McKenzie Friend Sgo Application

McKenzie Friend Sgo Application

.AI OverviewA Special Guardianship Order (SGO) is a specific, legally binding, long-term court order that grants enhanced parental responsibility to a caregiver (often a relative or friend), usually until the child is 18. Kinship care is the broader term for any care arrangement where a child lives with a relative or family friend instead of their parents. An SGO is a type of kinship care, but not all kinship care involves an SGO. 

Key Differences Between SGO and General Kinship Care:

• Legal Status: SGOs are court-ordered, providing high security and overriding parental responsibility. Other kinship care can be informal (private family arrangement) or, as noted by Family Rights Group, through other legal avenues such as Child Arrangements Orders.
• Parental Responsibility: Under an SGO, the carer has the right to make major decisions about the child's life, overriding the parents. In informal kinship care, parents often retain full parental responsibility.
• Assessment & Support: SGOs often require a formal assessment by a social worker. Support for SGO carers is generally better established (including access to an assessment for financial support), whereas other informal kinship carers may struggle to find support.
• Permanence: SGOs are intended to provide long-term stability and permanence, often for children who were previously in the "looked-after" care system.

How to apply Sgo

There are 2 routes to becoming a special guardian: private law and public law.

If children's services are involved in your arrangement, then you will go through public law proceedings.

Ask children's services what the process will involve and what you will need to do.

If children's services were not involved in placing the child with you, and you and the parent decide that special guardianship would be in the best interests of the child, you will go through private law proceedings. This is an arrangement between individuals, such as family members.

Before you apply for an SGO, it's important that you get legal advice.

You need to tell children's services in writing 3 months before the date you want to apply to the court for an SGO.

A social worker will complete an assessment to show that you are able to care for the child. The assessment goes into a lot of detail and includes information about you and your background, the child and any support you think you will need.

The social worker will then write a report, which the family court will use to look at your suitability and the child's needs before making a final decision.

If you are on a low income or receive government benefits, you may be able to apply to the family court to get help with paying court fees.