Bury Council celebrates enhanced Special Guardianship support

Friday, 4 April 2025 13:55

By David Murphy

Linda Evans, Director of Social Care & Early Help (left) and Councillor Lucy Smith, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People thanked our families and highlighted the support available

Bury Council has successfully launched its enhanced support offer for Special Guardians, reinforcing its commitment to providing stable and loving homes for children who cannot live with their birth parents.

The event, held at HUKD Golf in Bury, marked the comprehensive support now available and was attended by Cllr Lucy Smith, Cabinet Member for Children's Services, Linda Evans, Director of Early Help and Social Care, Karen Barrick, Head of Service and members of the team.

The event celebrated and thanked those who care for some of our children and young people and was an opportunity to hear about their experiences.

Special Guardians offer children a permanent home often within their own extended family and friend network providing children with long-term security and belonging while maintaining important legal ties with their birth families. This approach is particularly beneficial when children are cared for in kinship carers, such as grandparents, aunts, or uncles, or by long-term family friends.

Crucially, Special Guardians have clear legal authority to make day-to-day decisions about the child's upbringing, ensuring stability and empowering carers.

After working with families and asking them what sort of support they need the council has developed the new support offer.

The enhanced offer includes regular support groups, advice about education and healthcare, and access to training, family activity days, and therapeutic services funded through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.

It also includes:

our new webpage https://www.bury.gov.uk/social-care-and-support/special-guardianship-orders
family days out and activity sessions starting with an Easter Egg hunt at Burrs.
a new duty telephone line - 0161 253 6666 which provides immediate advice and support.
Improved links with the Virtual School to support children with their education.

This comprehensive package aims to give carers the resources they need to provide the best possible care for the children.

Councillor Lucy Smith, Deputy Leader of Bury Council and Cabinet Member for Children and Young People said,

'We are dedicated to supporting our SGO carers, recognising the invaluable role they play in providing stable and loving homes, ensuring children and young people have the security they need while maintaining vital family connections.

“They do so much to protect our most vulnerable children and young people and listening to their experiences we’ve been able to improve the support we provide.”