Special Guardianship Order Success

In October 2013 I met a new client who was the grandmother of a child who was subject to care proceedings. The local authority in question had reached the conclusion that the child’s parents were not going to be able to provide their child with good enough care and were looking at alternative options, including adoption. At the point in time when we were instructed the child was about to be moved from a placement with a different family member into foster care.

Rejected by Social Services

My client had received a cursory viability assessment from a social worker who had immediately left the employment of the local authority and was not being looked at as a possible carer for the child, either in the short term, or in the long term.

My client disagreed with the negative viability assessment. She was confident that she would be able to provide a secure and loving home for her granddaughter. She did not feel that she had been fairly assessed andshe was concerned that a grave injustice would be permitted to both her and most importantly to her granddaughter.

If you have not been in that situation, it is difficult to imagine how scary the possibility of your grandchild being adopted, would be. In such situations, grandparents are rarely able to have even an annual contact with their grandchild. Most often, they never see them again.

I will not go into the details of all that has happened since, because that is confidential information.

A Special Guardianship Order is made

What I can say, is that on Friday, a special guardianship order was made in my client’s favour, making her the special guardian of her grandchild. Had I not given the advice that I did when my client first came into my office, and had my client has not acted upon it, then I do not think that this would have happened.

Thanks Ian

Amongst the relief and celebrations I received the thanks of my client;

“Thanks for all your help and advice and everything that you have done it is very much appreciated”

I am pleased for my client and her grandchild. The Court have agreed with my original assessment that my client should not have been ruled out as a carer and that she is able to give her grandchild the care she needs.

Good Advice from a member of the Law Society Children Panel

As a specialist family law solicitor and a member of the Law Society Children Panel since 1996, I have seen  many cases, where grandparents have offered to care for their grandchildren, after they have been let down by parents. They are not always successful.

In order to succeed grandparents need to get good and specialist advice and they need to follow that advice.

It has been a long and winding path to yesterdays final hearing, but I am really pleased that we got there. It was a brilliant way to end the week.