Social and Sustainable Capital (SASC) is thrilled to announce a substantial investment of £405,000 from its Community Investment Fund (CIF) in Social adVentures, a leading social enterprise based in Greater Manchester. This investment marks SASC’s first investment in the residential children’s home sector, highlighting its commitment to delivering social impact.
Founded in 2011, Social adVentures specialises in public health, residential childcare, and social care contracts. Their diverse portfolio includes childcare nurseries, training programs, a community gym, and forest schools in Greater Manchester. The organisation’s holistic approach aims to empower individuals to take control of their lifestyles, fostering healthier and happier lives while reducing dependence on more serious interventions.
The SASC loan has enabled Social adVentures to purchase a 5 Bedroom detached family home in Salford Greater Manchester, which has opened as new children’s home for three children aged 8 to 18 years.
One of the main objectives for opening the home is to allow more children to stay in their local area near their network of friends, families, schools, and other services, enabling them to settle better in the home and give them the best chance of a good long-term outcome.
In the current market, there is often little choice for children than to live outside their local authority area. While there can be legitimate reasons why it would be in a child’s best interest to be placed out of area, it is often a lack of suitable available places within a reasonable distance that is driving the out-of-area placement of children1.
Scott Darraugh, CEO of Social adVentures said: “The SASC loan has enabled us to purchase a lovely family property in a safe community, which meets the many requirements for opening a children’s home and is the start of an exciting new venture for our organisation.
“This will provide a home for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties who will be given individualised support, including access to non-clinical services such as art and music therapy, and forest-school activities, plus the other services we currently provide.
“The state of the children’s residential home market is broken, and more children are coming into care each year. We hope this property is the start of a larger initiative both for our organisation and more widely in Greater Manchester, leading and reshaping the future for children in care.”
Scott Darraugh is a leading social entrepreneur and an influential voice in the social business sector. He has been active in pioneering change in public health services for over 10 years. He has a high profile nationally and has been supporting the Cabinet Office’s public service mutualisation agenda acting as an officially appointed ‘Mutuals Ambassador. In 2011 Scott was one of the UK’s Top 100 Young Social Entrepreneurs.
Mark Bickford, Chief Executive of SASC, commented, “Social adVentures is always looking to innovate in social care, and SASC is proud to support their vision for positive change. This investment reflects our commitment to impactful initiatives that make a difference in communities. We believe in their ability to create lasting impact, and we’re excited to be part of this endeavour in the Greater Manchester area.
For more information on Social adVentures, please visit: www.socialadventures.org.uk
