Authors: Franziska Rosenbach, Dr Felix-Anselm van Lier, Dr Eleanor Carter and Maria Patouna
Organisations: Government Outcomes Lab (GO Lab), Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
Location: United Kingdom
Policy Areas: Employment and training, Poverty reduction, Health & wellbeing
This is the final report of a five-year research study investigating how using a social outcomes partnership influenced the management approaches and practices of the Council, providers and frontline service delivery in the Kirklees Better Outcomes Partnership (KBOP). The evaluation compared the SOP model with the Council’s previous commissioning approach, a traditional fee-for-service model. Both contracts covered housing support for people experiencing multiple and complex disadvantage and were delivered by the same providers (except one which exited the SOP contract early in delivery).
The evaluation asked: what mechanisms within the SOP contributed to changed services and successful social outcomes? In the first interim evaluation we identified four mechanisms by which the SOP model may influence service delivery and user outcomes. These are:
In this report, we examine the implications of these mechanisms, particularly for the delivery of complex, person-centred public services. The evaluation used a theory-based approach, applying a generative causation lens to assess how and why these mechanisms contributed to observed changes.
The LCF was a £70 million programme funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). It ran between 2016-2025 and is the largest outcomes fund launched to date in the UK. The LCF was designed to tackle complex social problems across policy areas including child and family welfare, homelessness, health and wellbeing, employment and training, and more. The LCF is delivered through 29 locally-commissioned social outcomes partnerships (SOPs — also known as social impact bonds).