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New study proves worth of Link’s Older Person’s Advice Project
Published on January 29 2010
Every £1 invested in Link’s Older Person’s Advice Project (OPAP) achieves a social return of £27.53, a new Social Return on Investment (SROI) study by Linkwide has revealed.
Link’s study of OPAP is among the first in Scotland to be fully assured by the SROI Network, the national body for promoting and verifying SROI activity in the UK. Based on information provided by OPAP’s stakeholders, the project’s range of impacts was found to include:
- Increased household income for OPAP clients by an average of £1,150 a year per annum
- Improved quality of life for clients, such as reduced social isolation and improved diet Improvement in clients’ long term health conditions
- Reduced fuel poverty among clients
- Reduced demand on NHS services from clients
- Increased income to the Scottish economy due to clients’ increased income and their resulting spending
Translated into financial outcomes, the total value of OPAP from July 2008 to March 2009 was more than £2.5 million, from an overall investment in the project of £94,000. This results in a social return of £27.53 for every £1 invested.
The study was carried out by Link’s Community Regeneration Officer Sheila Maxwell, who in December 2009 was approved by the SROI Network as one of only a few fully Accredited SROI Practitioners in Scotland.
Sheila will now deliver training to Link colleagues to enable them to carry out SROI evaluations on other projects.
Sheila said: “Carrying out the OPAP SROI has been a challenging but rewarding experience that has helped Linkwide to gain a full appreciation of the difference OPAP makes to older people’s lives. The study is also a valuable tool that will assist us to make the social and business case to stakeholders, partners and funders to continue investing in the service.”