If a child’s parents are unable to care for that child, a special guardianship order can be issued to other carers to give them parental responsibility. Therefore, as a grandparent, you could be granted parental responsibility.
What is parental responsibility
This means that you are responsible for the child’s welfare and can make all the major decisions involving the child’s upbringing. This order will not remove parental responsibility from the child’s parents.
You, as grandparents could become a special guardian, but you would need to be assessed and evaluated by the local authority. This is because the child will be placed in a permanent home until they are 18 and you will therefore be assessed to see if this is possible in your household.
You would therefore have the right to make decisions regarding the children such as decisions surrounding their education and will not need to consult the child’s parents.
But, the child’s parents or anyone else with parental responsibility can make an application to the Court to discharge the Special Guardianship Order, if the court permits them. They would need to show that there has been a large change in their circumstances since the order was made.
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