Designing and Implementing a Social Return on Investment Evaluation for a Community-Based Domestic Violence Intervention (Pathways for Participation)

AimTo design and implement a Social Return on Investment framework to assess the impact of a community-based intervention designed to raise awareness of, and effectively respond to, domestic violence.BackgroundMeasurement and evaluation are increasingly contemporary concerns for non-profit and social ventures, which in a climate of austerity and budgets cuts, face growing demands for evidence of effectiveness and impact. This raises challenges since often these types of organisations are founded on non-market values. This research study will focus on an evaluation of a ‘Pathways for Participation’ programme developed by Onus (NI) Ltd that involves a range of community focused initiatives aimed at addressing domestic violence. The evaluation will adopt a Social Return on Investment (SROI) approach designed to understand and measure the social, economic and environmental value created as a result of the ‘Pathways for Participation’ initiatives. The three month evaluation project will begin early 2015. MethodsAdapting elements from existing SROI models, an appropriate framework for ‘Pathways for Participation’ will be devised. Key stakeholders will be identified and engaged within the evaluation process helping to establish a ‘theory of change’. Inputs, outputs, outcomes and impact will be mapped and evidenced. A range of qualitative and quantitative methods will be employed to gather relevant data. FindingsAs well as producing specific outcome/impact data in relation to the ‘Pathways for Participation’ programme, the study will generate broader insights into the SROI process that will be of interest to other organisations. It is anticipated that the research will help to identify the challenges in designing and implementing a SROI evaluation in the context of domestic violence interventions and how such issues may be overcome. Conclusion/RecommendationsSROI can help organisations to demonstrate the value and importance of their activities and improve the quality and effectiveness of domestic violence interventions.