Special Guardianships: Keeping Things in the Family

In this episode of “File on 4” from BBC Radio, Jane Deith investigates the practice of “Special Guardianship” orders in the UK, orders that grant legal guardianship of children to grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, neighbors, or others who come forward to care for children when their parents can’t. Deith interviews people who have become special guardians for children and uncovers a general lack of support for these guardians who find themselves overwhelmed by the needs of children who have experienced trauma. “[The children] needed specialist help that it wasn’t possible to give,” said one special guardian. “Yes, we are taking on the burden, but surely [social services] should be able to support us. Because my experience with Social Services is once you’ve got [the children], that’s it, it’s your problem, and it’s a problem off their hands, which to me, you know, it’s wrong.”