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Our Special Guardianship Support Service – A Support Worker’s insight

01 November 2018

How was your Halloween night? Halloween may be scary, but contacting our Special Guardianship Support Service doesn’t have to be. Read Laura’s blog.

Hi, I’m Laura and I’m a Digital and Telephone Support Worker for Family Action’s Special Guardianship Support Service. Sometimes taking the first step to get support can be a bit frightening. I’m here to let you know about how our helpline works and to help ease any worries you might have about contacting us.

“we understand that being a Special Guardian can feel quite isolating so we try our best to make you feel less alone and listened to”

When you contact us we’ll begin by finding out your name and where you are from. If you’re not comfortable sharing your name that’s no problem, we can still help you out. After gathering that information we’ll ask you your reason for contacting us. All our staff are trained in providing specialist support, information and guidance about all aspects of being a Special Guardian. We are friendly, non-judgemental and understand that every situation is unique. We will try our best to support you whatever your reason for contacting us is. Sometimes you might be directed to another service that we feel can give you additional support; we understand that being a Special Guardian can feel quite isolating so we try our best to make you feel less alone and listened to.

I have recently taken a call involving a lady (I’ll call her Jane) who had just become a Special Guardian. Jane wanted to know if she could baptise the young person she is Special Guardian to. In this call I supported Jane by giving her the relevant legal information. As well as that, we worked together to come up with a plan on how she could request consent to baptise the young person from the birth parents. I directed her to our website which is filled with useful information about being a Special Guardian including your rights as a Special Guardian, education, dealing with behavioural issues and much more. We try to finish up our calls with a plan of action, so you know what to do next, after calling us. We will also give you more information about ways our service can be accessed, if you need further assistance.

I hope this post has been helpful in letting you know the work our service does and what you can expect if you contact us. As you can see, there’s no need to be scared about contacting us, and even if you are we’re here to listen and support you, in any way we can.

If you are a Special Guardian or professional that would like support, our Special Guardianship Support Service is here for you. Contact us for free on the details below or visit our website for more information.

 

Opening times:

Monday to Friday 6pm-10pm

Saturday and Sunday 10am-1pm

Free Tel: 0808 802 1111