[Sub ID 4804] Huber Social Wellbeing Measurement Framework (Huber Social)

Submission ID: 4804
Organisation name: Huber Social
Contact name: Ms Georgina Camp
State: NSW
Contact email: georgina.camp@hubersocial.com.au
Contact number: 0406107058

Which priority group of the Try, Test and Learn Fund does your idea support?
Young students at risk of long-term unemployment

What need or issue are you trying to address?
Many approaches to increasing workforce participation focus on vocational skills. However, it’s not just lack of vocational skills that prevent young people from entering the workforce. They need a range of capabilities to function in society and achieve responsible independence, many of which are precursors to being employable. Huber Social has an innovative, holistic and systemic approach to measuring and building those capabilities, with a focus on youth at risk.

The Treasury’s Wellbeing framework (aligned to Amartya Sen’s Capability Development approach, pg 108 McClure Report) acknowledged the need for targeted investment in services that build capability of individuals. Starting with the ‘youth at risk’ sector, Huber Social worked with several service providers (see answer to Q8), to develop a Wellbeing Measurement that operationalises the capability development approach.

The framework links:
• Individual wellbeing with personal capabilities (e.g. resilience) and opportunities
• The development of those capabilities with specific social programs and interventions

This Framework identifies sector based ‘needs’ and therefore the interventions likely to drive the greatest improvements in wellbeing for a given cohort.

This proposal seeks to validate the Framework and use it to establish an innovative funding model to scale an effective capability development program

What is your idea?
1. Validate the Huber Social Wellbeing Measurement framework as a means to evaluate services to build the capability of young people to fulfil their full potential; thereby preventing long term welfare dependence.

2. Using the measurement framework as the basis for an alternative approach to funding that leverages the outcome focus of social impact bonds to scale the effective service model.

To achieve this, Huber Social has partnered with StreetWork.

StreetWork has achieved positive social outcomes for youth at risk across their various locations; (see StreetWork Outcomes: http://www.StreetWork.org.au/2015-outcomes/). However, without being able to effectively measure why their approach works and secure sustainable funding, their ability to reach those in need is held back.

The Cronulla-Sutherland district has been an identified as an ‘in need’ area that would benefit from the StreetWork program.

Funding will be used for:
• Obtaining 3rd party validation through an academic institution
• Establishing a Cronulla-Sutherland Streetwork branch and obtaining ‘on the ground’ validation of the measurement framework
• Using the data driven results to develop donation/investment cases for a funding vehicle that uses the social benefit bond mechanism but is scalable and available to smaller service providers, through a managed fund approach
• Providing government with a measurement methodology that could be utilised to compare the impact of multiple programs across multiple sectors