This is a Social Return on Investment report on the Cadder Environmental Improvement Project managed by the Wise Group. 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.

This is a Social Return on Investment report on the Get Ready for Work programme run by Perth YMCA. 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.

This SROI report is one of a series produced as part of a joint project between the EU EQUAL programme and Communities Scotland to research, develop and test new approaches which could have the potential to strengthen the social economy sector. It presents an analysis of Forth Sector’s Restart service, exploring the nature of the service’s impact in supporting people into employment and the extent to which it offers value for money.

This is a Social Return on Investment report on the Fab Pad programme run in North Ayrshire by Impact Arts. Impact Arts is a national community arts organisation. It has pioneered “the Fab Pad concept”, which Impact Arts is now delivering across Scotland. The main aim of Impact Arts is to use the arts as a catalyst for positive lasting change in people’s lives. The Fab Pad concept was developed to work with vulnerable people at a vital stage in their progression out of a chaotic lifestyle – when they took on a tenancy. Fab Pad offers arts, design and practical skills training to people, to help them turn their house into a home. It then supports them to take up other opportunities in education, training and employment.

This is a Social Return on Investment report on Six Mary’s Place Guest House, a social firm based in Edinburgh and managed by Forth Sector. It presents an analysis of the social added value delivered through the funding investment in Six Mary’s Place. This report is one of a series of SROI reports resulting from a pilot programme undertaken through Social Economy Scotland, supported financially by the EU Equal Programme and Communities Scotland’s Social Economy Unit. The pilot has been managed by Forth Sector.

This is a Social Return on Investment report on Solstice, a social firm based in Aberdeenshire employing people with long-standing mental health issues. 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.

This is a Social Return on Investment report on the Gateway2Media course run by Subliminal Directions, a social enterprise based in Fife. 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.

KibbleWorks is a series of enterprises that have been set up as part of the Kibble Education & Care Centre in Paisley, Scotland. The Education & Care Centre at Kibble has become one of Scotland’s biggest organisations dedicated to working with young people who have a range of social, emotional, educational and behavioral problems. The aim of the enterprise section is to provide an employment hub in which young people can learn work related skills in a functioning business.

Work is currently underway to pilot the Social Return On Investment (SROI) methodology within the Scottish social economy. Working in partnership, Forth Sector, Communities Scotland (Social Economy Unit), the EQUAL Team, together with Social Investment Scotland, The New Economics Foundation and Haldane Associates are joining together to test the validity of SROI as an impact measurement tool within the Scottish context and to evaluate the model’s potential for estimating the impact of investment funding.