Vulnerable children are being placed in inappropriate arrangements due to a preference among family judges for special guardianship orders (SGOs) over adoption, it has been claimed.
Research commissioned by the Department for Education suggests that there is a desire among family courts to push for a placement within the wider family as a result of legal rulings from 2013 calling on local authorities to provide evidence that all alternatives to adoption have been considered.
The report states that SGOs, which are used predominantly to give relatives of a child legal responsibility for their upbringing, are sometimes being granted to carers who are not members of the extended family and who have no existing relationship with the child. You can read the full report here.
If you would like some advice around special guardianship placements call Fosterline on 0800 040 7675, 9.00am – 5.00pm Monday to Friday.