Bespoke Language Service by AGFS

We are delighted to be offering a Personalised Language Service to all professionals working with non-English speaking families and especially those involved in child protection and care proceedings.

Bespoke Language Service (BLS) is tailor made to suit any professional’s needs and it is just one phone call away. It is personalised in that it enables the professional to immediately access a range of language support provisions, including:

-       Cultural consultancy

-       Interpreting (direct and indirect)

-       Translations (emails, documents, statements)

-       Liaison with family members and professionals from other countries

-       Ad-hoc telephone calls, including conference calls

-       Foster placement support (cultural consultancy to the carer)

-       Language support/tuition for non- English speaking children in care (especially very young ones)

-       Family support and parenting training

-       Supervised contact for children in care

We offer these services in MANY LANGUAGES!

We have been providing such service out across the country for several years now. Feedback we have received consistently points to numerous benefits of using AGFS for a comprehensive language support option. These benefits include:

-      An established professional relationship with one and the same worker- AGFS’ Language Service Coordinator

-      Provision of court interpreters

-      Great communication, accessibility and reliability

-      AGFS only uses highly qualified and experienced linguists

-      AGFS’ ethos is to strive towards developing and nurturing a professional relationship between the interpreter/translator and the Service Commissioner/family member. Where possible we allocate one, consistent worker to any one case.

-      AGFS is social work founded and managed

-      AGFS has significant experience within the social care field, including social work assessments and family support

-      AGFS has been a leading provider of culturally competent services across England and Wales for many years.

The following is a recent example of a real-life scenario, involving a social worker and the Lithuanian family they have been working with. The chronology of events is:

-      AGFS completes a viability and then full SGO assessment of an Aunt to a child in care (the Aunt resides in Lithuania)

-      AGFS helps the SW and Aunt liaise with each other via email communications (translating)

-      AGFS translates a number of court documents, including assessment reports, to Lithuanian

-      AGFS provides interpreting for video calls between the Aunt, the foster carer and the child

-      AGFS assists with conference calls between the SW and the Aunt

-      AGFS liaises with Lithuanian Central Authority on the SW’s behalf, concerning order transfer and recognition issues.

-      AGFS supports the Aunt with transport, advice and interpreting when she arrives in the UK to attend the final hearing (the Aunt does not speak English at all)

-      AGFS supports contact sessions between the Aunt and the child

-      AGFS assists with final planning and preparations for the child’ placement in the Aunt’s care in Lithuania 

For more information, please contact AGFS head office