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To: Children's Minister Nadhim Zahawi

Special Guardianship Allowance needs Legislation not Guidelines

Legislate special guardianship allowance instead of setting guidelines which are often disregarded by local authorities.

Why is this important?

Special Guardianship holders are often forced to give up their jobs or reduce hours to care for their children due to the children's behavioural difficulties caused by the trauma of their early lives. Currently special guardianship allowance is set by guidelines instead of legislation. This means many families live in poverty as local authorities often pay nothing. Government legislation would ensure special guardianship families are financially supported equally instead of the unfair system we have now, in which many families are given little or nothing. Of those families that are lucky enough to receive something, this is often stopped after a period of two years leaving them in financial difficulties. Special guardianship allowance should be paid until the child reaches adulthood. The cost of keeping a child in care may be as much as £70,000 annually, so surely it is better to support special guardians with a realistic financial package to ensure special guardianship does not break down due to financial stress, thus saving millions in the long run.

Updates

2018-09-12 09:24:06 +0100

1,000 signatures reached

2018-08-31 17:11:17 +0100

500 signatures reached

2018-08-30 21:56:03 +0100

100 signatures reached

2018-08-30 21:03:26 +0100

50 signatures reached

2018-08-30 20:23:13 +0100

25 signatures reached

2018-08-30 20:06:08 +0100

10 signatures reached