Posted: Thursday 3rd October 2024
During Kinship Care Week, we interviewed Joanne and Steve to share their journey of being Special Guardians with Flintshire.
tell us about your experience of becoming a special guardian.
Our daughter was unable to look after our grandchild due to ill health. So we decided to look after our grandchild. So as a family we looked into see what was the best option, and we decided a SGO was best for everyone involved. We had a meeting with Social Services about moving forward and we then contacted a solicitor who put in a notice of intent to start the process. We were then contacted by a member of Social Services who deals with SGO and then set up a meeting, and told us about the application process.
what support did you receive from the local authority?
The lady dealing with the SGO gave us a lot of support, and guided us through the process. If there was any issues, she helped us sort them out. It’s a long process, but with the help we were given from Social Services, we got through it all.
what do you feel went well?
We had good support which helped the process run smoothly.
what do you feel could be improved?
In our experience, we found that everything went well. We cant think of anything to improve the process.
what advice would you give to someone who was at the start of the process now?
The process seems overwhelming and a lot to take in. Don’t give up. With the help of the Social Services, you will get through it all, and it will be worth it all in the end. Always be up front with your answer, and you will find everything will run smoothly.
any other comments?
We would just like to say the lady from Social Services was absolutely wonderful and made the process easier for us. Without the care, support and guidance we would have found the process hard to deal with. When we see how happy our grandchild is doing now, it made the process all worth it and to see her thriving and happy in her new school. So, we would just like to thank the whole team involved.
support
The Special Guardianship support service is always available, and you can contact us via sgosupport@flintshire.gov.uk or our website: Special Guardianship Order.
Thank you for all that you do, and we hope you feel appreciated and celebrated during Kinship Care Week.