Special guardianship support service
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 based in Chippenham Resource Centre, covering North Wilts and Kennet and one based in Riverside, Salisbury, covering South and West Wilts. 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.
Children who have been placed for adoption since December 2005 will have an adoption support plan in place at the time of the Adoption Order being granted.
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.
Contact Details
Postal Address: Chippenham
Family Placement Team Salisbury Family Placement Team Trowbridge Family Placement Team Telephone: Recruitment
Hotline: 0800 169 6321 or Email: adoption@wiltshire.gov.uk Fax: 01249
445959 (Chippenham)
357 Hungerdown Lane
Chippenham
Wiltshire
SN14
0UX
Riverside
Centre
Churchfields Road
Salisbury
Wiltshire
SP2
7NH
Trowbridge
Resource Centre
Rutland Crescent
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14
0NY
01249 444321 (Chippenham)
01722 333552(Salisbury)
01225
752198 (Trowbridge)
01722 422052 (Salisbury)
01225 775334 (Trowbridge)
Last updated: 22 March 2009