Ing as verb or noun
 

Hello! Sorry, I’ve got one of those horrible grammar terminology questions to ask you. In the following sentence, I’m supposed to decide whether the fragment between commas is a noun phrase or a clause:
With two white grandfathers, and having been brought up as a Methodist in a Roman Catholic community, Walcott is ideally placed to express the Caribbean’s confusions of cultural identity.
Apparently, it’s a noun phrase, but I can’t really see why, as the verb is declined as a present perfect passive, and so, to my understanding, is working as a verb. Could someone help me with this one, please?