I recently had the privilege of meeting a number of people in East Sussex who were involved in putting "social value" into practice. This had been achieved by embedding social value objectives – in this case, relating to social capital – into a commissioning process for adult care services.
As a commissioning process it ticked many good-practice boxes, but I was particularly interested in how they had gone about applying the concept of social value in practice and the circumstances that led to this situation. This approach recognised that third-sector organisations in the area did more than deliver services – they contributed a great deal to social capital in communities.
While leadership was not the only condition that enabled this initiative to take place, I would say it was a key factor. I was told that the chief executive of East Sussex county council had been very supportive of the approach, and leadership from the very top was probably essential. I believe leadership was also demonstrated by many others involved in the process. This included the various commissioners in social care and health, the third-sector lead officer for personalisation and the local support and development organisations who supported the process and had been banging the drum about the value of the local third sector for many a year.
By leadership, I don't just mean that they took the initiative in getting the process off the ground, securing the necessary buy-in and driving things forward. They also demonstrated the courage of their convictions in the face of the inevitable obstacles, cynicism and naysayers, and realised that they wouldn't be able to get it absolutely right the first time, but they were going to go ahead and give it their best shot anyway.
Neither was this a small project to test out a new approach – it was an important multimillion-pound commissioning process. There is nowhere to hide with an initiative like this. We need more of this kind of courage in public and third-sector leaders.
Too often in my work on commissioning and procurement, I hear stories about public sector approaches and practices that are unduly risk-averse or seem based on an attitude of "we can't do x because ... ". The list of endings to this phrase is as long as your imagination, but often includes "European regulations". I'm not suggesting for one second that public bodies act unlawfully, but it takes good leadership to go beyond safe and simple legal compliance, act on the courage of convictions and take bold new steps into relatively unknown territory.
This is the kind of leadership that will be needed now that the public services (social value) bill has gone through parliament.
Giving consideration to social value in commissioning will become a legal requirement. There is no blueprint. You will have to be prepared to take calculated risks and venture into new territory, drawing the map as you go. The journeys will all be different, and rightly so, but they will all require brave leadership.
Click here to read Navca's case study about the East Sussex social value commissioning process.
Pauline Kimantas is Navca's local commissioning and procurement manager
This article is published by Guardian Professional. Join the Guardian Public Leaders Network free to receive regular emails on the issues at the top of the professional agenda.
