Hughes Paddison is delighted to warmly welcome Heidi Aitken to the Equity Partnership. Here we celebrate her career so far and hear about her plans, as an Equity Partner.
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Dealing with the death of a loved one is one of the most difficult experiences that a person can go through. This grief is made all the more painful when the loved one in question is taken before their time and leaves behind a young child or children without a parent to take care of them.
In these circumstances, members of the wider family often step up and agree to raise the child in their parents’ stead. There are occasions, for example, where adult siblings, uncles/aunties or grandparents will give the child a home and ensure that they are looked after.
Whilst the immediate concern is always going to be meeting the child’s needs, complications can arise when decisions have to be made about the child and the person looking after them does not have Parental Responsibility (“PR”). People with PR are entitled to have a say in major decisions about the child, such as:
In these circumstances, it may not be appropriate or possible for the person caring for the child to adopt them. Adoption is the legal process by which individuals become a child's parents, assuming full legal and parental responsibility for the child, despite not being his or her natural parents. Doing so legally severs the link between a child and their birth parents. In the circumstances when a child’s natural parent/parents have passed away, severing the child’s link with them may not be in their best interests as it may impact on their sense of family identity.
If it is not appropriate for the child to be adopted, an alternate option is to make an application for a Special Guardianship Order (“SGO”). An SGO is a private law order that appoints a person or persons as a child's Special Guardian. It gives a person PR for a child. Unlike an application for a person to be granted PR (e.g. an application to be granted PR by a father who was not named on a child’s birth certificate), a Special Guardian can exercise PR to the exclusion of any other person with PR, except for another Special Guardian. A Special Guardian can make decisions about the child's care, such as schooling or medical treatment, that override the decisions and wishes of the child's parents or a person holding a Child Arrangements Order. The only restrictions on a Special Guardian’s PR are that they cannot change the child's surname or remove the child from the jurisdiction for a period of three months or more without the permission of every other person with PR or an order of the Court.
A SGO lasts until a child reaches the age of 18 or is discharged by the court.
Who can apply?
Any person who is aged 18 or over and is not the parent of the child can apply for an SGO. However, in order to apply for an SGO, you may first have to apply to the Court for permission to apply for an SGO. Unless one of the below exceptions apply, leave to apply will need to be obtained. The exceptions include:
The application process
Before the application for an SGO can be made, notice must be given to the Local Authority of your intention to apply for the Order. If you require permission to apply for the Order, this will need to be obtained before notice is served on the Local Authority. Notice must be given three months prior to the application for an SGO being filed. During this time, the Local Authority will prepare a report providing their opinion on the applicant’s suitability to be a Special Guardian. This report will be provided to the Court when the application for an SGO is made.
The Local Authority’s report is likely to include information such as:
When considering whether to make the SGO, the Court will take into account the details set out in the Local Authority report, as well as the factors contained in the Welfare Checklist of the Children Act 1989 (which includes factors such as the wishes and feelings of the child, the child's physical, emotional and educational needs and the child's age, sex, background and any characteristics of his, which the court considers relevant). The Court will make an SGO if they find that it is in the best interests of the child to do so.
If an SGO is made, the Court will also consider whether there should be any changes to any existing Child Arrangements Orders relating to the child.
Obtaining Advice
Where there are care proceedings in respect of the child, the Local Authority may require you to obtain independent legal advice. The Local Authority can sometimes help fund obtaining that advice and, if they are able to do so, you should instruct a solicitor that deals with public children work to assist. However, where no funding is available, there are no care proceedings ongoing, or where you are considering making an application to become a child’s Special Guardian yourself, it remains important to obtain legal advice.
At Hughes Paddison, we can assist in providing you with detailed advice in respect of the SGO process, in making the application on your behalf and in advising you throughout the Court process.
If you require assistance in relation to obtaining a Special Guardianship Order, please feel free to contact a member of our Family Law Department on 01242 574244 and we will be happy to meet you and discuss your situation.
The information contained on this page has been prepared for the purpose of this blog/article only. The content should not be regarded at any time as a substitute for taking legal advice.
Hughes Paddison is delighted to warmly welcome Heidi Aitken to the Equity Partnership. Here we celebrate her career so far and hear about her plans, as an Equity Partner.
What our clients say
“Hughes Paddison have provided assistance on numerous occasions consistently acting in an exemplary fashion whilst dealing with all aspects of the issue at hand. It is extremely reassuring to know that our company is represented by such a competent and professional firm.”– Commercial Director, Ferroli Limited
““Jennifer was most helpful, frequently explaining the legal jargon with ease and doing so in an effective manner. This very much helped me follow along with what at times seemed like a daunting process - Jennifer’s ability to explain things clearly made the whole process much easier to deal with.””– Anon
“Just a quick note to say a huge thankyou to both yourself and Jess for the service that you have given me over the last few months. It all seems to have been done with the minimum of fuss which has certainly taken away an element of stress that comes along with selling your house. I now see why you guys came as a recommendation and look forward to dealing with you both again when we purchase our new house next year.”– Anon
“Just a note to say thank you very much to you and your colleagues for dealing with the sale of our late Mum’s property. The service we received was excellent and you were able to resolve all the problems that cropped up!”– Anon
“Jennifer provided sound professional legal advice which I needed to help me to sort out the legal and financial aspects of a difficult personal situation. I wouldn't hesitate to go to her with any family legal matters I have in future.”– R
“Having the support of Marcus throughout what has been a very painful divorce has really helped me get through the last 18 months. Although this has personally been a very difficult process, I know that Marcus has done everything possible to make it as smooth as it can be. I really appreciate the honest, open feedback to all of my questions and also how quickly he responded to them. Above all else, Marcus really does seem to care about his clients and their families. I never had the feeling that this was just a job for Marcus, and I’m so grateful that I was fortunate enough to have had Marcus recommended to me when I did.”– R
“When you use a solicitor its usually in times of need, when you require expert advice and reassurance. This is exactly what our company has received from Hughes Paddison Solicitors and in particular Kimberly Whalen-Blake. Not only is Kimberly extremely well informed and professional; she is also personable and easy to communicate with. She responds to messages and emails promptly and goes over and above to assist. I would have no hesitation in recommending her services; and in the future, if necessary, I will definitely be calling on her expertise. ”– S - UK Parking Design
“ Hughes Paddison came highly recommended and they were not wrong. I am so glad I appointed Kim to represent me. It was a really difficult time and Kim swiftly and compassionately cut through to the crux of the issue and gave me such clear and great advice immediately. The outcome achieved was truly the best for myself and the organisation and avoided more stress for all parties involved, as it was solved very quickly. Most importantly for me, Kim handled the negotiations. The relief of handing this over to someone I completely trusted made a horrible situation much better. Many thanks to Kim and HP.”– Anon
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