Title: Social impact and The Wrekin Housing TrustAuthors: Louise Holland & Colette Simonczyk, The Wrekin Housing Trust

Our passion for the research

•WHT increasingly looking at how it builds social value into procurement

•New venture – Social Enterprise

•Creativity and innovation in delivering services

Purpose of Presentation

• Overview of our research

• Critical analyses social impact

• Primary and secondary research and The Wrekin Housing Trust (WHT)

• Fad or solution

• Merits or demerits for WHT

Format • Background and definition

• How Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 is being introduced

• Meaning for different sectors

• Measuring social impact

• Key findings

• Primary research – Social Value Consultant

• Case study – WHT

• Conclusion & Recommendations

Background

•Creating social impact – not a new concept•Evolved into contemporary issue in management•Global Recession 2008•Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012•Public bodies required to consider economic, social and environmental well-beingof an area when commissioning andprocuring services 1

•How £1 spent produce wider benefits to the

community 1

1 – HM Government, 2014

Definition

“the effect of an activity on the social fabric of the community and well-being of individuals

and families”

Social Enterprise UK (2014b: 1)

Definition

“the process of assessing and estimating, in advance, the social consequences that are likely to follow from specific policy actions or policy development. Social impacts include all social and cultural consequences to human populations of any public or private actions that alter the ways in which people live, work, play, relate to one another, organise to meet their needs and generally cope as members of society...”

(Burdge & Vanclay,1996: 59) as cited by Ebrashi (2013: 190)

How the Act is being introduced

‘Communities Count: the four steps to unlocking social value’

77 local authorities and 123 housing associations

•Creating trainee, apprenticeship positions and volunteering opportunities •Partner with Social Enterprises •Community safety and cohesion projects•Debt advice and welfare assistance •Health and social care schemes

Social Enterprise UK (2014a)

The Act – Meaning for Different Sectors

• Public Sector

- Tool to achieve social outcomes through others

- HA’s – tool for improving area

• Private Sector

- Larger companies – greater consideration social value

- Smaller businesses – greater opportunities

• Third Sector

- Social enterprises & charities opportunities to win public sector

contracts

Measuring social impact

Measuring Social Impact

•Balanced Scorecard•Quadruple bottom line•Logic model•Social impact assessments•Social Return on Investment •Inspiring Impact – 70 impact and outcome measures,20 diagnostic tools…

The list goes on and on…

Key Findings – Social Impact

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

18 months on…

•80% cited employment as a key social value priority •Two-thirds – better service provision, community relations•71% social value led to better service delivery•52% cost savings •82% improvements in external relationships/image•Strategy for obtaining innovation – achieving cost savings and not just creating social outcomes

Social Enterprise UK (2014a)

Key Findings – Social Impact

• Public bodies – commissioning and procurement

• One-third don’t consider social value

• Biggest barriers/challenges - defining and measuring

• No requirement to prove social impact

• Those claiming to create social value may not be

Communities Count: the four steps to unlocking social value

Social Enterprise UK (2014a)

Define

MeasureIntegrate Partner

Key Findings - Social Impact

Other findings…

•Contracts awarded to Social Enterprises remains low•Prejudices still exist around their capabilities•Motivation of public bodies – questionable?•Loss of jobs in the private sector •Low priority for directors, private sector – non-core function, core activities, financial profit •Private sector – trainee, apprenticeships, voluntary work, add-on – business strategy •Public relations exercise – tokenistic •Change – requirement for businesses

Experiences – Social Value Consultant

Huge knock-on effect in local community and public purse

•Creation apprenticeships and jobs opportunities •Reduce unemployment •Help sustain local firms•Boost local economy – multiplier effect•Support fledgling social enterprises•Supporting work of school or community groups•Community cohesion projects - reduced isolation•Creating benefits - raise profile

Use model that best suits organisation

The Wrekin Housing Trust – Case Study

• Registered Provider – social housing

• Charitable housing trust formed 1999

• Over 12,000 properties – affordable rent and home ownership

• Group structure – Choices, Reviive, SSFS, Shropshire Housing Alliance

WHT Experiences – Social Impact

Examples of activities

•Apprenticeships and trainee roles – WHT

•Work placements - Job Centre Plus / Local Schools

•Supply chain network - apprenticeship, trainee, volunteering

•Community Safety Partnership, Governments Troubled Families Programme, partner in Anti-Social Behaviour Unit

•Cohesion activities - Keep Britain Tidy accreditation

•Debt and welfare benefit advice and assistance

•Development programme - 1,790 new homes, 2012-2016

Example of Social Impact – WHT Development Programme

WHT Experiences

• No systems in place to measure outcomes

• Some activities – difficult to understand impact

• Scale of impact

• Lack of clear purpose/measurement?

Venture – WHT & SSFS

• Social Enterprise – carry out service contract to WHT properties

• Aim – improving service levels and efficiencies• SSFS employ 2 paid staff working with 4

volunteers/trainees • Local disadvantaged unemployed people – unpaid work

experience/training up to 8 weeks• Encouraging so far…• Trust - WHT & SSFS

WHT Experiences

• Support to smaller local businesses and/or social enterprises

• Economic challenges – cost efficiencies important

• Conflict of interest – economies of scale v social impact

Conclusion & Recommendations

Public Sector

•Social Value Act – in theory tool for public sector to deliver social impact through others

•Lack of expertise to build and measure social impact

•Consideration – social value priority

•Building social value into commissioning and procuring of services could be real solution – deliver social impact - insufficient resources

Conclusion & Recommendations

WHT

•Clear purpose for creating social impact – real opportunities to gain added value •SSFS initiative – potentially real solution for WHT•Third sector - innovative ways for service delivery •Some activities difficult to see benefit to WHT – tick box exercise – fad?•WHT defined purpose – measures •If measured outcomes of activities could be seen as less of a fad but a solution

Conclusion & Recommendations

Third Sector

•Purpose to create social impact

•The Act, advantage – greater opportunity to deliver public services and strengthen organisation

•Award of contracts remains low

Conclusion & Recommendations

Private Sector

•If public bodies embrace social value

•Procurement & commissioning processes

•Larger companies will need to look beyond it as a PR exercise and build into strategies

•Smaller businesses – opportunity to deliver services

References

Bakshi, R. (2012) The Business of Impact Investing from Philanthropy to Strategy [pdf]. Available at: http://aladinrc.wrlc.org/bitstream/handle/1961/10410/Bakshi,%20Rhia%20-%20Spring,12.pdf?sequence=1 [Accessed 10 July 2014]

 

Banks, D. (2014) Corporate Social Responsibility or ‘Social Value’?. Gorkana Group. Available at: http://gorkana.com/news/corporate-and-financial/general-features/corporate-social-responsibility-or-social-value/ [Accessed 23 July 2014]

 

Becker, H., A. (2001) Social impact assessment. European Journal of Operational Research 128, pp. 311-321. Available at: http://ezproxy.bcu.ac.uk:2080/S0377221700000746/1-s2.0-S0377221700000746-main.pdf?_tid=267c8078-128f-11e4-9f1b-00000aab0f26&acdnat=1406136856_392c29f821172034caf27e2d5248c4e8

[Accessed 10 July 2014]

 

BSSEC. (2014) ‘Embedding Social Value’ – Key findings from a two-year Barrow Cadbury Trust-Funded Project [pdf]. Birmingham & Solihull Social Economy Consortium. Available at:http://bssec.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Key-Findings-Report.pdf [Accessed 9 August 2014]

Cabinet Office (2009) Social Return on Investment – an introduction [pdf]. Available at: http://www.thesroinetwork.org/component/docman/doc_download/75-social-return-on-investment-an-introduction

[Accessed 10 July 2014]

 

Clark, C. and Brennan, L. (2012) Entrepreneurship with Social Value: A conceptual model for performance measurement. Academy of Entrepreneurship Journal, Vol.18, No.2, pp. 17-39. Available at:

http://callisto10.ggimg.com/imgsrv/FastPDF/UBER1/RangeFetch=contentSet=UBER1=prefix=PI-1TOH-2012-JUL00-IDSI-=startPage=16=suffix==npages=23.pdf

[Accessed 10 July 2014]

 

References

Dietz, S., A. and Porter, C. (2012) Making Sense of Social Value Creation: Three Organizational Case Studies. Emergence: Complexity and Organization, Vol.14, No. 3, pp. 23-43. Available at:

http://bcu.summon.serialssolutions.com/#!/search?q=%22making%20sense%20of%20social%20value%20creation:%20Three%20organizational%20case%20studies%22

[Accessed 10 July 2014]

 

Domenico, M. D., Haugh, H. and Tracey, P. (2010) Social Bricolage: Theorizing Social Value Creation in Social Enterprises. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Vol. 34, Issue 4, pp. 681-703. Available at: http://callisto10.ggimg.com/imgsrv/FastPDF/UBER1/RangeFetch=contentSet=UBER1=prefix=PI-4496-2010-JUL00-IDSI-=startPage=68=suffix==npages=23.pdf

[Accessed 10 July 2014]

 

Ebrashi, R. E. (2013) Social entrepreneurship theory and sustainable social impact. Social Responsibility Journal, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 188-209. Available at:http://ezproxy.bcu.ac.uk:2156/journals.htm?issn=1747-1117&volume=9&issue=2&articleid=17089840&show=pdf&PHPSESSID=i8a69tkvlto9iu9ck809e9po65 [Accessed 10 July 2014]

 

Esteves, A. M., Franks, D. and Vanclay, F. (2012) Social impact assessment: the state of the art. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 34-42. Available at:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14615517.2012.660356

[Accessed 10 July 2014]

References

Grave, I. and Hudson, S. (2014) UK Social Value Act one year on: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Pioneers Post. Available at: www.pioneerspost.com/news/20140129/the-uk-social-value-act-one-year-on-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly [Accessed 21 July 2014]

 

Hillier, A. (2014) A reality check on social value. Third Sector. Available at: http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/reality-check-social-value/policy-and-politics/article/1295750 [Accessed 23 July 2014]

 

HM Government (2014) The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012: One Year On [pdf]. Cabinet Office. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/275719/Public_Services__Social_Value__Act_-_One_Year_On.pdf [Accessed 10 July 2014]

 

SEUK (2012) Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012. [pdf]. Social Enterprise UK. Available at: http://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/uploads/files/2012/03/public_services_act_2012_a_brief_guide_web_version_final.pdf [Accessed 10 July 2014]

 

SEUK (2014a) Communities Count: the four steps to unlocking social value [pdf]. Social Enterprise UK. Available at:

http://www.orbit.org.uk/media/218493/communities-count-final-report.pdf

[Accessed 10 July 2014]

References

SEUK (2014b) Social impact. Social Enterprise UK. Available at: www.socialenterprise.org.uk/advice-services/topic/social-impact [Accessed 20 July 2014]

Social Value Business (2014) Social Value Quality Mark. Available at:

http://www.socialvaluebusiness.com/ [Accessed 8 August 2014]

WHT (2013) The Wrekin Housing Trust Strategic Business Plan 2013-15. [pdf] The Wrekin Housing Trust. Available at: http://intranet/ci/documents/Strategic%20Business%20Plan%20to%202015.pdf [Accessed 3 July 2014]

Special acknowledgement

 

We would like to thank SSFS’ Social Value Consultant, for sharing her wealth of knowledge and experience .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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