Designated Teacher, School Authority and GP Registration for Special Guardians in Wales

Once your Special Guardianship Order is sealed, you have parental responsibility for the child and can make decisions about schooling and healthcare without needing the birth parent's consent. In practice, though, schools and GP surgeries do not always understand what an SGO means, and you may need to explain your authority clearly. Here is how to handle it in Wales.

Registering the Child at School

As a special guardian, you can apply for a place and express a preference for a school, and you can consent to school activities, trips, and photographs. The admissions authority applies its published criteria, so a place at your preferred school is not guaranteed. When you register:

1. Bring a certified copy of the sealed SGO. The school office needs to see this to update their records and name you as the person with parental responsibility.
2. If the child was previously enrolled at a different school, contact the previous school to request a transfer of records. You can do this as the holder of parental responsibility.
3. Update the school's emergency contact details to list yourself (and any other adults in the household you want the school to reach).

Some schools will ask whether the birth parent should also be listed as an emergency contact. This is your decision — the SGO gives you the authority to determine day-to-day arrangements, including who the school contacts in an emergency.

The Designated Teacher

Every maintained school in Wales must have a designated person responsible for promoting the educational achievement of children who are looked after. Welsh Government guidance encourages this person to support other care-experienced children too, including children who left care under an SGO, when appropriate.

The designated person can:

• Ask the school or local authority what support is available through the Pupil Development Grant for care-experienced children; this funding goes to local authorities and schools, not directly to each child
• Coordinate additional learning support if the child has developmental or emotional needs
• Liaise with the local authority education department
• Monitor the child's progress and flag concerns early

Ask the school who their designated person is when you enrol. Not all schools proactively connect special guardians with this resource — you may need to introduce yourself and explain the child's background.

Welsh-Language Education Rights

You can express a preference for Welsh-medium education when applying for a school place. The admissions authority considers your preference under its published criteria, but a place is not guaranteed if the school is oversubscribed. Ask your local authority for information about Welsh-medium provision in its area.

GP Registration

Register the child with your GP surgery or a surgery near the child's home. You will need:

• The child's NHS Wales number (if known — the previous GP or health visitor should have this)
• A certified copy of the SGO
• The child's date of birth and any known medical history

The GP surgery should register the child under your details as the person with parental responsibility. You can consent to routine vaccinations, medical examinations, and referrals without the birth parent's involvement.

If the child needs to see a specialist or access Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), the GP referral goes through the standard NHS Wales pathway. Waiting times for CAMHS in Wales vary by health board — if the child has experienced trauma, ask the GP to note the SGO background and the child's care history in the referral, as some health boards prioritise previously looked-after children.

Passport Applications

A special guardian can apply for or renew the child's passport. You sign the application as the person with parental responsibility. HM Passport Office may contact the birth parent as a safeguard, but birth-parent consent is not required for a standard passport application. You cannot, however, remove the child from the UK for more than three months without the written consent of everyone with parental responsibility or a court order.

For a full walkthrough of your authority as a special guardian in Wales — including how to handle schools, GPs, passports, and day-to-day decisions — the Kinship Care in Wales guide covers each scenario with the relevant Welsh legal references.

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