CommonHealth and Social Enterprises

Aberdeen Business School

CommonHealth and Social Enterprises
The CommonHealth Programme is a five year research programme designed to investigate the impact of social enterprises on the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. Working in close partnership with a range of social enterprises across Scotland, RGU is collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams of academics from other Scottish Universities.
Funded jointly by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
Funding Body
Award Value
Start Date
End Date
Duration
Funding Body
MRC/ ESRC
Award Value
£217,894
Start Date
2016
End Date
2018
Duration
2.5 years

RGU is collaborating with teams from Glasgow Caledonian University, the University of Glasgow, the University of the Highlands and Islands, and the University of Stirling. 

The RGU research team is working on one of the 8 projects within Programme. The purpose of this project (running from 2016-2018) is to explore the challenges of collecting, recording, analysing, reporting and using data on client health and wellbeing outcomes in a social enterprise. In this case study project, we are working alongside a leading social enterprise (Aberdeen Foyer) to review the effectiveness of the mechanisms they use to measure health and wellbeing outcomes and to report their organisational impact to funders and other relevant stakeholders. New approaches to outcome measurement and reporting are being developed and tested.

Aberdeen Foyer is a leading social enterprise, established in 1995, which supports individuals experiencing youth homelessness and unemployment in communities in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and the wider region of North East Scotland. A comparative investigation with other social enterprises in Scotland is also being planned. Using human-centred design techniques, new measurement frameworks will be designed, developed and tested with a view to helping social enterprises like Aberdeen Foyer increase the effectiveness of their health and wellbeing interventions, and enable them to report more comprehensively and meaningfully on their impact.