At Hale Family Law we have significant experience in special guardianship orders, we understand that sadly there are some situations where children can not live with their birthparents. In these situations, we can help you navigate through this process and help with the application process. For more information call, email or click below for a free consultation.
A special guardianship order is an order that appoints one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian. A special guardianship order also provides the person with parental responsibility for the child.
A special guardianship order is often an alternative to anadoption order or where a child cannot live with their birth parents.
A person who is appointed a special guardian for a child can often exercise their parental responsibility to the exclusion of anyone else with parental responsibility (except for another special guardian).This means a special guardian will be able to make all important decisions regarding a child’s upbringing without interference from the birth parents.
A special guardian will need permission to change a child’s name and remove a child from the country for longer than 3-months. The local authority is also under a duty to provide support for special guardians. This may differ from local authority to local authority.
Hale Family Law can provide specialist advice on how an order may assist you.
The court cannot make a special guardianship order until it has received a report from the local authority. Any applicant must give the local authority 3-months notice of their intention to make an application for a special guardianship order.
