SIMNA’s Victoria Organising Committee is pleased to offer an upcoming event on values-based social impact measurement – ‘Values literacy for driving and measuring social impact’, hosted by Dr Samantha Abbato and Dr Wendy Muller.

As a committee member, I thought it would be opportune to reflect on what values-based social impact measurement means to me in the context of becoming an Advanced Social Value Practitioner (Level 3) through Social Value International (SVI) last year.

SIMNA is a Joint Member Network of SVI. As of this year, SIMNA also delivers SVI accreditation for Level 1 Social Value Associates in Australia and supports the delivery of Social Value and SROI Training together with local training partners.

What does it mean to practice values-based social impact measurement according to the Principles of Social Value?

Social Value International advocates for the application of their Principles of Social Value across social accounting and processes seeking to optimise social value. They refer to these principles as the ‘basic building blocks’ for these kinds of processes. But effectively, they are advocating for consideration of values when measuring social impact.

The principles of social value are inherently about promoting a way of working with people and promoting the integrity of practice that centres certain values in how we approach accounting for social impact. This includes:

• Making ‘involve stakeholders’ the central tenet of social value measurement approach (Principle 1). Across every stage and every decision you make, stakeholders should influence how you do things according to SVI. And stakeholders aren’t just who we might traditionally think of – that is, powerful decision-makers. They are also the people who are impacted by your actions – end users – and the people who may experience the unintended or negative impacts of the changes that you have made. This is an incredibly value-driven principle – believing that the people who are impacted by the decisions made by organisations should shape how it accounts for the value of these decisions and how things should be done differently in the future.
• Not acting as the expert in the ivory tower – justifying why you do what you do and the decisions you made (Principles 5, 6, 7 – do not overclaim, be transparent, verify the result). Incredible transparency in the approach and being held accountable is a key tenant of applying the SVI principles. In some other forms of assessment and accounting, experts conduct calculations and spit out numbers for Returns on Investment, without being fully clear how these numbers have been achieved. Whereas, in applying the SVI principles, we are saying there is no one way to do social value measurement – instead, this is the way I have approached this particular situation and these are the steps and assumptions inherent in what I have done, so you can understand for yourself.

Becoming an accredited social value practitioner – what and how?

Social Value International offers their professional pathway to seek accreditation as a social value professional, with three levels available:

• Level 1: Social Value Associate
• Level 2: Accredited Practitioner
• Level 3: Advanced Practitioner.

To achieve Level 1, you need to complete an accredited Social Value and Social Return on Investment 2-day training program. In Australia, SIMNA coordinates the delivery of this training with local partners. And then you need to pass a Level 1 online exam that will test your theoretical knowledge, which SIMNA also coordinates in Australia on behalf of SVI. Level 2 and Level 3 status requires that you demonstrate not only theoretical knowledge but also practical competence in the delivery of social value measurement. This is achieved through submitting a social value measurement report you have prepared for assurance through SVI and then an interview to test your knowledge. The major difference between achieving Level 2 and Level 3 is that in the Level 2 accreditation process, there are additional supports available, such as mentoring, staggered report assurance and the acceptance of some limitations to meeting the social value principles.

This also means you can go straight from Level 1 to Level 3 accreditation, if you feel comfortable you can prepare a report that meets the assurance standard and pass the interview without the supports provided for people seeking Level 2.

Social Value UK conducts the report assurance process on behalf of SVI, and there are four rounds over a calendar year where applications and their associated reports will be assured. I chose to go from Level 1 to Level 3 in the accreditation process. It took about 3.5 months from submitting my report, going through the assurance process, making amendments to the report and then completing the interview to gain the accreditation. The accreditation process is thorough and not to be taken lightly to be sure. SVI are keen to ensure the Principles of Social Value are reflected to the right degree of rigour. But it’s not only an evaluative process – it’s also a great learning opportunity. Working closely with the expert assigned to assure your report and then conduct the interview provides an invaluable opportunity to deepen your understanding.

Learn more

You can find out more about accreditation via SIMNA as a Level 1 here, and accreditation as a Level 2 and 3 here.

Author: Madeleine Beart (SIMNA Victoria Organising Committee)