Issues in Using Social Return on Investment as An Evaluation Tool
| Author | May Walker-Jeffreys,Kuda Muyambi,Bruce Gurd,Kari Vallury,Pauline Beach,Shaun Dennis,Lee Martinez |
| DOI | 10.1177/1035719X1701700305 |
| Published date | 01 September 2017 |
| Date | 01 September 2017 |
| Subject Matter | Academic Article |
32 Evaluation Journal of Australasia Vol 17 | No 3 | 2017
PRACTICE ARTICLE Evaluation Journal of Australasia Vol 17 | No 3 | 2017 | pp. 32–39
Social return on investment (SROI) is an approach built
on cost benet analysis and is used in the evaluation
of projects with social benets, as an alternative to
cost benet analysis and theory-based evaluation. This
paper provides an analysis of SROI as an evaluation
tool compared to theory-based evaluation, based on
an evaluation of a community based mental health
rehabilitation program in regional South Australia. The
paper describes the process of constructing a SROI
impact map and identies the issues at each stage.
Establishing the resources used, the activities and the
outputs appears relatively straightforward. Arriving at
an agreed theory of change is much more contested,
even when using a high level of involvement of the
service beneciaries. The single greatest diculty is to
nd the indicators and the nancial proxies to value the
outcomes. Outcomes such as improved wellbeing are
dicult to value. It is particularly dicult to establish
the level of outcomes immediately after or during an
intervention. The paper concludes with an analysis of
landscapes where SROI is unlikely to t.
Introduction
Administrators, implementers and managers of social programs are
required to provide evidence of the eectiveness of their programs
and demonstrate value for money using adequate measurement
of their results. The response has been an ongoing search for, and
the development of, appropriate ways to measure and report the
performance of these programs (Social Ventures Australia, 2012).
The measurement of the performance of social programs forms the
basis of this paper. The paper draws on the results of an evaluation of
a mental health rehabilitation program in regional South Australia. It
provides a case study of how the SROI approach can be combined with
KUDA MUYAMBI | BRUCE GURD | LEE MARTINEZ | MAY WALKER-JEFFREYS |
KARI VALLURY | PAULINE BEACH | SHAUN DENNIS
Issues in using social return on investment
as an evaluation tool
Kuda Muyambi is a Service Evaluation and
Research Assistant, Department of Rural
Health, University of South Australia.
Email: kuda.muyambi@unisa.edu.au
Bruce Gurd is an Associate Professor,
University of South Australia.
Email: bruce.gurd@unisa.edu.au
Lee Martinez is a Mental Health Academic,
Department of Rural Health, University of
South Australia.
Email: lee.martinez@unisa.edu.au
May Walker-Jereys is a Project Ocer,
Department of Rural Health, University of
South Australia.
Email: may.walker-jeffreys@unisa.edu.au
Kari Vallury is a PHD Candidate, Flinders
University.
Email: kari.bachatera@gmail.com
Pauline Beach is Regional Manager Mental
Health, South East, Country Health SA Local
Health Network Inc.
Email: pauline.beach@sa.gov.au
Shaun Dennis is Clinical Senior Occupational
Therapist, Integrated Mental Health Services
Whyalla, Country Health SA Local Health
Network Inc.
Email: shaun.dennis@sa.gov.au
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