Introduction
This step will support you to assess the social value and investment implications for housing options for autistic adults and adults with a learning disability. This step will highlight how developing suitable housing can improve local economic, social and environmental wellbeing. It will also contribute to the requirements placed on local authorities by the Public Services (Social Value) Act (2012) by helping to identify additional community benefits of developing housing for autistic adults and adults with a learning disability. The Social Value Act requires all public sector organisations and their suppliers to look beyond the financial cost of a contract to consider how the services they commission and procure can improve the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of an area. Furthermore, the Procurement Act (2023) encourages public sector buyers to consider social value when awarding contracts.
What this step will add to your business case:
- A list of wider economic, social, and environmental benefits linked to the proposed development of housing for autistic adults and adults with a learning disability in your area.
Key questions
- Are there any social value policies or social value statements for your locality?
- How do the social value statements meet the Government’s missions?
- Has social value forecasting been part of your planning?
- How can you link any social value associated with developing housing for autistic adults and adults with a learning disability with the local social value strategy and Social Value Act (2012)? Consider the following:
- Will the proposed development promote the improvement of skills and employment in the locality?
- In which ways the development of housing options for autistic adults and adults with a learning disability will support the development of the local economy and local businesses?
- What are the impacts of the development in the community and how can it promote health, safety, and resilience?
- In which ways will the development improve and protect the environment?
- How will the development support the new solutions to local problems and support innovation?
- To what extent do small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) have a fair chance at public procurement in relation to the housing strategy?
- How will a social value evaluation and reporting be reflected on procurement and partnerships with stakeholders?
- How will the social value commitments made by suppliers be reflected in contracts?
How to?
- Use the questions above to identify the key areas of social value to focus on.
- Gather any local social value policies and statements for your area and consider how these relate to any social value associated to the proposed development of housing options.
- Identify key social values associated with the proposed development of housing options. This may include:
- Promoting local skills and employment – increasing local employment rates, fairer working conditions, and more opportunities for training and skills development, and employability, including for disadvantaged groups and young people.
- Supporting growth – more opportunities for local businesses and voluntary organisations, improving the wellbeing and mental health of local staff, reducing inequalities, and embedding social value in the supply chain.
- Improving health, safety, and resilience of communities – reduction in crime rates, creating healthier communities, supporting more people to live independently, and increased support to the community.
- Environment – reducing carbon emissions and air pollution, protecting natural resources, promoting circular economy and local solutions, and promoting sustainable procurement practices.
- Innovation – supporting innovation to develop skills and employment, developing communities, and protecting the environment.
- There are many frameworks with guidance and templates to assess social value based on the above aspects, including the National Thermes Outcomes Measures (TOMs) framework.
- Incorporate the evidence collected through the above step into the business case linking key social values identified with local social value policies and with the Public Services (Social Value) Act (2012).
Sources of information and resources
- Guidance on how to measure social value by HACT – this includes information on HACT’s social value insight tool and the UK social value bank.
- UK Built Environment Bank – a development focused bank by HACT.
- Social value toolkit for local authorities.
- National Toms – framework developed by the Social Value Portal and LGA to support local authorities to identify social values.
- Procurement Act 2023 – guidance documents intended to provide technical guidance and help with interpretation and understanding.
- National procurement policy statement from the Government.
- Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 002: Taking account of social value in the award of central government contracts as well as the PPN 002 guide to using the social value model. PPN 002 only applies to central government, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies, not local authorities.
- PPN 003: The Public Service (Social Value) Act 2012 advice. PPN 003 only applies to central government, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies, not local authorities.
- Transforming public procurement – part of the LGA procurement hub with supporting resources about the Procurement Act 2023.
- Homes England: Measuring social value – research reports and guidance to inform the measurement of social value.
- National Housing Federation, (2020) Measuring social value: guidance for housing associations.
- Scottish Federation of Housing Associations – social value toolkit guidance notes.
- Guide to using social value model – embedding social value on tendering process.
- Hammersmith & Fulham Council – example of social value statement.
- West Sussex – example of social value framework.
Partners to involve
To fully explore the social value of developing housing options for autistic adults and adults with a learning disability, it is key that you work in partnership with relevant organisations and agencies. Below are some examples of key partners to be considered and their areas of expertise.
- Local authority housing and planning departments as well as finance/corporate resources, regeneration and growth or improvement
- Local authority procurement and community investment teams
- Senior local authority leaders focussed on housing, social care, and autistic adults and adults with a learning disability
- General needs and specialist housing providers (local authority, housing associations and commercial operators)
- Social care and community services providers
- Representative groups, charities, and user-led and community groups.
Co-production
The ‘I’ and ‘We’ statements below are illustrative examples of co-production outcomes associated with this step. We encourage housing partnerships to adapt them as they see fit to best reflect their local context.
For individuals:
- I understand what social value is and the key benefits of developing housing for autistic adults and adults with a learning disability to the local economy, NHS, and social care system.
- I decide what implications and benefits are most relevant to me and should be included in the business case.
For the partnership:
- We facilitate individuals’ understanding of social value and help them understand the links between housing for autistic adults and adults with a learning disability and the wider benefits to the local economy, NHS, and social care system.
- We support people to decide what implications and benefits are most relevant to them and make sure this is featured in the strategy.
Example: National Housing Federation research
The National Housing Federation (NHF) commissioned research to better understand how supported housing impacts homelessness, health and wellbeing, and the ways in which it supports and interacts with the NHS, social care, the justice system and other public services. The research comprised a snapshot survey of 2,119 individuals living in supported housing projects for working age adults alongside in-depth, qualitative interviews with 30 professionals working within the sector. The key findings are summarised below.
Impact on health and wellbeing
- The research suggests that supported housing has the greatest impact on the safety, health and social care of an individual. It:
- helps meet people’s basic needs for food, safety and shelter
- provides personalised support through tailored support plans
- provides informal emotional support, often 24 hours a day
- offers wellbeing activities, independence and choice
- helps people to identify their health and care needs, apply for any benefits they are entitled to, and work out how to access support.
- Supported housing residents have complex needs: 9 out of 10 have at least one health condition or disability, and half of them are experiencing more than one of these conditions. They also have complex support needs including a history of mental ill-health, offending and domestic abuse. Supported housing provides a safe environment with highly skilled staff to ensure residents receive the support they need.
- Supported housing makes a substantial contribution to supporting its residents to access primary care and specialist treatment and diagnosis where needed. The research estimates that the service has assisted:
- 70,000 people to register with a local GP
- 62,000 people to attend health appointments more consistently
- 36,000 people to access diagnosis and/or treatment for mental health conditions
- 32,000 people to access diagnosis and/or treatment for physical health conditions.
Impact on homelessness
- Transitional supported housing plays a key role in reducing and/or preventing higher risk forms of homelessness such as rough sleeping. It provides better security and a more supportive environment than alternatives such as ‘bed and breakfast’ accommodation.
- The research found that short-term and transitional supported housing is providing an emergency response to homelessness for many residents – 76% had an unstable housing history or were assumed homeless immediately prior to entering supported housing.
- Supported accommodation can also help people in transitional supported housing access secure tenancies, as well as understand their housing options. Overall, 56% of service users were deemed ready to move onto settled accommodation. For 53% of those ready to move on (regardless of length of stay and complexity) this was not possible because “finding a suitable move-on option is proving difficult”.
- The research estimates that were it not for supported housing, there would be an increase in core homelessness of around 41,000 people, with a further 30,000 people at significant risk of future homelessness (the cost to the public purse of long-term homelessness has been estimated at over £40,000 per person per year).
Read the full report here.