3. Project Scope

On this page:

• 3.1 Project boundaries and timing
• 3.2 Defining stakeholder groups
• 3.3 Projected investment (inputs) and activities (outputs)

3.1 Project boundaries and timing

The SROI Network promotes the use and development of the Social Return on Investment methodology internationally. There are two forms of SROI analyses described in the SROI Guide: a forecast and an evaluative SROI analysis produced by the Network.⁵

A forecast SROI analysis estimates the social value an organisation will create in the future. There is unlikely to be substantive evidence to support the value an organisation will create (because it has not happened yet). An evaluative SROI analysis estimates the social value an organisation has created in the past. In contrast to a forecast SROI analysis, an evaluative SROI should be based on evidence that has been collected over time.

The scope of this project represents a forecast SROI analysis of Helping Hand and Linking Youth for the investment period of the financial years 2015 to 2019 (five years). In this analysis we are projecting the impact of the program based on forecast investment in the program over this period. The rationale for this timeframe is that five years will be sufficient time for young people to experience substantial change. This is based on the experience of previous program participants and aligns with the re-offending patterns of Aboriginal young people (the target group of the program).⁶ Analysis of a two year investment period of the financial years 2015 and 2016 was also undertaken. The results of this analysis are included in the sensitivity analysis (section 7.2).

Some of the outcomes experienced by stakeholders are projected to occur after the specified periods of investment. The timeframes during which these outcomes are likely to be experienced are listed in Appendix 6 (Duration). The period over which the outcomes are projected to occur are based on the experience of previous program participants.

The activities included in the scope of the analysis are those activities that will be delivered by Inverell Shire Council with funding from the IJP. These activities are outlined in the funding agreement between the Department and Inverell Shire Council, which auspices the LTC. Activities that will not be funded through the IJP are excluded in the scope of the analysis. These include other programs funded by the Department and the Australian Government more broadly, including funding for the facilities in which program activities are conducted.

3.2 Defining stakeholder groups

Stakeholders are defined as people or organisations that experience change, whether positive or negative, as a result of the activity being analysed.⁷ For stakeholders to be included they must be considered material to the analysis. Materiality is a concept that is borrowed from accounting. In accounting terms, information is material if it has the potential to affect the readers' or stakeholders' decisions about the program or activity. According to the SROI Guide, a piece of information is material if leaving it out of the SROI would misrepresent the organisation's activities.⁸

The decision to include or exclude a stakeholder group was determined through the scoping and stakeholder consultation phases of the project. In the early stages of the project, the project team facilitated a program logic workshop with the Department during which the stakeholders to include and exclude from the analysis was discussed. At the first meeting with the Helping Hand and Linking Youth program staff this list was tested and refined. It was then used to inform the stakeholder consultations and data collection approach (see Section 4.1).

Stakeholder groups included in the analysis who are likely to experience changes are:

• Stakeholder 1: Young people that participate in the program
• Stakeholder 2: Families and significant others of young people that participate in the program
• Stakeholder 3: Community
• Stakeholder 4: Justice system (including police, courts, juvenile justice, and correctional/corrective services)

In addition, there is one material stakeholder groups that provides input to the program:

• Stakeholder 5: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Sub-groups within the stakeholder groups were also considered. Following initial discussions with the program manager, mental impairment and age were considered as sub-groups for the young people stakeholder group. During consultation with young people and other stakeholders, it became clear that young people in the program were not experiencing different outcomes depending on whether they had a mental impairment or not, or depending on their age, or any other characteristic.

The young people's stage of development (see section 4.4) influences the timing and extent of outcomes that the young people experience, however, the theory of change is consistent for all young people. Based on our consultation with the project staff, we have identified that the young people that they work with progress through four stages of development as a result of the program:

1. Stage A - Build trust and meet immediate needs
2. Stage B - Increase engagement and acceptance of boundaries
3. Stage C - Increase hope and motivation
4. Stage D - Make positive choices.

A final stage, Stage E - develop a strong identity, is a stage of development that in the context of Helping Hand and Linking Youth is aspirational.

Sub-groups such as the employment status of families and significant others were considered, however, no substantial differences between these groups and the change they experienced as a result of the program, whether intentionally or unintentionally, were observed. For further details regarding decisions to include or exclude stakeholders, see Appendix 2.

3.3 Projected investment (inputs) and activities (outputs)

Investment

The investment, or inputs, that are forecast to be required to support the activities of the Helping Hand and Linking Youth program during the investment period include both cash investment as well as non-monetary contributions.

Monetary investment

There are two cash investments in Helping Hand and Linking Youth:

• Funding from the Department
• Time contributed by Inverell Shire Council staff.

The Helping Hand and Linking Youth program currently receives monetary investment from the Department. In FY15 the Department will provide $216,350 towards the program which will include funding for 2 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, including the program manager.

Based on advice received from the Department, it is possible that the funding will be provided at the same level, without any increase CPI, over the forecast period.

The second cash investment in Helping Hand and Linking Youth is time contributed by members of Inverell Shire Council. The Council auspices the accounts of the LTC and provides it with executive management assistance, grant fund writing support, project management, information technology support, records management, human resources management and finance and accounting/payroll services. This support is currently provided to the LTC at a cost to the Council of $182,532 per annum. Based on stakeholder consultations, we have assumed that 20% of the amount contributed by the Council can be attributed to the program. It is assumed that the investment will be provided at the same level over the forecast period.

Non-monetary investment

There are two in-kind contributions to Helping Hand and Linking Youth:

• Unpaid extra time of the program manager
• Unpaid time contributed by volunteers.

The most significant of these, unpaid extra time of the program manager, usually arises because a particular young person experiences a period of crisis which requires immediate assistance beyond the amount of support that would normally be provided within standard working hours. Based on consultation with stakeholders, this has been calculated as 7 extra hours per week beyond the 35 hours specified under the employment agreement between Inverell Shire Council and the program manager. This time is expected to continue at this level in the forecast period.

The second in-kind contribution is volunteer time contributed by members of the community to the program. This includes facilitation of art and cultural activities, passing down knowledge, stories and culture to the young people and spending time with the young men in the program in a Men's Shed. Based on consultation with stakeholders, this has been calculated as 15 hours of time per year for each volunteer.

If the proposed investment for FY15 is maintained, $1.4m is forecast to be invested into the program over the next five years. This includes cash investment from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet ($1.1m) and the Inverell Shire Council ($182k) and in-kind investment from the Council and community volunteers. There is forecast to be approximately $5k per annum invested each young person in the program.

Investment Summary

Table 3.1 provides the summary of the investment, both monetary and non-monetary investment, into the Helping Hands and Linking Youth program during FY15 to FY19.

Activities and outputs

The investment, or inputs, of the program are pooled together to deliver the activities of the program. All of the activities currently undertaken by Helping Hand and Linking Youth are expected to continue during the period of analysis.

The core activity of Helping Hand and Linking Youth is individually tailored case management carried out by a dedicated program manager who supports each young person in a variety of ways depending on their needs and the level of support available outside of the program, which is often limited due to its rural location.

The support ranges from providing the young people with food and a place to go, to advocating on behalf of the young people and their families and significant others to education providers and in court. It can also include referrals and collaborating with other service providers, pathway planning and goal setting, mentoring, transporting, attending and supporting young people in court, legal appointments and appointments with other service providers and providing a link to their culture through interaction with local Elders. Part of the program design is to facilitate the creation of support networks for these young people outside of the program.

Approximately 86 young people are expected to participate in the program over the forthcoming five year period. Most are expected to receive support for 3 to 4 years (58%), the remainder for 5 or more years (26%) or 1 to 2 years (16%). Depending on their needs, they will meet with the program manager between twice a week and once a month.

Some of the young people's families and significant others will participate in some of these meetings. Approximately 63 family members and significant others are expected to meet with the program manager who will link them to other services which are relevant to the needs of the young person in their care as well as their individual circumstances.

The second type of activity carried out by the Helping Hand and Linking Youth program is the creation of a 'meeting place' for the young people at the LTC where social, cultural and community activities take place. The 'meeting place' has come about because the LTC has Aboriginal employees and a focus on Aboriginal culture (unlike most other service providers in Inverell) and its location in South Inverell, which is made up of a largely Aboriginal population, makes it easy to access and welcoming. The program is run out of the LTC which is critical to its success and acceptance by the South Inverell community. The expected output of this activity is that young people will visit the LTC on a weekly to monthly basis.