Welcome Special Guardians of Milton Keynes. This information is for Special Guardians and their families who live in or who have been assessed by Milton Keynes City Council.
Special Guardians and their families can access post-order support via Milton Keynes City Council if:
- The Special Guardianship Order was granted via Milton Keynes City Council and the court, or
- The order was made by another Local Authority, but you live in Milton Keynes and it has been three years since the order was granted.
- Your child was ‘looked after’ by Milton Keynes City Council prior to the Special Guardianship order being made.
What is a Special Guardianship Order?
A Special Guardianship Order, often known as an SGO, is a legal order made by a Family Court where a carer – usually a relative- is appointed as the ‘Special Guardian’ of the child until they turn 18 years old.
Special Guardianship falls under the category of Kinship Care, also known as Connected Persons Care, which is the idea of keeping children within their family when they cannot be cared for by birth parents.
The SGO was created with the intention of meeting the needs of children who have been separated from their birth parents, it can be a great option for children who are unable to live with their parents as it secures permanence for them whilst maintaining their links with their birth family.
Special Guardian’s share parental responsibility with the child's parents, however, special guardians are able to make all the decisions relating to the child’s day to day life without consulting the birth parents.
Our offer of support
At Milton Keynes City Council, we recognise that being a Special Guardian can often be a challenging yet rewarding role which requires support and understanding.
We appreciate your role as a Special Guardian and want to support you in the most effective way. We will work alongside you to create a plan that works for your family, and allocate resources based on what you and the child needs.
Our Special Guardians have access to a variety of services, our generic support offer includes:
- General advice, guidance, and information around your role as a Special Guardian, including managing issues such as contact, education and behaviour.
- Coordinating services to work as a team around your family, including education.
- Signposting you to organisations who specifically offer support and guidance to Special Guardians.
- Advocating on your behalf to ensure that your family’s voice is heard and decisions are made in your best interests.
- Management of financial queries, including completing your annual financial assessment and access to additional financial support.
- Signposting you to services who can support your family and support with accessing resources.
- Details of our local Kinship Support Group, run by a Special Guardian for Special Guardians.
- Monthly ‘drop ins’ for emotional support and a safe space to talk.
- Access to specialist online/face-to-face training and webinars on a variety of subjects.
- A newsletter produced for Special Guardians circulated every 4 months.
- Access to Clinical Supervision with an attachment-expert.
- Networking events where you can connect with other Special Guardians
- Assessment of need for families with children subject to Special Guardianship Orders.
Special Guardianship Policy (plain text version)
How to Access Support
You are able to self-refer into the Post SGO service. To do this please contact our service via email or our dedicated phone line, we will take some brief information from you and schedule in a time to have an initial phone call to discuss your situation/needs and to answer any questions that you may have. Alternatively a professional may refer into our service on your behalf with your consent.
During the initial phone call, we may be able to offer you immediate advice and information or signpost you to universal services that you can access. If we feel that your needs require further exploration, we may offer you a home visit to discuss your situation in more detail.
Once we have gathered the information we need, we will decide what support our service can offer you based on your family’s need. This may include an application to the Adoption Support Fund.
Support Groups
Being a Special Guardian can sometimes feel lonely and isolating, it can feel like you are living in a different world that nobody else understands. It can be helpful to meet people who are in a similar situation to you and who truly understand what life is like as a Special Guardian.
A local Special Guardian runs a Support Group for all Family and Friends Carers. There’s no need to book, just pop in and chat.
The group meet every Thursday (during term-time only) from 09:30am to 11:30am in the Community Room at Morrisons at the Westcroft District Centre. There is also an evening Zoom meeting on the 3rd Thursday of each month.
Please email kinshipmk@outlook.com or grandparent.sg@ntlworld.com for information about the support group.
Drop in sessions
We run regular drop in sessions for Special Guardians as sometimes it’s easier to talk face-to-face than over the phone.
This is a space for you to chat to our support workers – you can get to know us, ask us any questions that you may have, and learn more about what we offer as a service.
There will also be other Special Guardians present for you to talk to.
Join us at Pebbles Children’s Centre.
Address: Newlyn Place, Fishermead, Milton Keynes, MK6 2LP
When: The first Monday of every month, from 10:00am to 11:30am
Please contact our service to confirm dates.
Information pack
Special Guardianship Support Local Offer - A guide for Special Guardians and their families
Training brochure
Click below to explore our training offer, where you will find all of the details for how you can access training at a style and pace that suits you.
Training Brochure for Special Guardians
Newsletters
Here are our last four copies of our newsletter – SG News – for you to keep up-to-date with what’s going on in Milton Keynes and the world of Special Guardianship.