Guild Care has announced the successful conclusion of a 30-month Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the University of Brighton and Innovate UK, which supports KTPs across the country to drive innovation and growth. The milestone was marked by a final project meeting that set out a clear path for evidencing and valuing the social impact of Guild Care’s community care services.

The partnership forms part of Guild Care’s five-year strategic vision and reflects its aims to reduce social isolation and challenge stigma linked to care and support needs within the community. By bringing together academic research with frontline delivery, the collaboration delivered a practical framework that measures impact of services and expresses that value in financial terms for funders and commissioners.

At the centre of the work sits a Social Return on Investment (SROI) model designed for Guild Care’s services. Extensive research, data collection and analysis underpin the project. This approach enables the organisation to calculate the wider benefit created through its work, including gains in wellbeing and independence alongside the economic value delivered for people, families, and public services.

The final project meeting brought together representatives from the University of Brighton, Innovate UK, and Guild Care to review progress and consider how the approach can develop further. Discussions highlighted the benefits of aligning academic research with real-world operational experience.

Les Correia, Director of Safety and Compliance at Guild Care, said, "This partnership has been transformative for Guild Care. It equips us with the tools and evidence we need to demonstrate the difference we make in people’s lives and to present that impact in a way that connects with commissioners, funders and the wider community. Most importantly, it strengthens our ability to support local people by delivering on our mission of reducing isolation and addressing stigma."

Dr Aaron Gain, Senior Lecturer at University of Brighton, highlighted the value of applying academic methods in real world settings and the role of collaboration in measuring social impact and developing best practice in the services.

As the KTP project concludes on 5 June 2026, Guild Care will now integrate the tools and insights from the partnership into its ongoing operations. The social care charity will continue to refine its approach to measuring impact, keeping the experiences and outcomes of the people it supports at the centre of its work.

This successful partnership shows how collaboration can address complex social challenges and sets a benchmark for how charities can communicate their value in an increasingly outcome-focused landscape.