Impact area: Social Care & Provision of Community Services
Region of impact: United Kingdom
Type of investment: Social Impact Bond Fund
SDG alignment: 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11
Bridges Social Outcomes Fund is a pioneering initiative, led by Bridges Outcomes Partnerships, that aims to improve the lives of vulnerable and underserved people in the UK.
The Fund designs and develops delivery partnerships, along with provision of working capital and additional capacity-building resource to organisations, to provide vital services in areas such as children’s services and child protection, employment, health and social care, education, and housing.
The Fund supports projects commissioned by local and central Government departments via Social Outcomes Contracts, meaning payments are made only once pre-agreed outcomes have been achieved and evidenced, rather than made based on inputs. Bridges Social Outcomes Fund aims to not only positively impact individual lives, but to help transform public services and the system through which they are commissioned, designed and delivered. Outcomes Partnerships enable more efficient, innovative working thanks to three key features: collaborative design, flexible delivery, and clear accountability, each explored in depth in Bridges’ learning document, People-powered Partnerships.
Since launch in 2018, the Fund has supported 34 outcomes contracts addressing various social needs and touching thousands of lives. Forward Outcomes Partnership (Forward) is just one of these programmes.
Case Study: Forward Outcomes Partnership
- 248 women completed the programme
- 124,523 days without care proceedings
- £8.4m outcomes achieved1
Focusing on increasing the wellbeing of women who have had – or are at risk of having – more than one child removed from their care reduces the risk of more children ending up in care.
While the journey to breaking this cycle is different for every woman, the need for safe and secure accommodation, access to health support, addressing addiction, as well as leaving damaging relationships and establishing positive new ones, are some of the common foundations needed for positive long-term change.
Forward was created to support the development and roll-out of a trauma-informed programme that is delivered by experienced partners to help vulnerable women create a more positive future. Women on the programme are supported to focus on themselves, increasing their wellbeing and employability, and engaging with other services whilst breaking the cycle of recurring pregnancies.
More than 245 women have completed the programme, which aims to help them regain control and develop new skills for their future.
S’s story
*Please be aware that this story contains references to family violence.
At 32 years of age, S had had two children removed from her care due to domestic violence by her partner and father of her children.
While she had been informed she would likely gain full custody of her children if she left her partner, she did not feel able to do so at the time. Struggling with anxiety and agoraphobia, S rarely left the flat she lived in with her abusive partner and had no contact with the outside world.
Engaging S was difficult and a long process, as she did not want to talk to strangers or meet with professionals. However, after providing support for mental health prescriptions and access to telephone GP appointments, S slowly started to build a relationship with her Forward practitioner. She sought further support around improving contact arrangements with her two children and began contraception.
Over time, S built a great rapport with her practitioner, despite her partner’s attempts to sabotage the relationship. She started to open up about the depths of her abuse and was encouraged to complete The Freedom Programme, helping her to slowly recognise the signs of an incredibly unsafe and unhealthy relationship.
Over a year later, her practitioner helped her to leave her relationship and move to a local refuge. The hard work she was able to do, with the support of her practitioner, has been life-changing for her.
S is now in a new and healthy relationship with a childhood friend, whilst successfully engaged with IAPT (‘Improving Access to Psychological Therapies’) and Mind.
If you have experienced family violence and need immediate or ongoing help, please contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) to talk to a counsellor.
1 The (£) value of outcomes achieved is the amount received by Bridges Social Outcomes Fund from governments, based on the social outcomes delivered under each programme according to criteria agreed by governments and Bridges Social Outcomes Fund.
Stats are as at January 2026. Source: Forward Outcomes Partnership | Bridges Outcomes Partnerships, accessed 12/01/2026
