Use of special guardianship orders continues to rise

Statistics published by the Department for Education (DfE) show that between April 2014 and March 2015 a total of 3,520 children left care due to an SGO being granted.

This compares with 3,360 in 2013/14 – a 4.8 per cent increase in the space of a year. The total number of SGOs granted has close to doubled since 2010/11 when 1,780 orders were made – an increase of 97.8 per cent over the period.

Confirmation of the continuing trend comes amid concerns that some children are being placed in inappropriate arrangements due to a preference among family judges for special guardianship orders (SGOs) over adoption.