Will the Minister indicate whether the use of special guardianship orders has increased over the last 5 years and whether children subject to them are still considered to be 'looked after'?
The number of special guardianship orders made in Wales increased from 35 in 2014-15 to 60 in 2018-19.
Children in special guardianship arrangements are not usually looked after children, although local authorities are required to make arrangements for the provision of special guardianship support services under section 14F of the Children Act 1989. When a looked after child becomes subject to a special guardianship order, the child will cease to be looked after and any care order or interim care order will be discharged. A special guardianship arrangement, usually with a kinship carer, can also be used as an appropriate way of diverting a child away from being looked after. Occasionally a child who is in a special guardianship arrangement may subsequently become looked after, and in these cases the special guardianship order will remain in place unless discharged by the court when the care order is made. These are decisions for the courts. Further information can be found in the Code of Practice on the exercise of social services functions in relation to special guardianship orders.