SGO, how is this allowed?

[ckneyb0y70]

Hi, this is my first post and it’s something that I feel that strong about.
I know of a couple going through the process of trying to get an SGO for a baby girl and I don’t believe that an SGO should be awarded to the couple. Surly there must be a criteria that must be met as well as certain things that would mean an SGO being refused, below are the reasons why I’d be amazed if they are given the SGO.

Male, has a criminal conviction on his DBS, he is also deaf, suffers from depression and is on anti-depressants. He is a carer for his partner.

Female, is very obese, has several health issues, asthmatic, diabetic, no immune system, spends several nights in hospital throughout the year. Is registered disabled and her partner is her carer.

How can an SGO be given knowing all this. It just worries me that the authorities will put a baby into a potential dangerous situation. Or am I just worrying for nothing.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear ckneyb0y70,

Welcome to the parents' board and thank you for you post.

A special guardianship order is a private law order that can only be made by a judge in the family courts.

When the Family Court makes any decision relating to a child, the child’s welfare must always be the
court’s ‘paramount consideration’. This is known as the welfare principle or the paramountcy principle. It
means the court needs to think about what is in the child’s best interests when it makes decisions. To help work out what is in a child’s best interests, the court must use the welfare checklist.

The court cannot make a special guardianship order unless it has received a report from children’s services about whether the person would be a suitable special guardian. Once children’s services receive notice that someone wants to apply to become a special guardian, they need to start an assessment of that person. They then draw this up into a report, which is sent to the court to consider as part of the application for a special guardianship order. The special guardianship assessment report will be very detailed. The assessment will involve a social worker speaking to the relative or friend to find out about their background and their plans for if the child comes to live with them. This includes how they will maintain their relationship with their parents and other family members. Take a look at the table of page 8 of our advice sheet on special guardianship for more information on the what an assessment covers.

I hope you have found this helpful.

Best wishes,

Suzie.

[ckneyb0y70]

Thank you Suzie