


The Centre for Excellence in Community Investment will champion and celebrate the importance and impact of community investment across the UK.



Roadshows
During October and November, we will be travelling around the UK to talk with community investment professionals.
At each roadshow, we will present our ideas about the Centre (see proposed workstreams), but we need your input. We want the Centre to be based on the needs of people who deliver community investment day in, day out.
So please sign up so you can tell us what you want from the Centre.
Locations and dates
(please note: venues to be announced)
London : 29 October (reserve a place)
Birmingham : 1 November (reserve a place)
Glasgow : 2 November (reserve a place)
Cardiff : 21 November (reserve a place)
Bristol : 26 November (reserve a place)
Each roadshow will run from 2.00-5.00 pm
Workstreams

Influence
One of the key pillars of work for the Centre will be to provide a platform to promote and evidence the impact of community investment.

Innovate
We will encourage and promote innovation by curating a programme of thought leadership and identifying and sharing best practice.

Insight
Building evidence that drives insight and demonstrates outcomes will be the Centre’s third pillar, demonstrating the impact of community investment.

Inspire
The fourth pillar will be to develop programmes for delivering collaboration and inspiration for community investment.



Resources
We want the Centre for Excellence in Community Investment to be the place to come for the latest research reports, best practice examples and practical toolkits about community investment.
To submit research or examples of best practice to the Centre for Excellence in Community Investment please contact info@ceci.org.uk
Pembury Children's Community
Pembury Children’s Community: April 2015 to March 2018 Impact Report
Published by Peabody, June 2018
The 10 year Pembury Children’s Community programme in Hackney is now three years old. This report summarises its achievements and outlines plans for the future.
Evidence shows that it is essential to work across all areas of children’s lives – home, school and community – to make a difference. Children’s Communities bring together local organisations over the long term so that children get the support they need, regardless of their background or where they live.
Better Days
Better Days:
Have a good day, every day. Our guide to communicating and engaging with our customers
Published by Orbit, October 2016
This guide was produced for staff and partners working across Orbit to help them create the best possible communications and engagement with customers. It includes customer insights, how to define your audience, and how to create a strong message, use the right channels, and understand what matters to your customers.
Women, families and work
Women, families and work:
How to help L&Q’s women residents into work and tackle the barriers they face
Executive Summary
Published by L&Q, August 2015
This research aims to better understand the constraints felt by L&Q’s women residents with children to make the transition into work, and the support that could make and sustain the transition.
It also aimed to identify a range of practical ways in which L&Q could support women residents to overcome barriers to work.
Download Women, families and work
Community asset transfer toolkit
Community asset transfer:
A toolkit for housing providers
Authors: Mary-Kathryn Rallings Adams and Frances Harkin
Published by HACT, September 2015
Using the experience of Affinity Sutton’s Community Asset Transfer Programme, this toolkit explains how they moved their portfolio of community buildings into long-term local ownership.
The toolkit explores the process from the perspective of community organisations, in order to enable housing providers to understand the operational realities and practical challenges of Community Asset Transfer.
Download Community Asset Transfer toolkit
Positive Steps Thamesmead
Positive Steps Thamesmead:
The story so far
Authors: Giles Piercy, Paula Hines and Get Kellaghan
Published by Peabody, May 2018
This is the evaluation report of Peabody’s Positive Steps Thamesmead (PST) programme that started operating in Thamesmead in April 2015.
The report shows how the programme is having a measurable impact on the lives of local people, of whom well over a thousand were seen by PST volunteers. It also highlights how PST has benefitted other stakeholder groups, including statutory providers, local partner and volunteers.
Happy Healthy Starts
Happy Healthy Starts:
Providing the tools to help families thrive
Author: Rachel Dixon and Christoph Sinn
Published by Orbit, March 2018
This report is the culmination of twelve months of research conducted by Orbit in partnership with the Child Poverty Action Group to find out more about the children and parents living in their homes.
It includes a number of practical solutions, including the three key steps:
- listening and engaging with children to understand their needs
- challenging and questioning processes
- working in partnership to achieve more
Developing a community investment strategy
Developing a community investment strategy:
A framework for practitioners
Author: Sally Thomas
Published by HACT, June 2015 (updated version)
This framework provides guidance for housing providers as they develop a community investment strategy that is tailored to the needs of their communities.
The framework can be both a guide and a toolkit: it brings together information, experience and references in order to help all housing providers develop their community investment programmes.
This is the updated version from 2015.
Download Developing a community investment strategy
James Howick: Saltwortkz
James Howick – Saltworkz
Clarion Futures Communities case study
Published by Clarion Futures, September 2018
This case study explains how Clarion Futures has supported James in his work at Saltworkz, a community café in Haywards Heath.
Download James Howick case study
Community investment and the bottom line
Community investment and the bottom line
Authors: Jim Vine, with Christina Knudsen and Phil Goddard
Published by HACT, November 2016
Using a series of data analytical methods, this research paper sets out to establish whether community investment activities provide a return on investment and cost savings. It demonstrates that successful community investment activities go beyond benefitting residents and improve the costs and demands on the core housing business.
Download Community investment and the bottom line
Hayat Ahmed: resident
Hayat Ahmed – resident
Clarion Futures Jobs & Training case study
Published by Clarion Futures, September 2018
This case study explains how Clarion Futures has supported Hayat into finding a training course and a new job.
Download James Howick case study
Measuring the social impact of community investment
Measuring the social impact of community investment: A guide to using the wellbeing valuation approach Authors: Lizzie Trotter, Jim Vine, Matt Leach, Daniel Fujiwara Published by HACT, March 2014 This report provides a practical method to assess the social impact of community investment initiatives. Evolving from the groundbreaking work published by HACT and the London School of Economic’s Daniel Fujiwara in 2013, this handbook provides a model for measuring housing provider’s social impact. The model is based on the tests conducted by a small number of housing associations into its practical implementation, ensuring that the methodology is relevant and accessible. Download Measuring the social impact of community investment
HACT
The Centre for Excellence in Community Investment is administered and maintained by HACT, UK housing’s ideas and innovation agency.
49-51 East Road
London N1 6AH
