- June 11, 2024
In June 2022 we published high-profile research into the value created by Social Outcomes Contracts (SOCs) in the UK. Our report was part of broader work by Big Society Capital (now Better Society Capital) to reflect on and celebrate the growth of SOCs over the last ten years.
On June 11th we published an update to this report which reflects growth in both the number of contracts and the impact achieved by those contracts since our last report. It also improves the methodology we adopted to undertake the analysis.
So why have we updated the analysis, and how have we changed and improved our approach?
To take the why first, our previous report was deliberately limited to estimating value based on outcomes already achieved, and did not forecast the future impact of projects that were then in progress. It also omitted a number of projects because in 2022 they were at too early a stage to have had much impact. The main reason for the update, therefore, was to add in the additional value created by these contracts since our first report. The new report adds in the further value created by 37 projects that were in progress at the time of our first report; it also includes ten projects which were not in our original analysis at all – either because they were too early stage or had not started.
On the how, the important change we made was to attempt to estimate the extent to which our original report might have over-estimated value by including “deadweight” – that is impact that might have happened anyway, if the SOCs had not existed. We avoided this in our first report because it is very difficult to do for a large number of contracts (our original report covered 76 projects; the new one covers 86). However we thought it was worth addressing this challenge because it makes the analysis more robust, since some outcomes are bound to happen anyway – either because other services are available to support people or because people sometimes improve their circumstances without help. Though given the cuts in public services in recent years, and the complexity of need of most of the people helped by SOCs, this happens less often than some might think.
Better Society Capital also convened a Technical Advisory Panel with expertise in the delivery, measurement and evaluation of social outcomes and social interventions which independently reviewed the draft report and findings. This Panel was immensely helpful and made a number of suggestions for further improving both the analysis itself and its presentation.
The net result is a report which we think is even better than the original, and even more robust in its findings. It finds that the 86 contracts have so far generated total public value of £1.86 bn (after adjustment for deadweight) from spend on outcome payments of £217 m. Like its predecessor, we hope it contributes to the debate about whether and where SOCs can improve public service delivery, and also save money.
- October 10, 2022
Big Society Capital has just published new research by ATQ into the value of social outcomes contracts and social impact bonds in the UK. Commissioned by BSC as part of their Outcomes for All report, and based on detailed analysis of 76 contracts implemented since 2010, the research found that outcomes to date had generated benefits worth more than £1.4 billion.
Commenting on the launch of the report, Neil Stanworth of ATQ said: “We were delighted to be asked to undertake this work for Big Society Capital. We have been estimating the value created by social interventions for many years, and think it really important that commissioners and policy makers understand just how much public value can be created if poor outcomes such as homelessness or long-term unemployment can be averted. We hope that our work will contribute to a wider debate on this”
Neil has written a blog on this work which can be found here.
ATQ also co-authored another major report released this week, which summarises findings over the last 3 years from the evaluation of the Commissioning Better Outcomes Fund. ATQ has been partnering Ecorys UK in conducting this evaluation since 2014.
For further information on either of these reports, please contact Neil at [email protected]
- October 9, 2022
Last week Ecorys/ATQ published our 2nd Update Report on the evaluation of the Growth Fund, tracking its impact over its first 5 years (2015-2020).
We found that the Growth Fund, a blended finance programme between The National Lottery Community Fund, Big Society Capital and ACCESS – THE FOUNDATION FOR SOCIAL INVESTMENT, has been successful in its aim of making small-scale loans more available to the charity and social enterprise sector. This in turn is strengthening the charities’ and social enterprises’ financial resilience and increasing their ability to support a wider set of people. We also highlight a number of lessons the partnership has learnt along the way, and aspects we suggest experimenting with further in the future.
Follow the links to read Ecorys/ATQ’s Full report and Executive summary, as well as blogs by Access Foundation and The National Lottery Community Fund.
- October 8, 2022
ATQ Directors have been major contributors to two important recent reports on outcomes-based commissioning and SIBs.
The first was commissioned by the Centre for SIBs within the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and looks at the challenges and benefits of commissioning social impact bonds and the potential for replicating and scaling this type of contract. The report presents practical tips for commissioners to facilitate an easier commissioning process and provides recommendations to government to further the replication and scaling of SIBs in the UK. It was co-authored by ATQ Director Neil Stanworth along with colleagues from Ecorys UK and can be downloaded here. Neil has also written this blog summarising the report’s findings with Rachel Wooldridge from Ecorys.
The other report was a major update on the evaluation of the Commissioning Better Outcomes Fund which ATQ have been supporting, again alongside Ecorys, since 2014. This report draws on a range of other work done as part of the evaluation, including in-depth reviews of specific projects and stand-alone surveys of key stakeholders. It includes major contributions from both Neil and fellow ATQ Director Edward Hickman, and can be downloaded here. Another blog by Neil about this report can also be found on the GO Lab website here
- October 7, 2022
ATQ is delighted to have been appointed Implementation Partner for the Home Office’s £13m Trusted Relationships Fund. The Home Office has awarded grant funding to 11 Local Authorities to deliver Trusted Relationship programmes aimed at young people aged 10 – 17 years old who are vulnerable to sexual exploitation, gang involvement and/or peer abuse. ATQ, along with our partners for this project, Circles South East, will be providing implementation support and monitoring of all the programmes as well as designing and delivering shared learning events throughout the four year life of the programme (funding for 2020-2022 dependent on the spending review settlement).
- October 6, 2022
Neil, Stanworth, one of ATQ’s Directors, has been appointed a Fellow of Practice at the Government Outcomes Lab (GO Lab) from January 2018.
Fellows of Practice work with GO Lab to provide support and advice to commissioners and others and help GO Lab develop its role as a global leader in the research and practice of commissioning for outcomes. It is an honorary position offered to those who have recognised expertise in the field of outcome based commissioning and have a commitment to supporting the work of the Lab.
Neil commented: ‘I am delighted to be joining the Fellows of Practice network which gives me the chance to share the expertise that my ATQ colleagues and I have built up across more than 20 projects related to outcomes – based commissioning and social impact bonds.’
- October 5, 2022
ATQ supported the Family Drug and Alochol Court National Unit, which received the largest single award to date from the Fund of £6.05m . This will fund a Social Impact Bond (SIB) that will support families whose children are subject to care proceedings due to parental substance misuse and domestic violence in the home. We also supported the application from Suffolk County Council, which received £442,400 to develop a programme that will aim to reduce the number of adolescents entering or staying in care in Suffolk.
ATQ has since supported a number of SIB development projects that led to applications to the second round of the LCF by the end of October, These included applications for support to SIBs that aim to impovre outcomes for pre-school chidren, for disadvanatged young people and for adults with mentakl health issues.
If you would like to hear more about how ATQ could help you develop a SIB or similarr contract under the LCF, please contact us.
- October 4, 2022
ATQ is pleased to have been appointed as an approved provider under the Big Potential Advanced Fund. Already an approved provider under the Breakthrough Fund (see below), we are now able to support ventures through the £10m Advanced Fund which provides larger grants of between £50,000 and £150,000 to support VCSEs that have better developed plans to raise social investment or pursue major contract opportunities. Further details are on our dedicated Big Potential page here.
ATQ is also delighted to have been re-appointed as a provider under the Impact Readiness Fund. The IRF was piloted last year, and ATQ successfully provided support through the Fund to both a cohort of three ventures and a stand-alone venture. The Fund has now re-opened for applications until January 2016.
- October 4, 2022
ATQ is delighted to have been appointed an approved provider under the Impact Growth strand of the Impact Managment Programme
The Fund provdes grants – working with an approved supplier such as ATQ – to help social ventures develop a project that will improve their impact management systems and processes. The Fund has a further £1.3m of funding available, and expects to award at least 26 further grants. If you are eligible to apply for the Fund and wish to work with us, please contact us as soon as possible so that we have time to put together a strong application
- October 3, 2022
ATQ is pleased to have been appointed as an approved provider under both the Big Potential Breakthrough and Impact Readiness Funds. These provide grants to help voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations (VSCEs) buy in specialist technical support for investment and impact readiness.
The £10m Big Potential Fund is aimed at eligible VCSEs to improve their sustainability, capacity and scale and help them deliver greater social impact for communities across England. VCSEs can apply for grants between £20,000 and £75,000 in total to undertake investment readiness work with an approved provider such as ATQ.
The Impact Readiness Fund (IRF) is a new pilot fund through which grants between £15,000 and £150,000 will be available to help ventures build infrastructure and skills required to manage their performance, increase their social impact, and attract social investment / win contracts, again working with approved providers.
If you are interested in the Big Potential Fund please visit our dedicated Big Potential page or contact one of our team. If interested in the IRF please contact one of our team as soon as possible as applications to the Fund close on 16th January 2015.