3. Do they ask you lots of questions?
A good guardian should know as much about your
child as possible, especially any medical problems
or allergies. If your child has allergies and is going
to a host family and the guardian does not ask you
lots of questions, be wary.
4. Who is driving your child around?
It is not possible to get a Taxi Driver Licence in the
UK without a DBS check but that does not mean
that a driver does not have a criminal record. Does
your guardian conduct DBS checks on all drivers
and actually check their record? If they will not
provide this information, then beware.
7 facts about Bright World Guardianships...
• Bright Word has been accredited by AEGIS
since 2006 and are the only UK guardianship
company to have assured partnership status
with Child Safe International (now SAFE)
• We have a ‘same day’ response policy at Bright
World - try us out.
• Bright World insists on receiving detailed
medical and dietary information for their
guardianship students.
• ALL Bright World drivers have a current and
clear DBS record.
• ALL Host families have DBS checks, references
and are visited every year. Children are visited
at school, after the first stay to make sure they
were happy. If they don’t like the family we
will happily move them.
• ALL Bright World staff members receive
a customer service training programme
specifically written and designed by people
with more than 30 years of experience in
looking after students and their parents.
• Bright World may not be the cheapest but
we invest in our staff and in staff training. We
believe that quality costs a little more but is
worth it to keep children safe.
5. Is my child safe at half term?
Will you receive full details about the host family
chosen for your child? Will they have been visited
by a member of the guardianship company and is
this inspection properly recorded? How often are
families re-inspected? Does your guardian take the
time to ask your child how they got on at the family,
allowing them plenty of time to tell them if they felt
uncomfortable in any way? Is every member of the
family who lives there given a DBS check and is that
DBS check clear, i.e. they have no criminal record?
How regularly is that check updated?
6. Are they nice people?
A good guardian should understand the worry you
will feel when sending your child abroad. They will
also understand how your child might feel leaving
home for the first time. Make sure the guardianship
company you choose really does care and treats
you, your family and your child with the respect you
deserve.
7. Is what I am paying value for money?
Be suspicious of programmes that look very cheap.
They may have hidden costs that come out as the
year goes along, variant host family costs, extra
costs for extra visits etc. Operating a high quality
programme with educated, well-paid staff and top
notch management systems, as well as ensuring
safeguarding standards are maintained, is an
expensive business.
51