Special Guardianship Guidance

This guidance is issued by the DfES. It is designed to support the introduction of special guardianship orders introduced under the Children Act 1989, and to provide guidance on the interpretation of the Special Guardianship Regulations 2005 which come into force on 30 December 2005. This guidance is not a complete statement of the law and should be read in conjunction with the Special Guardianship Regulations 2005 and the Children Act 1989 as amended by section 115 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002.

This document is issued under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970. As such this document does not have the full force of statute, but should be complied with unless local circumstances indicate exceptional reasons which justify a variation.