Special guardianship

A Special Guardianship Order (SGO) secures a child’s long-term home with someone who is not their parent. It lasts until the child turns 18. Special guardians gain an enhanced form of parental responsibility. This is explained in section 14C of the Children Act 1989.

Special guardians should still consult parents or anyone with parental responsibility about important decisions for the child. But they can make final decisions about most things if needed.

There are some restrictions. Special guardians cannot:

  • change a child’s surname
  • remove a child from the country for more than 3 months unless they get written consent of those who share parental responsibility

Special guardianship is one way of providing a long term stable home to a child. It is a realistic care option for:

  • relatives or foster carers who can offer long-term care for children in the care system who cannot return home or where adoption is not an option
  • older children and young people who cannot live at home, but do not want to be adopted and do not want to lose the link to their birth family
  • children being looked after by extended family or friends and who need to be able to make decisions about the child’s upbringing
  • community groups where the long-term care of other people’s children is encouraged but adoption is contrary to religious or cultural beliefs

An SGO application can also be made when there are no care proceedings taking place or any prior local authority involvement. The key thing is that the child has lived with you for at least 1 year before you apply.

How to apply

Make a Special Guardianship Order application

We may be able to support you if you were granted an SGO more than 3 years ago from a different local authority, but you are now living in Bracknell Forest. Please get in touch and one of our social workers will visit you.

If you were granted an SGO from us over 3 years ago, but you are now living in another local authority, you should contact them for support. 

Contact information

Family Placement Team

01344 352020
Send an email