The Evolution of Social Outcomes Partnerships in the UK
Set my timezone
Select a timezone from the map or dropdown and click the Set timezone button to adjust the event date/times to your current timezone.
Social impact bonds, increasingly referred to as social outcomes partnerships, were pioneered in the UK and are now used in over 35 countries, with nearly 300 such projects launched globally to date. Nearly fifteen years since the launch of the world’s first social impact bond at the Peterborough prison in England, this session will bring together government, practitioner and evaluator perspectives to take stock of the evolution of the implementation of this partnership model and the emerging evidence.
Engaging with Evidence is a series of interactive online convenings hosted by the Government Outcomes Lab (GO Lab) and designed to encourage a greater understanding of the latest evidence on the use of cross-sector partnerships focused on outcomes. The sessions are hosted monthly, and attract a diverse range of practitioners from different sectors, as well as researcher from across the world.
Building independent, high-quality evidence
At the GO Lab, we believe in the importance of building independent, high-quality evidence and disseminating it effectively to inform policy decisions and improve practice on the ground. As new evidence around the use of outcomes-based approaches is starting to emerge, we hope that with this series of online convenings we can continue to bridge the gap between evidence and practice, and help foster real dialogue between policymakers, practitioners and researchers in an honest, transparent and constructive way. Both veterans and explorers interested in better understanding the latest evidence around the use of outcomes-based approaches are welcome to join these sessions.
Throughout 2023, Engaging with Evidence will offer an open platform for policymakers, practitioners and researchers around the world to engage with key findings from the latest research and evaluation work in the field. They will have the opportunity to discuss new evidence directly with the authors of research and evaluation studies, hear the practical insights of the partners involved in the development and implementation of the projects under discussion, and reflect on the relevance of the evidence to their own work.
What to expect
Each session lasts 90 minutes and features contributions from a diverse panel of experts, as well as ample time for contributions and questions from all participants. Discussions at each session are grounded in the findings of a recent evaluation or research study, with additional practical insights brought in by stakeholders directly involved in the work or project under discussion. Each session follows a set format:
- Setting the context & presentation of the evaluation/ research findings
- Discussion with the panel and audience questions
- Closing remarks
If you’d like to suggest a topic or highlight a recent study that you’d like to see discussed on a future session, please contact our moderator Jessica Reedy
Session Overview
Social impact bonds, increasingly referred to as social outcomes partnerships, were pioneered in the UK and are now used in over 35 countries, with nearly 300 such projects launched globally to date. Nearly fifteen years since the launch of the world’s first social impact bond at the Peterborough prison in England, this session will bring together government, practitioner and evaluator perspectives to take stock of the evolution of the implementation of this partnership model and the emerging evidence.
Increasingly impact bonds are understood less as a financial instrument (as the word ‘bond’ might suggest) but rather a form of cross-sector partnership (a social outcomes partnership) that brings together government, non-profit service providers and socially motivated investors in the pursuit of measurable outcomes. More than a technical specification for outcome measures in a transactional arrangement, we’ve seen a shift away from a punitive, rigid application of key performance indicators towards outcome measurement as a tool for learning and adaptation for more responsive social services.
Can social outcomes partnerships help reform public services and improve efficiency in public spending? Do they offer value for money? What does best practice look like and what has been the legacy of the practice to date?
In the session we will:
- Map the UK’s social outcomes partnership landscape, drawing on data from the global Impact Bond Dataset curated by the GO Lab team
- Share insights from the respective evaluations of the two largest outcomes funds in the UK: The Commissioning Better Outcomes & the Life Chances Fund
- Explore what the learning from the journey so far tells us about how to fund and deliver more adaptive, accountable and person-centered public services.