Special guardianship
Are you raising a child(ren) of a family member, friend or a person you know?
If so, you are a kinship carer and Southwark Special Guardianship and Connected Persons' Team are here to offer you the following support:
Advice and Information
On your kinship care rights and finances so you can make informed decisions for your family
1-to-1 support
If you are facing challenges in your kinship care role
Once a month face to face support group sessions
A safe place for you to meet and share your experiences with other kinship carers who understand your circumstances.
3 monthly open door sessions
To help with administrative tasks such as filling out forms and writing letters of support.
For more details email sgoconnectedpersons@southwark.gov.uk or telephone 020 7525 1762
Special guardianship is a legal option intended to provide permanence for children where adoption is not appropriate.
Special guardianship is a way of providing parental responsibility for that child. Unlike adoption, the parents are still legally the child's parents but their parental responsibility is minimal.
The intention is for the special guardian to have clear responsibility for all day-to-day decisions about caring for the child or young person and for taking any other decisions about their upbringing, like their education, without needing to consult the birth parents in all but a few circumstances.
Benefits for the child
- a form of stability without legally separating the child from their parents
- the chance to build a firm foundation for a lifelong permanent relationship
- the opportunity to remain within their extended family network
Who can apply to be a special guardian
- must be 18 years old or older
- a family member or friend
- unrelated foster carers
- anyone who already has a residence order for the child
- anyone who is already a testamentary guardian for the child
- special guardians do not need to be married
- birth parents cannot become special guardians
- a local authority cannot apply for special guardianship
Contact us
Email sgoconnectedpersons@southwark.gov.uk
Telephone 020 7525 1762
Page last updated: 17 July 2023
