Wigan Children’s Services have a dedicated service to support families with a Special Guardianship Order (SGO).
Who are Special Guardians
Special Guardians are very special people who step up to care for children when they are at their most vulnerable. This can be because of family breakdowns, parents who are unable to care for their children for whatever reason, and a multitude of other reasons. This is also known as “kinship care”. They are usually immediate family i.e. grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, close friends of a family who put themselves forward to parent a child or children. Research has shown that children have more successful outcomes when placed within their own family network as opposed to being fostered with families they do not know.
The major benefit of kinship care is that it reduces the amount of breakdowns that children can experience and ensures that children stay within their existing communities. These arrangements tend to be permanent until a child is 18, and any transitions are eased because the guardians have a pre-existing relationship with the child. Parents can seek reunification with their children if they are able to evidence positive and sustained change however this would be subject to further assessment and is a decision that would be made by the court.
Who can be a Special Guardian
You must be 18 or over to apply to be a special guardian and can apply either individually or jointly with someone else. You will need to meet any of the following criteria:
- You have the consent of the birth parents (or those with parental responsibility)
- You have the local authority’s consent if the child is in care
- You have been given permission by the courts to apply
- You are the legal guardian of the child
- The child has lived with you for three of the last five years
- You are a local authority foster carer and the child has lived with you for a year immediately before the application
- You have a Residence (Child Arrangement) Order relating to the child, or consent of everyone a Residence Order relates to
You cannot apply to become a special guardian if you are the child’s parent. A local authority cannot apply for special guardianship.
What is a Special Guardianship Order
A Special Guardianship Order, also known as an SGO is a legal order applied for and granted by the courts that allows you to offer a permanent home to a child without adopting. It gives you security without birth parents losing their full responsibility. Special guardians hold a greater percentage of parental responsibility.
Government Guidance states that children living within their network should be explored before other forms of care are considered. Children who are removed from their parents should only be considered for foster care if it is absolutely necessary to safeguard and promote their welfare.
You would become an SGO carer and have responsibility for most of the decisions in the child’s upbringing, including where the child lives, goes to school and the medical treatment they receive, you are also able to claim any relevant state benefits of the child, and will be eligible for means tested financial support.
If the Local Authority have taken the parents to court, a Special Guardianship Order, can be agreed as the permanence plan for the child and can conclude proceedings with a Special Guardianship Order as the outcome.
As an SGO carer you cannot do the following actions without the consent of parents, or permission from the courts:
- Change the name of the child
- Leave the country for a period greater than 3 months
- Adopt the child.
What support can I get
Within Wigan there are a wide range of local universal resources in the area such as early years provision, after/before school/holiday provision, health services and leisure services. These and other services can be found on Wigan Council’s website.
If the young people in your care were previously subject to a Care Order or Interim Care Order their school will be eligible to apply for Pupil Premium Plus, this provides the school with the additional funding which is used to support Looked After and Previously Looked After Children. For further information about Pupil Premium Plus and how it works you can contact Virtual Schools.
As an SGO carer we can also offer support to you and your family including:
- Advice and information
- Monthly Support Groups
- Access to specialist therapists (via the Adoption and Special Guardianship Fund)
- Help with contact between the child or children, parents and relatives
- Foster Carer Training
- Virtual School
Advice and Guidance
We work with families to help with stability when issues arise. This may involve a referral to Children’s Services to offer intensive support and referrals to agencies that can support and offer assistance to your family.
Guides and Resources for Special Guardians (sent to SGO carers via email and the SGO newsletter).
There are organisations that are specifically set up to support Kinship Carers. These offer advice lines, training and information.
Monthly Support Groups
Support Groups are held on a monthly basis for Special Guardians to offer each other support and to share their knowledge. They are also able to help develop services and organise self-funded activities. SGO carers who feel they could help to plan future initiatives which will benefit other carers are welcome to attend.
If you would like further information regarding the support groups, activities or would like to receive our newsletter, please contact us on 01942 487200.
Access to Specialist Therapists
SGO Needs Assessment is for if you are experiencing any challenges relating to the care of your young people, or if you feel your young people require additional support you can contact the SGO Social Worker to request an SGO Needs Assessment. This would involve the social worker visiting you at home to have a chat and discuss what is going on for you and your family, with a view to agreeing a plan of how to best support.
If the young people in your care were previously subject to a Care Order or Interim-Care Order the conclusion of the SGO Needs Assessment may involve the SGO Social Worker making a referral to the Adoption/Special Guardianship Support Fund (A/SGSF). The A/SGSF can fund up to £3000 for therapeutic interventions per year, per child to pay for essential therapeutic services. These include but are not limited to Psychological Assessments, Psychotherapy, Play Therapy, Therapeutic Life Story Work, Therapeutic Parenting Courses etc. To find out more information of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (external link) and how it works and what support can be accessed. Agreement for funding is done on an annual basis. The fund has been agreed for 2025 and will be reviewed again in March/April 2026.
Help with contact between a child, parents or relatives
Sometimes relationships can become strained between birth parents and the special guardians particularly around family time. The SGO social worker can co-ordinate multi-agency meetings with relevant professionals to ensure you are receiving the relevant support from all professionals including school and health services. We can also signpost to specialist mediation services to try and get a positive outcome for all parties.
Training
As a special guardian you can access training open to foster carers. This can give you additional insights into why children who have experienced trauma in their lives behave the way they do. This will give you the skills to parent traumatised children differently and in a way that they can understand and benefit from.
Virtual School
The Virtual School Team can offer advice and guidance, and support you in meetings with your child’s school. You can learn about funding your child’s school could be entitled to as well as other local services that may be able to help you and your child.
Payments and Allowances
Special Guardians are entitled to a means tested financial assessment, which is carried out on an annual basis. If will consider state benefits payable to the Guardians of the child.
If the Guardian/s have previously been approved as foster carers, they will receive the equivalent to the fostering allowance for two years. After two years, a means tested financial assessment will be carried out annually.
Becoming a Special Guardian - Application Process
If you are thinking of applying to become an SGO carer, you can collect the relevant papers from Wigan Magistrates Court to make a private application.
You may be entitled to one hours free legal advice.
Three months before you apply to become a special guardian you need to tell your local council in writing that you plan to make an application.
Please contact the Kinship Support Team on 01942 487200 if you require further information.