Across the UK, the number of looked-after children has been steadily increasing, with a 2% rise to 80,080 in England alone during the year to March 2020. Providing high-quality care and support for young people with complex needs can help improve their resilience and skills, to ease the transition into adulthood. For children with the highest level of need, residential placements are often more appropriate than foster placements.

New Reflexions is a leading children’s residential care provider based in Shropshire, offering residential placements and specialist education. It works with young people with complex needs whom the state has deemed require care away from their families, providing placements that combine care, education, and therapy. The residential care provider helps to build individuals’ resilience and facilitate a pathway of opportunities for their future.

New Reflexions continues to provide quality care to young people with complex needs, delivering over 18,500 days of care to young people in 2021 and working with an average of 52 young people. 50% of its eligible services are now rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, testament to the quality of its provision.

www.newreflexions.co.uk

According to Kantar, over 80 per cent of employees have observed or experienced some kind of bias at work, and around a quarter are made to feel uncomfortable in their work environment. Regrettably over half of minority ethnic and sociocultural group members believe that they are treated very differently at work, excluded or consistently feel anxious because of their identity. The Diversity, Equality & Inclusion (DEI) services market – which works to mitigate these injustices – is worth about £3.5bn and is growing rapidly (over 20% p/a), driven by the broader societal trend towards equity and greater inclusivity.

Bridges has invested in Talking Talent, a business that helps organisations to build more diverse, inclusive and equitable work cultures via systemic coaching and leadership consulting programmes. The company focuses on retention and career progression of under-represented employees, including women, ethnically diverse groups and working parents. Programmes help to empower individuals and leaders across organisation levels, which leads to greater engagement and sense of inclusion, improved productivity, and better performance.

Today, the business has operations in UK, US, and Asia, and employs over 60 people, supporting clients such as PwC, Boeing, Siemens and Unilever.

Previously, Talking Talent’s programmes have achieved a five-times greater than average promotion rate for women at Lloyds Banking Group, seen 42% of participants at Siemens promoted in under a year after attending, and saved EY £16.6m in attrition costs after coaching parents through leave and return. Bridges is working closely with the business to accelerate its growth and deepen its consulting capabilities, to help positively shape working environments for employers and employees around the world.

The UK population is ageing, with the proportion of over-60s set to rise by 20% in the next decade. With chronic health conditions also on the rise, the Department of Health & Social Care estimates that between 2018 and 2038, 57% more adults aged 65+ in England will require care. Given the capacity issues in NHS primary care, home care must be part of the solution – while also responding to the increasing demand for higher quality care and stronger support for carers.

Alina Homecare focuses on delivering high quality care to the elderly and disabled, whilst ensuring a supportive environment for its carers. It provides its care staff with a larger amount of more specialised training, resulting in improved service for clients and higher standards of care within the home setting. This model addresses some of the fundamentals of quality care provision (security, reliability and consistency) while also creating a platform for sustainable growth, through a strong focus on its workforce. The company aims to work closely with service users, local authorities, the NHS and other organisations to streamline, and be a catalyst for, the integration of UK health and social care. Alina was introduced directly to Bridges through our health and social care network.

Alina has received an average user satisfaction rating of 98%, demonstrating a strong focus on quality of care, which continues to be at the heart of the Alina model. It has delivered 2 million hours of care to date and counts over 2,500 customers. Importantly, Alina’s focus on training, engagement and direct recruitment (without relying on agencies), allows the company to achieve an attrition rate well below the industry average.

www.alinahomecare.com

There are an estimated 4.5m people living in poverty in private rented accommodation in the UK, a total that has increased by c. 80% since 2007.  An increased availability of decent and affordable accommodation for people in housing need will help those who are vulnerable stay off the streets.

The Ethical Housing Company is a property venture with a mission to create a portfolio of decent and affordable homes for rent in Teesside. Bridges has partnered with Carla Keegans, a housing expert and founder of The Ethical Lettings Agency, which helps people in housing need find and sustain suitable accommodation. In partnership, The Ethical Housing Company is buying properties and renting them out via The Ethical Lettings Agency at affordable rates to vulnerable individuals and families, then supporting them to sustain that accommodation.

With over 160 rental properties now under management, The Ethical Housing Company continues to support those in housing need. In the year to March 2021, c. 50% of its lettings were to households that were previously homeless. With a majority of tenants in receipt of benefits, the partnership also provides expert help on how to navigate the benefits system, which helps them to secure the funds they need to sustain their accommodation. Ultimately, we hope The Ethical Housing Company can expand its reach to 1,000+ homes over time.

www.ethicalhousing.co.uk