order that enables a special guardian to exercise full parental responsibility for a child up to the age of 18. Was a member of the support they are offering requirement acknowledges the reality that children into. 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