Local Authority Support
What can you expect from your local authority?
We understand that you may need extra support from time to time. Check out our Events to see what's on around the consortium and you can also contact your local special guardianship team who can let you know what they can offer in terms of direct help or signpost you to specialist external organisations. Possible help includes:
- Support groups
- Counselling, information and advice
- Help with behavioural, attachment and other problems
- Help with contact between your child and his or her birth family
- Meetings and other events to enable groups of special guardianship children to get together
- Training to help Special Guardians meet the needs of their child
- Help where a Special Guardianship Order arrangement breaks down
- Advice with education
All SGO families (where the child was previously in care with the local authority) are also entitled to priority access to a Pupil Premium of £1900 for state-funded schools to help meet each child's educational needs. Please see more details about the Pupil Premium on our Education page.
If you have a child in England you may also be entitled to:
- Free early education for your child from the age of two
- Choose which school best meets your child's needs
- Priority access to council housing if your home is overcrowded
- Discretionary housing payments while waiting for your child
Our Special Guardians support booklet has lots of information on what is available for SG families. You'll find details of the Support Fund, help with education and training and workshops for families where an SG child is part of the family.