Community and Voluntary Action Tameside Valuing Our Communities Project Overview

1. Introduction
Social Value is about maximising the impact of public expenditure to get the best possible outcomes for people. The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 became law on the 8th March 2012 and for the first time, places a duty on public bodies to consider social value ahead of procurement1. Community and Voluntary Action Tameside (CVAT) has been successful with securing funding for a small grant from Awards for All from the Big Lottery Fund for a new project, Valuing Our Communities. The aim of the project is to assist local community, voluntary and faith organisations (VCFOs) to effectively demonstrate the difference they make; and in particular their wider social, economic and environmental impact. Aims and outcomes of the work The project will: Enable CVAT, along with the voluntary, community and faith (VCF) sector and partners from Tameside Council and the Clinical Commissioning Group to identify a meaningful yet usable system(s) for defining and capturing social value. Assist VCFOs to better understand the difference they make and enable them to demonstrate their social value to funders, members and other stakeholders. Improve the understanding of how to build social value principles effectively within local commissioning arrangement in line with the Social Value Act. Upskill staff from VCFS and partner agencies in effectively measuring social value by identifying an agreed and approved bank of tools and measures/indicators. 2. Methodology and resources CVAT has appointed a consultant to lead on the project - Martin Duffy Consultancy. Martin has over seventeen years experience of working in the community and voluntary sector across Greater Manchester and with national organisations as a; consultant, grant-maker, assessor, trainer, fundraiser, and trustee. Martin has been involved in measuring the impact of: infrastructure organisations (such as CVAT), Housing Associations, large grant programmes for local strategic partnerships, and has worked with commissioners on developing volunteering infrastructure in Manchester. Demonstrating impact depends on being able to communicate social value not just measure it. Engaging key stakeholders in the project is therefore important to establish a shared vision and understanding of why and how social impact should be measured in Tameside. This is why we are seeking involvement from the following key service areas to ensure the project can be of maximum value. CCG Adult Services Children Services Public Health 3. Timescales The project will commence in November 2013 and will end in April 2014. 4. Further information For further information about the project, please contact Naomi Sampson, CVAT Development Manager E-mail: naomi.sampson@cvat.org.uk Tel: 0161 339 4985
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National Association Voluntary Community Action, 2013 http://www.navca.org.uk/socialvalue