Reports Database

Perth YMCA is part of the international YMCA movement, and develops youth work services in Perth and the surrounding area.

It runs a number of youth work services for excluded and disadvantaged young people in Perth, including Get Ready for Work and Project Scotland programmes, which are the subject of this study.

The Salva Vita Foundation was established in 1993 with the mission of contributing to the creation of social equality for people with intellectual disabilities and building a diverse and inclusive society. The aim is to assist people with intellectual disabilities in leading independent lives, primarily with the aid of the Supported Employment (SE) services and in the Work Experience programme.

The Work Experience programme, designed and launched by Salva Vita in 1996, is a complex preparatory programme for the employment of young people with intellectual disabilities attending special secondary schools. In the framework of the programme, students work at various regular workplaces once a week as part of the curriculum, besides schoolwork.

The Supported Employment service is a special employment service that promotes the employment of people with disabilities and provides long-term assistance to both the clients with disabilities and the employer for successful employment. More detailed information on the SE programme is provided in later sections.

Gateway2Media is one of the programmes developed by Subliminal Directions, a social enterprise which specialises in multimedia work with young people in their community who are at risk of offending or involvement in anti-social behaviour or drugs, or who would not otherwise have the chance to get involved in this type of activity.

The course was commissioned by Lochgelly High School’s Special Educational Needs Unit. It presents an analysis of the value created by the investment in this course for 8 young people attending the unit who were at risk of joining the NEET group, i.e. young people not in education, employment or training.

The Gateway2Media course aimed to provide a new opportunity for the participants, to enhance their skills, but mainly to support their motivation and personal development. All participants were in S3 at school.

The Wise Group is one of the UK’s largest providers of employment and training opportunities for unemployed people. It works across a range of sectors, and runs programmes in a variety of occupational areas, and uses different models in working with its client groups.

This report presents an analysis of the social added value delivered through the funding investment in one of the Wise Group’s projects in their community regeneration programme, in Cadder, Glasgow.

Based in Cardiff, Pack-IT is a social firm that provides mailing, storage and distribution, and on-line fulfilment services to a variety of customers. Approximately half of the company’s employees have a severe learning disability. Moreover, the company tends to take on those who are especially disadvantaged and who have the greatest difficulty obtaining and sustaining employment.

This SROI analysis of Pack-IT, commissioned by Social Firms UK, focuses on the incremental social value created by the company by employing people with disabilities, over and above what would be expected if all of its employees were non-disabled. The returns are calculated annually due to the nature of social firms, in that their ‘output’ is the ongoing employment of people with disabilities. Therefore, no benefits are projected forward.

Kerbside (Calderdale) recycle people and materials, provide a kerbside recycling business for 25,000 household whilst at the same time providing progression to employment opportunities.

A social firm is a business which exists to create employment opportunities for those disadvantaged in the labour market, and support them to engage in real and meaningful work. The aims of Solstice are to create a supportive working environment for people, within a strong team working ethos, which aids their recovery and assists those who wish to move on to other employment opportunities.

Solstice runs two main business activities. It undertakes estate maintenance services on contract to Grampian Housing Association in Aberdeen, with whom it is in partnership. In 2003/04, Solstice initiated a five year business plan to set up a horticultural nursery, aiming to become self-financing through its trading activity. Solstice is therefore still in the start up phase for this business activity, having secured investment from a range of sources.

“The Dame Kelly Holmes Trust aims to get lives on track by using World Class athletes to engage, enable and empower disadvantaged young people.

By developing World Class athletes following a challenging period of transition after sport, the Trust in turn is able to support disadvantaged young people utilising the unique skills and inspiration of the athletes.

Our young people come from a range of backgrounds. Some may have been in care, are homeless, have previously had criminal convictions and some are just increasingly facing challenges in finding employment or engaging in education.”