The UK’s child poverty rate is among Europe’s highest – and rising. Why is this happening, and more importantly, what bold actions can we take now to change the future?

Speakers:

• Chair: TBC
  
• Katherine Chapman, Living Wage
• Sara Ogilvie, Child Poverty Action Group
• Rachel Walters, End Child Poverty Coalition 

Over a million young people are not in education, work, or training in the UK. What’s causing this? And how can Social Value break down barriers and open up new paths to success and self-belief? 

If Social Value doesn’t stay rooted in real societal needs and strategic objectives, it risks being seen as ‘all talk’ and red tape. How do we keep it authentic, measurable, and deeply rooted in what people actually need?

Speakers

• Chair: Andrew van Doorn (OBE), HACT
• Rhian Harris, Datagraphic
• Richard Carroll, Durham County Council

Too many people in our stretched criminal justice system find themselves trapped in cycles of disadvantage, with missed opportunities, unmet needs, and untapped potential. But what if we reimagined this challenge as an opportunity to drive real change for the communities we live and work in? Join leaders from across the public, private, and voluntary sectors to explore our role in supporting people at risk of offending and those in the justice system. An opportunity to explore how we can join forces to make a real impact on inclusion and community safety, building real pathways to skills, jobs and purposeful futures. This is more than a conversation — it's an open call to co-create ideas. Time to move beyond managing consequences — and invest in potential.

Speakers

• Chair: Tony Simpson, Sodexo
• Ruth McFarlane & Dan Whyte, DWRM
• Darren Burns, Timpson
• Sean Scannell, Northants Police

Child poverty is never the child’s fault – yet its effects last a lifetime. This session will explore practical approaches that businesses can take to help reduce this rising challenge.

Better diversity and inclusion (D&I) policies lead to better businesses by fostering a more innovative, productive, and profitable environment. Join this Masterclass to  learn and how companies can unlock the potential of a wider range of talent. 

Speakers:

• Chair: Leyoh Goodall, Social Value Portal
• Dr Fatima Tresh, EY
  
• Joni Clark, The Diversity Trust

With one million young people reportedly not in employment, education or training, this session focuses on how Social Value initiatives can create meaningful opportunities and spark inspiration to help young people from all walks of life find their path.

Speakers:

• Chair: Elizabeth Heath, Severn Trent
• Guy Venable, Maximus UK
• Carl Konadu, 2-3 Degrees
• Clare Belford, Sodexo
• Melissa Milner, Catch22

By fostering personal development, building social connections, and potentially opening doors to employment or education, sport can be a valuable tool for breaking down barriers and improving social status. Join this session to hear how Football is at the forefront of these opportunities.

Speakers:

• Chair: Jade Newman, EON
• Alexandra Bavin, Lincoln City Foundation
• Alex White, Premier League Charity Fund
• Dr Gavin Mellor, Substance
• Tom Drake, EFL in the Community

As fiscal pressures on the public sector continue to grow, it's more important than ever to recognise that social value isn’t a cost—it’s a smart, strategic investment in resilient, inclusive economies. By partnering with the private sector and the voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sectors, we can unlock innovative, place-based solutions that not only deliver meaningful outcomes for communities but also enhance the attractiveness of regions to investors. 

This session will explore how embedding social value into investment strategies can drive long-term economic and social returns. We’ll discuss how to build a compelling business case that positions social value as a key lever for inclusive growth, making places more competitive, resilient, and investment-ready.

Speakers:

• Chair: Mark Shearer, Westminster Council & ActionFunder
• Joanna Dahlgren & Jonathan Martin, London Borough of Waltham Forest
• Cllr Jack Youd, Salford City Council
• Michael McLaughlin, LHC Procurement Group

The Social Value Act and subsequent reforms gave procurement a new purpose — but now we can go further. Discover how the spirit of the Social Value Act can drive progress on Net Zero through smarter supply chains.

Speakers:

• Chair: Ben Tuck, EON
• Richard Tyrie, Good People
• Martin Callachan, Sidlaw Property Solutions 

Demand for AI is everywhere and growing. But if AI impacts jobs to the detriment of human employees, will it hurt Social Value? Our debate for the afternoon.

Speakers:

• Chair: Alex Rose, Social Value Portal
• Philippa Lennox King, BITC
• Maddie Kortenaar, Social Value Engine
  

Join this session to explore and unpick the different methodologies for measuring and reporting value and impact. What are the differences between how we measure and speak about Social Value and Social Impact, are some methodologies better suited to certain types of organisations, and do they both have a place in the conversation?

Speakers:

• Chair: Charlotte Turner, Bean Research
• Isabelle Parasram, The Institute for Social Value
• Nathan Goode, Social Value Portal

This practical working session unpacks the ways that both public and private sector buyers can better engage with the VCSE sector. 

Speakers:

• Chair: Guy Battle, Social Value Portal
• Su Pickerill, Wates Group
• Richard Raynes, SportInspired
  
  

With the Procurement Act requiring at least three KPIs on contracts over £5m, this session explores how to use contractual levers to drive accountability and transparency for better Social Value reporting.

Speakers:

• Chair: Alison Ramsey, SCAPE
• Terry Brewer, Social Value Portal
• Tim Rudin, Greater London Authority Group
• Michelle Wiggins, Amey

The National Procurement Policy Statement makes clear that Social Value should be tailored to local needs. What does this look like in practice, and how can we maximise impact?

Speakers:

• Chair: Ed Lang, Social Value Portal
• Katy Sneyd, Maximus UK
• Dave Maher, Northamptonshire Anchor Institutions Network
• Maxine Kennedy, Morecombe Eden Project (WSP)

Consumers, customers, and investors are looking for brands that stand for something positive. We deep dive into new data demonstrating the importance of Social Value to brand strength.

Speakers:

• Chair: Alison Woodhouse, Lexington
• Lawrence Hutter, The Brand Experience Group
• Nina Allard, The Pret Foundation
• Gabriela Palma Ho, Social Value Portal

There is no one way to embed Social Value into public sector procurement and across the UK – there are four! Join this session to learn more about similarities and common challenges across England, Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland.

Speakers:

• Chair: Darren Knowd, DRKNOWD LTD
• Paul Griffiths, Welsh Government
• Josephine Mitchell, Scottish Government
• Jeannie McCann, Strategic Investment Board Northern Ireland

This session is designed to help SMEs that are starting out on their Social Value journey. Whether you want to win more work with the public sector or just measure and report your Social Value footprint, it will give you the how, what, and when. 

Speakers:

• Chair: Arnab Dutt OBE, Divine Ox & Federation of Small Businesses
• Charlotte Gascoyne, Dals (DA Languages)
• Michael Crook, STAR Procurement
• Steve Tighe, Shelby

Young people who interact with employers at school are 86% less likely to become NEET (not in education, employment, or training). This session reveals what outstanding careers education for young people looks like, plus details on the upcoming Modern Work Experience Guarantee.

The supply chain represents the untapped reservoir of Social Value. But how can business unlock this opportunity to deliver more value for communities and support corporate objectives? 

Speakers:

• Chair: Nick Welby, Social Value Portal
• Sonia Mangat, Sodexo
• Jess Joseph, Bouygues UK
  
  

Walking With The Wounded (WWTW) supports those who have served in the military with mental health, employment and wraparound care coordination programmes tailored to the unique needs of each individual. Whether mentally, socially or physically wounded, WWTW provides specialised and interconnected services dedicated to getting those who have fallen the furthest back on their feet and moving forward once more.

Join WWTW at their VCSE Spotlight Session to hear more!

DWRM - is proud to be Doing What Really Matters, disrupting and innovating to revolutionise education in prison. Their mission is to forge accessible, dynamic and co-produced pathways into Employment for students in prison, using education as the catalyst for change. They are proof that anyone, given a chance, can obtain a respected qualification that will create new opportunities and a brighter future. DWRM's team of staff, volunteers and board of directors are genuinely diverse, with over 70% representing people of the Global Majority and over 50% people with direct Lived Experience of prison.

They recognise the potential (and appetite) for people in prison to have much higher goals. Education and employment are also key predictors of the return to crime, with prisoners who are properly skilled and employed being 50% less likely to re-offend. DWRM offers increased opportunities and support for people to gain higher level qualifications and to contribute their academic voice to research and policy reform to improve the justice system from the inside.

They believe that with proper support from organisations such as DWRM, the number of people studying in prison can increase from c2000 to 10,000 within ten years.

Join DWRM at their VCSE Spotlight session to hear more!

A new survey shows that only 16% of citizens trust local authorities to look after their interests within the development process. Is this endemic, and if it is, how can we close this trust gap and ensure that Social Value does not become a promise unmet? 

Speakers:

• Chair: TBC
• Marnie Freeman, Neighbourly Lab
• Tony Underwood, Believe Solutions
• Steve Butterworth, Neighbourly

It is over 10 years since the Social Value Act 2012 was implemented – time for plenty of data and trends to emerge. In this session we dive into the metrics, and try to answer the key question: what does ‘good’ actually look like? 

Speakers:

• Chair: Gus Tugendhat, Tussell
• Rob Wolfe, CHY
• Nathan Goode, Social Value Portal

The UK is due to spend many billions in new infrastructure across rail, water and our energy systems. This is great for growth and job creation – but what about the Social Value opportunities, net zero targets, and our environment?

Many of the challenges we face are not unique to the UK, but global, and laid out within the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In this session we look at how are some of the world's biggest businesses are balancing these global challenges whilst still meeting local needs and priorities.

Speakers:

• Chair: Anna McChesney Gordon, Social Value Portal
• Margot Slattery, ISS Group
• Sam Baker, Business Declares