Whatimpact is a social value management expert company offering expert advice to match the public and private sectors with local social value initiatives and deliver evidence-based impact reporting. It supports organisations throughout the UK, with social value planning and social value delivery to meet tender-specific goals. Whatimpact prides itself on helping organisations deliver tangible, locally relevant, and contract-specific social value effectively and efficiently.
Their excellent resources have been uploaded to our Resource Library:
Social Value Manager White Paper 2023, sponsored by HACT, researches the world of social value professionals, their backgrounds, workloads, goals and challenges and how we can support them to succeed. A really welcomed, recommended good read.
The Social Value Handbook: How to Manage & Budget Your Social Value is also a good recommended read. It sets out how to develop and implement a social value strategy and harness company resources with contract profitability in mind, how to coordinate a social value cycle, the challenge of different frameworks, how to report and budget for social value and more. A must read for SMEs and larger businesses.
Mantell Gwynedd is a County Voluntary Council based in northwest Wales. They have been members with Social Value UK since 2014 and established Social Value Cymru in the same year. Social Value Cymru provides social value support, advice and consultancy services to third sector organisations across Gwynedd and beyond.
Mantell’s activities are varied and numerous including developing and supporting volunteering, representing the third sector and collaborating with partners, supporting organisations with their governance, financial and engagement arrangements, referring individuals to relevant services, a social prescription service in the Arfon area and giving guidance for organisations on how to measure their social value…… and much more!
As an organisation, Mantell Gwynedd wanted to ensure that the principles were embedded into the organisation and develop a culture of impact management. Social Value is becoming an integral part of the governance and management of Mantell Gwynedd on a strategic and operational basis. Crucially, we are able to measure, monitor, consider and assess our activities from the perspective of users and partners; and to plan our future activities in order to maximise the positive effect on people we work with or offer a service to them.
The first project that we measured was our social prescribing project, and we have produced an annual social impact report on this project since 2016. Having engaged with stakeholders it was clear that the outcomes that needed to be managed were loneliness, mental health and physical health. The indicators used for managing these are a subjective wellbeing scale which demonstrates the change that people have experienced through the support. Some objective scales have also been used such as reduced GP visits. In the 2022-23 report, 93% of those who completed the service said they felt less alone. The benefits of measuring and managing the impact of this project are:
The social Prescription SROI’s have enabled us to better understand the outcomes to individuals using the service.
Applying the principle of ‘value what matters’ allows us to better understand what is most important for our users and informs our decision making
The principle of ‘do not over claim’ has helped us to understand where we create most value and also identified where we can collaborate better with others
The continued need and demand for the project is clear and based on the social impact information collated. The number of referrals to the project through various NHS departments demonstrates that the Community Link Officer is taking pressure off the local health board while building a solid foundation of trust with the healthcare professionals.
Mantell has held a Level 1 Social Value Management Certificate since 2019 and during the period from 2020 through the period of Covid restrictions, the organisation built on its frameworks and plans in order to put more thorough operating methods in place across all the company’s activities. Following the submission of the application for Level 2 in October 2023, a detailed assessment was carried out by SVI, and Mantell was awarded a Level 2 Certificate on 11 December 2023.
This has been a long process, and we still have much to do to ensure that we have truly embedded the principles across all out activities. What was unexpected was how the process has helped staff to better understand the impact they have within communities and how this has motivated them to be involved in measuring impact themselves.
The SVI method allows organisation to capture the real story of change without limitations. It gives us the whole story including anything negative or unexpected that happens through our activities, which allows us to better plan and make more informed decisions.
“In the long run, implementing Level 2 Social Value is a means for Mantell to use the input of real people to influence and improve our activities for the benefit of users and partners.” – Trystan Pritchard, Mantell Gwynedd Chairman and Social Value Champion on the board
Learn more about Mantell Gwynedd and the work they do here.
One Wirral CIC have successfully achieved Level 1 of the Social Value Management Certificate! To understand more about their organisation and why they chose to embrace the Principles of Social Value, we spoke to Katie Landon, Communications and Marketing Officer.
Please tell us about your organisation and what you do
We collaborate across sectors and organisations finding areas that need extra assistance to reduce health inequalities – helping to bridge gaps in health services and support. Using an agile approach means we can help people through practical and innovative solutions that really make a difference.
Some of our projects and services include; cancer prehabilitation, diabetes prehabilitation, Community Health Checks, collaborating with Macmillan to deliver an innovative Personalised Care offering, providing various training, consultancy and research services as well as creating strategic partnerships.
By using real data and evidence, talking to the community, and committing to our values, we aim to empower people to make the most of their health.
We are committed to measuring and managing the social value our organisation is creating, which is why we became a Social Value UK Organisational Member. It allows us to understand the impact of decisions and understand the changes on people’s lives beyond measuring finances.
Has your organisation been measuring and valuing social value for a long time, or are you at the start of your journey?
We have always had an appreciation for social value, but have formally started to measure it over the last 12-18 months in order to understand our impact, report on it, and find areas of improvement. We started with one project, then two, and this year plan to roll out across all.
It’s good to see that evidencing social value is being requested more and more amongst tender application processes, because it means even a greater number of organisations are required to showcase and evaluate their impact on their communities.
What prompted your organisation to apply for the Social Value Management Certificate?
Our directors were accredited as Level 1 Associate Practitioners, and we saw this an opportunity to celebrate the work we had done to date, highlight to partners and collaborators the importance of social value, and how it can contribute to long-term goals and missions.
Having the organisational certificate clearly demonstrates our commitment to social value, so our stakeholders can have confidence in our approach.
What are you putting in place to improve how social value data is collected and acted upon to create social value?
Our directors and wider team have implemented a robust policy that means we’re always thinking of the big picture, which includes ensuring our projects and services can provide as much social value as possible. It allows us to be as accountable as possible with our outcomes, develop our internal capacity and utilise the social value hub.
For example, with our Cancer Prehabilitation service, we regularly report the social return on investment to update to update our stakeholders and provide continuous transparency with how the service is contributing in multiple ways.
What has your organisation learned in achieving the Social Value Management Certificate?
During the discussions of looking at our processes and policies, it highlighted the ways we collected information could have been improved.
Measuring and monitoring social value also makes us and our stakeholders appreciate how our projects and services are having positive impacts in ways that we may have previously not thought about, meaning we gain a lot more insight and evidence to put forward and inform various organisations or bodies, which can help also them discuss solutions and opportunities.
Therefore, it can support our wider collaborative efforts even further.
How do you see your organisation benefiting from achieving Level 1 of the Social Value Management Certificate?
As well as implementing the processes in order to better collect the social value, we can use it to inform our future initiatives and make our strategic partners also aware of the benefits.
We will also be utilising the accreditation within tender applications to highlight that we are committed to not only monitoring social value, but also maximising it.
What initiatives will you be working on to create social value for your stakeholders?
We’ll continue to embed measurement across all our projects and services over the next 12 months, including encouraging our partners and collaborators to do the same as it has far-reaching benefits to our communities.
Floyd Slaski Architects have successfully achieved Level 1 of the Social Value Management Certificate! To understand more about their organisation and why they chose to embrace the Principles of Social Value, we spoke to Alicia Ho, Management, Marketing and Sustainability Assistant.
Please tell us about your organisation and what you do
Floyd Slaski Architects Ltd is a RIBA Chartered Practice based in London. Established in 1952 we have a wide portfolio of healthcare types and facilities including community clinics, high tech diagnostics, emergency departments, operating theatres and intensive care units. Whilst healthcare forms the majority of our commissions, Floyd Slaski’s expertise also encompasses education, residential, commercial and community buildings. Our designs integrate sustainable practices and aim to create lasting and positive social value.
Has your organisation been measuring and valuing social value for a long time, or are you at the start of your journey?
We have been implementing Social Value initiatives and practices into our work for some time now, and it is a design consideration we are always thinking of. Working towards our Level 1 Certification has prompted us to formally record and measure our Social Value outcomes and draw up benchmarks and goals that we are able to work towards.
What prompted your organisation to apply for the Social Value Management Certificate?
We decided to apply for the Social Value Management Certificate to show our determination and commitment to Social Value. Prioritising social value aligns with our broader objectives and commitment to making a positive impact. There were also stakeholder expectations that influenced our decision to obtain Level 1 Certification as this reflects our responsiveness to stakeholder needs and interests. This certification will enhance our credibility, reputation and competitive advantage and will improve our ability to measure, manage and communicate our social impact effectively.
What are you putting in place to improve how data is collected and acted upon to create social value?
We are already contributing to social value and have these values integrated in the way we work. Moving forward we are committed to recording and calculating the social value we have provided in our past work, and for all our future projects.
We will be working on creating further community engagement, have larger efforts in our environmental sustainability impact and ensuring diversity and inclusion in our designs, to further maximise our social impact.
So that we can properly keep track and record our results, we will measure and report our progress in a way that enables us to have better specified target goals.
What has your organisation learned in achieving the Social Value Management Certificate?
The process of achieving certification has deepened our understanding of social value concepts and principles. Through this exercise, we have learnt the importance of recording data, especially quantitative data. While we were already implementing many social value initiatives in the office and in our work our understanding of social value concepts in relation to measuring and managing social value within the context of our organisation have been enhanced.
How do you see your organisation benefiting from achieving Level 1 of the Social Value Management Certificate?
Achieving Level 1 certification demonstrates our commitment to managing social value effectively. It enhances credibility in the eyes of our clients. Level 1 certification has encouraged us to establish basic processes for measuring and managing social value and by formalising these processes we have improved our efficiency in collecting data, assessing impact and implementing strategies to enhance social value creation.
We have learnt a lot through the application process. Acknowledging our strengths and assessing our weaknesses has already had a big impact in the way we work. We believe that moving forward, our actions will be further empowered because of the certificate.
What initiatives will you be working on to create social value for your stakeholders?
1. Emphasis on improved infrastructure to benefit local residents, to foster and promote positive social interactions.
2. Create a cost-effective sustainable building solutions to adapt in our future work.
3. Emphasis on preserving local biodiversity by minimalising impact to nature, or restore lost biodiversity within our designs.
4. Create a systemised action plan and maintain a record/catalogue for recording changes and any reasons for not making changes made to activities based on social value data.
UK Charity stores created £75.3 billion worth of social value across 2022 in addition to their economic benefits, a Social Value UK assured report has found.
Social Value UK’s chief executive Isabelle Parasram OBE said the landmark report shone a light on the broader value created by organisations’ actions and decisions.
“This report has identified the positive social value created by British charity stores and enabled it to be expressed in financial terms, so that people sit up and listen to the incredible impact on wellbeing organisations have.
“This is a landmark report that I hope encourages more organisations to do the same and the toolkit developed alongside will enable social value creation to be analysed and improved at a local level.”
At a launch in parliament last night (Wednesday 26th) Tim Goodspeed of Morethanoutputs, who worked on the linked toolkit, said the Social Return on Investment Report (SROI) revealed the missing piece in our understanding of the true impact charity stores have on British society.
The analysis was commissioned by the Charity Retail Association, which represents more than 9,000 charity stores across the UK.
The launch was attended by Conservative Minister Stuart Andrew MP of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Labour Party’s Kim Leadbeater MP.
Mr Andrew spoke of the circular connection formed between those touched by the good work of charity stores and future donations, while Ms Leadbeater championed the significant role charity shops could, in her opinion, have in tackling isolation and loneliness.
The project was put together by three social value consultants, Mr Goodspeed and Nicola Lynch of LynchPin Support, who worked on the toolkit, and report author Charlotte Österman of Pax Tecum Global Consultancy.
An SROI is an analysis of impacts on wellbeing using quantitative and qualitative data gathered through surveys and focus groups that engage relevant stakeholders. In this case donors, customers, staff and volunteers.
The report was independently assured by Social Value UK, on behalf of the global standard-setting body Social Value International.
Mr Goodspeed outlined how the SROI did not start with a list of questions based on how charity shops hoped to have impacted people but instead asked more simply “what changed for you?” and “what changes when you have an interaction with a charity shop?”.
Ten outcomes resulted, with the most important for staff, volunteers, customers and donors being the positive feeling generated by “giving back” to others or the planet.
Alongside the assured SROI report, the consultants delivered a toolkit for individual charity shops and charity retail chains to assess how they create social value at a local level.
The report recommendations were to use the analysis to demonstrate the “immense social value” created by charity shops and to use the outcomes identified in it to maximise the positive social value created in future.
We are delighted to announce Tim Edwards has become a Level 2 Accredited Practitioner with Social Value International. The managing director of TJE Consulting said he was “thrilled” to complete the training run by Social Value UK.
“This will continue to help us play a key part in the movement towards changing the way the world accounts for value.
“I’m proud to have been recognised as a Level 2 Accredited Practitioner with Social Value International, the process has been invaluable in developing my practice and I look forward to using it in my future consultancy projects.”
TJE Consulting is a specialist consultancy agency supporting organisations to maximise their impact. They apply social value across the public, private and voluntary sectors, with particular expertise in the housing, skills and regeneration sectors.
Mr Edwards spoke to SVUK following receipt of his results.
Tim Edwards, Managing Director, TJE Consulting
Why did you embark on the SVI Professional Pathway?
I wanted to develop my skills to support my consultancy work in social value and give my clients confidence that I had achieved a professional level of competency in the sector
What elements of the assessment were particularly useful to your learning?
I’ve found each stage useful, but putting the learning into practice and getting feedback on a project was perhaps the most challenging and worthwhile. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work on a comprehensive project that really enabled me to apply all the principles. I worked with a supportive and receptive client, in a sector supporting people with learning disabilities, which was very rewarding.
Do you intend to develop your social value practice further?
Every project is an opportunity to develop, refine and practice skills, as each come with its own set of the challenges. I want to continue to engage with SVI and SVUK through the practitioner networks to support my continued learning.
What does it mean to you to be part of a global network? How can you contribute to the social value movement and what issues/areas do you intend to address?
It’s really reassuring to be part of a wider community of practice and have the opportunity to share and learn from so many. I hope to continue to learn from ongoing developments in approach to social value management. I share particularly interest in areas around procurement, aligning this with my work in housing, skills and regeneration.
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SVUK Advocacy Lead Matthew Mckew said: “Tim’s ongoing commitment to refine his knowledge and apply it to varied projects is an inspiration. We are delighted to award him Level 2 Accredited Practitioner status.”
Global engineering, management and development consultancy Mott MacDonald has successfully completed the Level 1 Social Value Management Certificate.
Social Value Technical Director Caron Dunlop said the firm was committed to building on their success by working towards Level 2.
“Our purpose is to improve society by considering social outcomes in everything we do, relentlessly focusing on excellence and digital innovation, transforming our clients’ businesses, our communities and employee opportunities.
“Social outcomes – accessibility, inclusion, empowerment, resilience and wellbeing – are at the heart of our purpose. It’s not just words, it’s a commitment to improving lives.”
Level 1 of the SVMC requires an organisation to demonstrate a commitment to embedding the Social Value International Framework and The Principles of Social Value into its policies and practices, with support from senior management and/or the board. This means an explicit commitment to managing the social value being created in the organisation for all stakeholders.
Social Value UK Advocacy Lead Matthew Mckew said: “As part of our role in delivering SVI qualifications, we are delighted to award Mott MacDonald a Level 1 Social Value Management Certificate. By completing this, Mott MacDonald have committed to put our principles at the heart of decision-making, valuing their people and the wider community. Only by recognising our impact on people, can we unlock the true value of our actions.”
To understand more about Mott MacDonald and why they choose to embrace our principles the joint SVI and SVUK principles, we asked Caron Dunlop more.
Why did you apply for the Social Value Management Certificate?
Mott MacDonald is committed to embedding social value in our business practices and in our projects. Doing this aligns with our group purpose: “To improve society by considering social outcomes in everything we do; relentlessly focusing on excellence and digital innovation, transforming our clients’ businesses, our communities and employee opportunities”.
We have a dedicated social value team and have implemented numerous policies and practices to embed social value in our business. We applied for the Social Value Management Certificate to achieve official recognition of our commitment to implement social value methods and practices.
How have you formalised your commitment for Level One of the Social Value Management Certificate? What practices or processes are you putting in place?
We have developed charters which formally outline our commitment to each of the criteria outlined by Social Value UK. We have also developed a social value policy for our business. We have a social value team in place driving forward the commitments outlined in our policy and charters. Based across the UK, the team has developed social value tools and resources to support the wider business with responding to social value tender questions and implement meaningful social value on projects. The team has established relationships with key stakeholders across the business to advocate, promote and support the importance of social value and our offering.
Are there any other specific projects you are doing at the moment that are related to SROI/social value that we can mention? If so, please provide some brief information.
Many of our projects include social value commitments as a core element and we are in the early stages of implementing and delivering on social value action plans. We are working with both our supply chain and project teams to embed social value thinking and activity as well as measure our performance and outcomes.
A good example of where we have had a positive impact on wellbeing is the Adoption Support Fund
Mott MacDonald has managed the Adoption Support Fund (ASF) since its inception in 2015 in collaboration with the Department for Education (DfE). Through our advisory services, we have increased the fund’s accessibility, as well as helped families that are struggling with the adoption and guardianship process. We’ve increased access to crucial support, delivering equal opportunity, and health and wellbeing social value impacts in line with the UK Government Social Value Model.
What have you learnt so far in your commitment to Level One of the Social Value Management Certificate? Is there anything that you believe you will gain or find useful in the next steps you will take for Level 2?
Level One accreditation was a great experience, enabling us to clearly identify what good social value governance looks like. This helped us to define our management approach more clearly in terms of systems, processes, stakeholder engagement and performance measurement. We have begun to roll this out throughout the business and the work we undertook for Level One is now supporting our journey to Level Two.
SVUK is delighted to announce Owen Martin of civil engineering firm Taylor Woodrow has qualified as a Level 1 Associate Practitioner.
This marks Owen’s first step on the Social Value International professional pathway, delivered by Social Value UK.
To celebrate the achievement, we caught up with Owen.
Why did you embark on the SVI Professional Pathway?
I embarked on the SVI Professional Pathway in a bid to widen my overall social value and social return on investment understanding. Delivering and reporting on social value is an integral part of my role at Taylor Woodrow, but it is important to me to ensure the social value we offer creates the most positive impact on the areas we operate in. I believe the best way to ensure this, is by gaining the valuable knowledge and insight found on the SVI Professional Pathway.
What elements of the assessment were particularly useful to your learning?
It was refreshing to update my general understanding of social value, but what was most useful was to understand the process of the SVI principles and how they can be applied within my day-to-day role and decision making. The confidence that I now have through this understanding is invaluable.
How do you plan to utilise your newly acquired Level 1 Associate practitioner skills?
I aim to incorporate my newly acquired Level 1 Associate practitioner skills into both my decision making and day-to-day role at Taylor Woodrow, ensuring that I put these new skills into practice across a range of projects. I also aim to encourage and promote the pathway to our wider team, with an overall aim to continue progressing along the pathway to further develop and deepen my knowledge of social value and SROI (Social Return on Investment Framework).
Do you intend to develop your social value practice further?
Absolutely! As someone at the start of their social value journey and career, I am looking to make the most of the skills I have recently acquired to develop my social value practice further. I am excited by the opportunities in this industry and the continuous positive impact that we on the SVI Pathway can have on our communities.
Congratulations on joining our social value practice community. What does it mean to you to be part of a global network? How can you contribute to the social value movement and what issues/areas do you intend to address?
It is great to be a part of a global network with recognised professionals that understand the positive changes and wider impact that social value and SROI can provide the communities we work in. I intend to contribute to this common goal and the social value movement by keeping myself educated and up to date with all things social value and by sharing the SVI Pathway with both colleagues and my wider network.
What does this achievement mean to you both personally and professionally?
Professionally, this is a fantastic step in the right direction for my career in social value, making myself a useful asset to the company by understanding what realistic and achievable social value is, whilst ensuring it is reported fairly and accurately.
Personally, I am thrilled to have achieved the Level 1 Associate Practitioner status and have found the pathway to be an exciting and enjoyable journey. I am looking forward to engaging with any upcoming events and my fellow practitioners.
Finally, tell us about your organisation:
Whether we are delivering small scale improvements or a major project, Taylor Woodrow’s success is founded on the teams we build, the relationships we develop and the engineering solutions we provide.
We have a strong regional presence across the UK, where local people bring local solutions across a range of infrastructure and civil engineering projects, as part of long-term frameworks. This is complemented by our ability to deliver major infrastructure projects requiring complex engineering solutions.
Our projects support the UK’s energy transition, deliver improvements to the highways network and enhance rail infrastructure. We operate across all stages of the project lifecycle, with our engineering services team supporting clients through the development and design phase of infrastructure projects to foster the right solutions.
Sustainability is at the heart of our approach and we are committed to respecting and protecting the environment in everything we do. Taking the time to understand and make a positive difference to each community that we work within is an integral part of our work to ensure that our projects leave a lasting legacy.
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Social Value Strategic Advisor Crispen Sachikonye said: “I am delighted to hear of Owen’s achievement and look forward to seeing him progress along the pathway. From his responses to our Q&A, you can clearly see his commitment to providing good social value practice. He will be an asset to our movement.”
