Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 lets a court appoint one or more special guardians, who must be 18 or over and not the child's parent. Special guardianship is a common form of kinship care: grandparents, aunts and uncles are often special guardians. Unlike adoption, the legal link with the birth parents stays, and they keep parental responsibility.
Under section 14C, the special guardian can exercise parental responsibility to the exclusion of anyone else who has it, apart from another special guardian, with some exceptions set by law. In practice the special guardian makes the day-to-day and most longer-term decisions about the child's schooling.
For schools:
- A child who left care through an SGO is a previously looked-after child. The designated teacher is responsible for promoting their education, and pupil premium plus is managed by the school (KCSIE 2026 paragraphs 239 and 242, footnote 54).
- Ask to see the order or get written confirmation, so you know who to contact and who can consent. Record contact arrangements carefully, including any restrictions on a parent.
Not the same as a child arrangements order, which says where a child lives but gives the carer parental responsibility shared equally with the parents.