Understanding your role as a Special Guardian
Learn about your role as a Special Guardian and the decisions you can make to support a child in your care.
What are my responsibilities as a Special Guardian?
As a Special Guardian, you'll have parental responsibility for the child in your care. This means you can make most day-to-day decisions to support their wellbeing, education and development.
This includes things like:
- Education and school choices
- Medical care
- Daily routines and activities
Working with parents
Parents usually keep their parental responsibility but share it with you. You have overall decision-making authority if agreement cannot be reached. However, it is usually best to work with parents where it is safe to do so.
What decisions do parents need to be involved in?
You must involve all those with parental responsibility in decisions about:
- Changing the child’s surname
- Taking the child abroad for more than 3 months
- Adoption decisions
- Non-essential medical procedures
What if we cannot agree?
If you cannot agree on a decision:
- You can ask the court to consider the matter by submitting a C2 form.
- Other people who have parental responsibility can also apply to the court for a review of the decision.