Evaluation report of Society Inc.

Peach, DM

Abstract

Executive Summary
People and relationships are central
to what constitutes Society Inc. Their
model is founded on three broad aims,
social inclusion, empowerment and
support. This evaluation report
demonstrates how Society Inc. enables
local people to use and develop their
skills and knowledge to support others
within their community. Their model is
rooted in the belief that every person is
of value to their community.
Adopting a person-centred approach
is not uncommon. However, it is how
Society Inc. practice what they preach,
which ensures their clients, volunteers
and staff, reliably experience being
valued as a person. The charity’s
outcomes are embodied in the
experience of social inclusion and
belongingness. Accordingly, the
development of this evaluation has been
inductive, to allow that experience to
emerge.
The information shared in this report
is based on interviews with clients, their
family members, volunteers and staff. In
the process of conducting interviews, I
attended the charity’s base in Little
Hulton and observed interactions. I have
been privileged to hear personal
experiences and trusted to hold a
shared understanding of ‘knowing’ how
Society Inc. is experienced, and why
that is of value.
Society Inc. is a charitable
incorporated organisation that supports
volunteers to provide mentoring and
befriending services to people in their
communities. It is based in the Little
Hulton area of Salford and operates
across Greater Manchester. In the
relatively short time, Society Inc. has
been operating it has become a point of
referral for several organisations,
including Salford Royal Hospital and
Prescott House Mental Health Unit.
The charity often receives referrals to
assist individuals who are already in
receipt of a professional service.
Engagement with Society Inc. provides
the community-based support to actively
assist people in the process of
addressing their complex needs. Without
undermining their personal touch,
professionalism is at the heart of all
Society Inc. practices. Notably, to
support their staff and volunteers they
deliver an accredited training scheme
and facilitate reliable supervision and
safeguarding procedures.
All interviewees reflect a sense of
pride in their participation with, and
knowledge of Society Inc. An emergent
theme was about being local, but this
was not simply a matter of location. For
example, one client described other
services such as Sure Start as
procedural rather than helpful; there was
a sense of feeling ‘othered’, that created
anxiety. Closer analysis suggests that
engagement with Society Inc. is
experienced as the acceptance of a
person’s vulnerability, without
judgement. That concept is the
foundation of trust.
Additionally, the authentic discourses
from staff and volunteers embraced
language, which was often nonprofessionalised and indicative of their
approach to inclusion as one that
(Final) Evaluation of Society Inc.
5
engenders equality. That is of crucial
importance when reducing barriers to
inclusion experienced by those who live
in areas of multiple deprivations, such as
Little Hulton. It is within a landscape of
decades of economic, social, health and
education inequality, that Society Inc.
practices
The volunteers who provide
mentoring and befriending services are
the conduit between Society Inc. as an
organisation, and those who engage
with its services. Indeed, some who
approach the charity with a view of
receiving support might soon discover
the support they need could be in the
form of becoming a mentor or befriender
to someone else. Two people who
started as volunteers are now employed
by the charity, through its ability to
attract funding. Society Inc. runs on a
financial shoestring, yet it is able to
provide a service and nurture ambition
within the community that for many, is
worth its weight in gold.
Reducing social isolation is a
foundational Society Inc. activity.
Volunteers seek to encourage their
clients to safely experience the world
around them, as a means to disrupt
feelings of loneliness and to nurture a
greater sense of self-efficacy,
belongingness and enjoyment. This
active approach supports clients to go
beyond pre-contemplation to active
engagement with change.
The trusted relationships facilitated
by Society Inc. and experienced within
their social network of support was
implicit in all participant interviews.
Particularly striking, was the belief that
Society Inc. could be trusted to continue
to be available to meet the future needs
of people who require their services.
That sense of permanence indicates a
perception of strength in the social
network they have created, which
extends beyond the individuals who are
current volunteers.
Society Inc. has responded effectively
to the changing needs of its clients and
volunteers during the Covid19 pandemic
and associated social restrictions. They
quickly adapted to further develop their
networking activities with other local
organisations. This was important, as the
government imposed social distancing
measures can inhibit people from
seeking support.
Impressively, Society Inc. was
proactive in developing communication
links with other charities and services to
streamline delivery and ensure they
were not duplicating their activities. They
adapted their usual community-based
support systems to telephone
communications. Recognising that some
people’s mental well-being required the
ability to see and talk to someone, they
conducted some social distancing visits
at the garden gate. In addition to these
strategies, the staff have been mobilised
to respond to those members of the
community in urgent need of food.
A constant throughout the evaluation
process was the importance of
highlighting the value of those who are
receiving and delivering Society Inc.
services. That foundational premise
remained consistent, especially during
this time of critical and acute need

Citation

Peach, D. (2020). Evaluation report of Society Inc

• Report Type: Project Report
• Publication Date: Jun 1, 2020
• Deposit Date: Sep 1, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 1, 2020
• Publisher URL: https://www.societyinc.org/public/downloads/evaluation_report_june_2020.pdf
• Related Public URLs: https://www.societyinc.org/