Adoption and Special Guardianship

The concept of special guardianship was introduced by the Adoption and Children Act 2002. Special guardianship orders are private law orders which give a special guardian parental responsibility for the child concerned. They provide permanence and security for those children for whom adoption is not suitable but who cannot live with their birth parents. The basic legal links between the child and his birth family are preserved. In contested cases, courts are often faced with one key question: should a child remain in care as a foster child or be made the subject of a special guardianship order or be adopted? Adoption and Special Guardianship: A Permanency Handbook brings together, for the first time in a single volume, the law and procedure relating to adoption with that of special guardianship. This unique work examines recent case-law, alongside the policy that underpins the legislation, including socio-legal research on how the law operates and social research on the needs of children. Adoption and Special Guardianship: A Permanency Handbook also examines the fundamental and common issues concerning the importance of the child's relationship with his birth family, contact with them after the order is made, and the impact on the child of remaining in care.