{"id":72004,"date":"2016-07-06T08:30:17","date_gmt":"2016-07-06T08:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=ba26fa2356dca2e1e41ff310cb7f9a1a"},"modified":"2016-07-06T08:30:17","modified_gmt":"2016-07-06T08:30:17","slug":"speech-launch-of-life-chances-fund-rob-wilson-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=72004","title":{"rendered":"Speech: Launch of Life Chances Fund: Rob Wilson speech"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Good afternoon. Thank you all for coming and thanks also to the Blavatnik Institute for hosting us.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure I\u2019m not the only person here who was looking forward to a quiet summer.<\/p>\n

Euro football, a visit to Wimbledon perhaps, a bit of Test match cricket, maybe even a chance to catch up on some reading, that was my hope!<\/p>\n

Unfortunately my summer reading now appears to include the Lisbon Treaty.<\/p>\n

The EU referendum has of course changed everything.<\/p>\n

But in a more profound sense its changed nothing.<\/p>\n

And this is my message to you today: whatever happens in the weeks and months ahead, our work continues.<\/p>\n

We are still the same one nation government, working to build a bigger and stronger society; working to extend hope and opportunity to those who need them most.<\/p>\n

But the EU Referendum did demonstrate that big questions, built up over many decades, are present in our country.<\/p>\n

Six years ago we began the task of tackling this by building a bigger, stronger society with compassion at its heart. It is true that we need to do more, to redouble our efforts, but I am proud of our achievements to date: Giving is increasing, the social economy is thriving.<\/p>\n

We created the world\u2019s first social investment bank in Big Society Capital which has already made almost \u00a3600 million available to charities and social enterprises.<\/p>\n

And over 1 million people in the UK now give regularly, a total of \u00a311billion each year.<\/p>\n

Social action is helping to transform lives: it contributes \u00a334billion each year to public services, adding an extra one-sixth to state spending on education, health and local services.<\/p>\n

200,000 young people have taken part in the National Citizen Service (NCS) and alone they have given more than 8 million hours of service to their communities. We hope to see 100,000 more young people take part in NCS this summer.<\/p>\n

And communities are stepping up: the 6,500 community organisers we have recruited to date have supported over 400 neighbourhoods to take action on the things that matter to them most.<\/p>\n

There is much more we can and plan to do. Our expansion of the National Citizen Service will guarantee a place for all young people, with 60% of eligible young people participating each year by 2020.<\/p>\n

We will expand community organisers to 10,000 and we are preparing programmes to grow volunteering by older people, increase volunteering in health, and getting business involved in driving youth skills.<\/p>\n

Public services that get results are increasingly absolutely key to our task of building a bigger and stronger society that supports the people who need them the most.<\/p>\n

Public services that get results<\/h2>\n

That means staying relentlessly focused on the people in this country who haven\u2019t had a fair shot in life. The child in care with the odds stacked against them; the repeat offender who can\u2019t read or write; the troubled families who spend half their lives with the government in their living room – Because they, more than anyone, need us to get results.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s exactly what we together, have to deliver.<\/p>\n

Too often in the past government has approached the most difficult social challenges by finding the money, designing the programme and concluding job done. Spending money rather than investing it.<\/p>\n

But doing something isn\u2019t the same as solving something.<\/p>\n

What we\u2019ve learnt over the last 6 years is that the test of a good social programme isn\u2019t how much you spend but how well you invest it.<\/p>\n

In short, how many lives you change.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s why paying for outcomes is at the heart of our commitment to improving the life chances of the most disadvantaged in our society.<\/p>\n

Everyone here knows the cost of social failure: \u00a330,000 a year for a first time offender; sometimes over \u00a3100,000 a year to support a child in care.<\/p>\n

But success can also be measured.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the child in care who finds a stable, adoptive family; the repeat offender who leaves prison with an English GCSE; the troubled families who get the help they need to get their lives back on track.<\/p>\n

Not only do these programmes change lives for the better, they also save huge amounts of money.<\/p>\n

By paying for outcomes, we can cut the cost of failure.<\/p>\n

Paying for results gets results<\/h2>\n

And we know that paying for results really does get results. I\u2019ve seen it for myself all over the country.<\/p>\n

Take Worcestershire.<\/p>\n

Its Reconnections Programme is all about tackling loneliness and isolation.<\/p>\n

It deploys an army of volunteers across the county, who work with older people to build their confidence and reconnect them to social activities – from lunch clubs to libraries.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all paid for by \u00a3850,000 of social investment, wrapped up in a Social Impact Bond that only pays out when the programme delivers a measurable reduction in loneliness.<\/p>\n

Later this afternoon you\u2019ll hear how a similar approach in Birmingham is helping troubled young people move from residential care to stable and supportive family placements.<\/p>\n

But there are many other examples from across the UK.<\/p>\n

The Peterborough Social Impact Bond, or SIB, achieved an 8 percentage point reduction in reoffending among short sentence prisoners leaving prison.<\/p>\n

The London Rough Sleeping SIB has helped over half of its 830 participants to achieve improved outcomes, including sustained stable accommodation, employment, or reconnection to their home country.<\/p>\n

Or look at the Essex SIB, which has helped 200 young people on the edge of the care system stay safely with their families.<\/p>\n

Paying for outcomes works because it allows us to focus on what really matters.<\/p>\n

It concentrates minds on prevention and early intervention.
\nIt frees charities and social enterprises to use their expertise to deliver services that really work.<\/p>\n

And when things don\u2019t work, it gives a clear incentive to stop, think again, adapt and refine until they do.<\/p>\n

It really is a win-win for commissioners, providers, investors and communities.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve already backed 32 SIBs, and we can be incredibly proud that we\u2019re world leaders in this field.<\/p>\n

But now we need to go bigger and better.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve built the prototype, proven the concept – the task now is to scale the model up – so we can help even more of our fellow citizens lead happy and fulfilling lives.<\/p>\n

Life Chances Fund<\/h2>\n

That\u2019s what the government\u2019s \u00a380 million Life Chances Fund is all about.<\/p>\n

The basic idea is simple.<\/p>\n

Whitehall gains some of the benefit from payment by results, so Whitehall should front some of the cost.<\/p>\n

For example, we invested \u00a3700,000 from our Social Outcomes Fund – the forerunner of the Life Chances Fund – in Worcestershire\u2019s Reconnections Programme, recognising that less loneliness means less pressure on additional care provision funded by the welfare system.<\/p>\n

The early indications are that Reconnections is having a significant impact – with clear reductions in the levels of measured loneliness for those going through the programme.<\/p>\n

The new Life Chances Fund will build on the work of the Social Outcomes Fund, providing a top-up for outcomes that generate savings for us.<\/p>\n

From today you can apply for a share of that \u00a380 million fund – which I hope we can add to in the future. It will contribute to you getting SIBs that tackle deep-rooted issues, off the ground, and in doing so improving the life chances of our most vulnerable citizens.<\/p>\n

The Fund is structured around 6 key themes: drug and alcohol dependency, children\u2019s services, early years, young people, older people\u2019s services, healthy lives.<\/p>\n

The Life Chances Fund will aim to make contributions of around 20% to local SIBs, but it could contribute more if you can make the case.<\/p>\n

Applications for proposals focusing on children\u2019s services and tackling drug and alcohol dependency are now open. These will be followed by the other themes over the next 12 months.<\/p>\n

Through the Life Chances Fund we have a huge opportunity to revolutionise our public services to focus on achieving positive outcomes for people.<\/p>\n

The Social Impact Bond market could be worth \u00a31 billion by the end of the Parliament if we can create momentum.<\/p>\n

I am committed to harnessing their power in the service of social progress. Today we are making a downpayment on that commitment.<\/p>\n

GO Lab<\/h2>\n

But it doesn\u2019t end there.<\/p>\n

You will also hear this afternoon from Ngaire and her team about the Government Outcomes Lab that we\u2019re launching today, in partnership with the Blavatnik School of Government.<\/p>\n

The GO Lab will provide expert support to local commissioners looking to use SIBs to transform lives.<\/p>\n

So this is a system of end-to-end support, from helping you draw up your initial ideas to funding the final outcomes.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about central and local government, academia and the voluntary sector – all coming together to work at tackling some of the most entrenched social challenges we face.<\/p>\n

Over to you<\/h2>\n

So the question for commissioners is this: what part will you play in the social investment revolution?<\/p>\n

I want you to use this afternoon to start thinking about which social challenges in your communities could benefit from an outcomes-based approach.<\/p>\n

From children in care to elderly care, drug and alcohol dependency, to youth unemployment – you have it in your power to make a difference, get results, and save money.<\/p>\n

So make use of the materials and support that the GO Lab will be working up and get your expressions of interest into the Life Chances Fund.<\/p>\n

And for the voluntary sector providers and social investors out there, I want you to talk to your commissioners about the ideas you have for transforming local services.<\/p>\n

And remember that it\u2019s often the simplest ideas that can have the greatest impact.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

So we\u2019ve taken clear action to help you seize this opportunity.<\/p>\n

And we stand ready to work with you to help you transform your local public services.<\/p>\n

This is the start of a fundamental shift, from fixating on process to focusing on outcomes, from stifling creativity to rewarding innovation.<\/p>\n

Finding out what works, getting results, saving money, changing lives.<\/p>\n

The divides that the referendum has revealed make a strong civil society even more important. We all have a part to play in knitting the country back together.<\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t backed a candidate yet in the Conservative Party leadership election, but I am passionate about social mobility and giving people a chance in life. It\u2019s what brought me into politics.<\/p>\n

The next PM must have civil society and social mobility, that hope to get on and move up in life, at the centre of their agenda.<\/p>\n

Now, more than ever, people facing the most challenging problems need a government relentlessly focused on improving their lives.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m looking forward to working with you to make that happen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Minister for Civil Society, Rob Wilson MP, spoke about the government’s Life Chances Fund and how it will help transform people’s lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72004"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=72004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72004\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=72004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=72004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=72004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}