Types of Kinship Care Orders
A Special Guardianship Order (SGO)
A Special Guardianship Order (SGO) is a legal order made by the Family Court. It means a child will live with a Special Guardian, usually a family member or a close family friend, until the child turns 18.
The child’s parents still have some rights and can help make decisions. But the Special Guardian is mainly in charge and can make most major decisions for the child without needing to ask the parents first.
There are two times when the Special Guardian must ask the parents first:
- If they want to change the child’s last name, they need the parents’ permission.
- If they want to take the child out of the country for more than 3 months, they also need the parents’ permission.
A Child Arrangements Order (CAO)
A Child Arrangements Order (CAO) is a legal order made by the family court. It usually lasts until a child is 18. It means the guardian and the child’s parents share responsibility for the child's care. The guardian can make everyday choices for the child without asking the parents first. For important decisions, they must talk with the parents and make sure the parents are involved.
Private Family Arrangements
Private Family Arrangements are when someone in a family looks after a child who is not their legal guardian. This means they do not have parental responsibility for the child. The Local Authority does not get very involved, and there is no court order saying who should care for the child.
Kinship Foster Care
Kinship Foster Care, also called Family and Friends Foster Care, is when a relative, friend or someone close to the child is assessed and approved by the local authority fostering service to look after them. The child is called ‘Looked After’, which means the Local Authority and the parents both share responsibility for the child.
If you are a Foster Carer, you do not have parental responsibility. This means you cannot make major decisions about the child’s life, such as moving house, changing schools, or going on holiday abroad. The parents and the council must agree on these important choices.
Private Fostering
Private Fostering is when someone who isn’t the child’s parent or a close family member (like a great aunt, cousin, or family friend) looks after the child for 28 days or more.
If this happens, Children’s Services must be told. A Social Worker will visit the home, talk to the person looking after the child and the child, check their background, and make sure everyone gets the help they need.
During the first year, someone from Children’s Services will visit every 6 weeks, then every 12 weeks after that.
As a private foster carer, you can make everyday choices for the child, but you don’t have legal responsibility for them. The child’s parents are still in charge, and the child is not counted as ‘Looked After’ by the council.
Adoption
Adoption means that the child’s legal link with their birth parents is changed forever. The birth parents are no longer the child’s legal parents, and the people who adopt the child become their new parents and have all the rights and responsibilities.