Special guardianship support service

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About this service

The Adoption Support Service in Wiltshire was set up in response to the Adoption and Children Act 2002 and is continuously being developed. There are two Adoption Support Co-ordinators, one covering North and East Wiltshire and one covering South and West Wiltshire. Their role is to provide a point of access for any party involved in adoption or Special Guardianship, for advice. This includes information about adoption support services.

Any Special Guardian or birth relative of a child placed under Special Guardianship at any point before or after the Order being granted can request an assessment for adoption support services. The provision of any such services is at the discretion of the local authority. The Adoption Support Co-ordinator (ASC) in your local area undertakes these assessments.

The special guardianship support plan is designed to ensure that all of the child's needs, including identity, educational, contact, emotional, health and financial are considered.

Children who are placed under Special Guardianship and are receiving more than one service will have a Special Guardianship Support Plan (SGSP).

The Adoption Support Co-ordinators offer telephone advice to birth family and Special Guardians. This advice can be on any aspect of the Special Guardianship Order for contact issues, process issues or accessing therapeutic services. The Adoption Support Co-ordinators also:

• ·Write the Special Guardianship Support Plan
• ·Liaise with other relevant agencies that may or could be providing support for birth family members or Special Guardians
• ·Undertake the assessment of Special Guardianship needs of any party when requested.
• ·Are involved in the development of the Adoption Support Service

The DCSF have produced a comprehensive leaflet about Special Guardianship that can be downloaded. To download the leaflet please go to DCSF website.

If you have any need for advice during the Special Guardianship process, please contact your local Adoption Support Co-ordinator.

Last updated: 26 July 2010