August 31, 2023

The Building Better Opportunities (BBO – My Future) project was funded through the European Social Fund (ESF) and The National Lottery Community Fund (TNLCF), and delivered as a partnership, led by Cumbria CVS alongside three local delivery partners: Women’s Community Matters, Cumbria Addictions: Advice and Solutions (CADAS) and Right 2 Work (R2W Oaklea Trust).

The project was delivered in Barrow-in-Furness and South Lakeland over the course of 5 years between October 2017 and June 2023. According to national statistics, 33% and 17% of the working age population are economically inactive in Barrow-in Furness and South Lakeland respectively, compared to 22% in the country. Also, there is a significant number of highly deprived areas in Barrow-in-Furness, as it is ranked 9th out of 317 local authority districts in the country for ‘local concentration’ of deprivation (IMD 2019). Hence, the BBO project aimed to provide support to individuals who are facing multiple and complex barriers to employment and who are furthest removed from the labour market, to help them to move towards and into employment.

In 2021, the Health and Society Knowledge Exchange (HASKE), University of Cumbria, was commissioned to conduct an evaluation of the project, and recommended the capturing of the longer-term benefits of the project to demonstrate its significance on participants lives, as well as identifying any future potential barriers that the project could potentially address.

A final evaluation was then conducted in 2023 by external evaluators, PS Research, which attempted to capture the long-term benefits of the project. Here we gathered that a total of 42% of participants exited the project after a positive change in their employment status, while 1 in 4 had engaged in education or training. However, we also found that the project was about more than just finding work. Through the participant-led approach adopted, participants experienced notable improvement in their mental health and wellbeing, as well as their self-confidence and financial inclusion. The project also contributed economically by utilizing the services and facilities of Social Enterprise and the wider Third Sector. You can view the report here

Finally, the social return on investment facilitated by Lynchpin Consulting evidenced a social return of £3.37 for every £1 spent on the project.