New research reveals benefits of building community capacity

Newly released research from the London School of Economics shows community capacity building schemes can provide up to £1300 in savings per individual per year.

The results of a study by Professor Martin Knapp of the Personal Social Services Research Unit reveal that schemes like time banks, befriending services and community navigator schemes have the potential to provide savings to the public purse over a short period of time.

Researchers have been working alongside the Think Local, Act Personal Partnership to investigate whether community-based approaches have the potential to prevent or delay the need for social care; and whether they will have other impacts on individuals or communities that bring wider economic benefits.

The research from Building Community Capacity: Making an Economic Case shows:

• Time banks, which use hours of time rather than pounds as a community currency, cost £450 per member per year, but can provide savings of more than £1300 per member over the same period. Participants contribute their own skill, practical help or resources in return for services provided by fellow time bank members.
• Befriending services, which are mainly run by volunteer and community organisations to reduce social isolation, depression and loneliness, particularly amongst older people, cost £80 per person per year, but save £300.
• Community navigator schemes, which recruit and train people from the local community to engage with local people to provide bespoke support, cost £480 but save at least £900 per person in the first year alone.

The Think Local, Act Personal Partnership has published the results to help community and voluntary projects make a case for grant funding and to help councils and their partners justify spending money on what could be seen as "soft", not statutory services which are often the first to suffer in tough financial times.

The report is one of a suite of products released today to help develop, deliver and evaluate community capacity building initiatives including:

• Does it work? A guide to evaluating community capacity initiatives is a practical evaluation guide for statutory organisations, voluntary and community groups and providers to help measure their project's impact on developing social capital.
• Are we there yet? A planning tool and checklist for building community connections will help statutory organisations and providers demonstrate how they can build community connections and networks and link in to the health and well-being agenda.
• Building Community Capacity: Lessons' from the Dragons' Den where eight organisations representing the statutory, community and third sector pitched their projects to six "dragons" selected for their commitment to building social capital. A DVD from the event, which was held in January 2011, is also available for download.