MeasureUp launches UK’s first children’s wellbeing valuation toolkit with support from AtkinsRéalis

MeasureUp has launched the UK’s first freely available children’s wellbeing valuation toolkit, developed with support from engineering and project management company, AtkinsRéalis. The toolkit aligns with HM Treasury Green Book guidance and the emerging C-WELLBY wellbeing valuation method, helping organisations better understand and estimate the impact of programmes that support children and young people.

The initiative responds to growing pressure on organisations to demonstrate how development, infrastructure and community programmes impact young people’s wellbeing. While wellbeing valuation methods are increasingly used to estimate social value, they have primarily relied on adult life satisfaction data – an unsuitable measure for children under 10. The new toolkit addresses this gap by building on emerging research and translating wellbeing economics into approaches that are more appropriate for younger age groups.

The MeasureUp for Kids toolkit includes free resources to help organisations map impact pathways, understand wellbeing change and estimate outcomes linked to areas such as engaging in youth activities, young person’s wellbeing programme, increased children’s physical activity and improved children’s wellbeing. It’s also about measuring the value to help pinpoint potential investment or funding towards projects that would have the greatest impact, as well as informing work delivered by charities and organisations with vulnerable children.

“We know that major infrastructure projects such as transportation connects people with opportunities for education, work and leisure, which has a huge social impact as well as economic. So, providing this support for MeasureUp is about making measurement possible, practical and fair, which will enable much greater clarity around the impact of community development and programmes for future generations.

“This is something that we as a sector need to get behind, as if more organisations step forward, the collective impact could be transformational.”

MeasureUp has a particular focus on children and young people’s wellbeing as with 1 in 5 children in England now experiencing a probable mental disorder according to NHS England, and there were almost 950,000 referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) last year. It’s an area widely recognised as being under‑represented within social value research and valuation, but the support from Michelle and AtkinsRéalis will directly enable the further development of MeasureUp’s resources in this area.

The work will benefit both private and voluntary sector organisations delivering programmes in schools and communities, enabling them to demonstrate the value they create more clearly, strengthen funding bids, and design interventions that deliver deeper and longer lasting impact

Catherine Manning, Programme Director for MeasureUp, said:

“As social value reporting becomes embedded in UK public procurement and infrastructure delivery, organisations are increasingly required to evidence outcomes for children and young people – yet many lack the tools to do so confidently.

“Children’s wellbeing is too important to be measured poorly. Thanks to AtkinsRéalis’ support, we’ve been able to move from theory to a validated, practical toolkit organisations can use with confidence.”

The collaboration reflects a broader commitment to responsible business and purposeful leadership. By investing in freely available tools rather than proprietary systems, the initiative supports a more inclusive social value landscape, ensuring that organisations delivering frontline services are not excluded from measurement, learning or growth.

The MeasureUp for Kids toolkit is now available via MeasureUp’s website and there is still time to register for a free webinar on March 25^th from 12-1pm to learn more about this toolkit here.

ENDS

About AtkinsRéalis   

Created by the integration of long-standing organizations dating back to 1911, AtkinsRéalis is a world-class engineering services and nuclear company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. We create sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world’s infrastructure and energy systems. We deploy global capabilities locally to our clients and deliver unique end-to-end services across the whole life cycle of an asset including consulting, advisory & environmental services, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and capital. The breadth and depth of our capabilities are delivered to clients in strategic sectors such as Engineering Services, Nuclear and Capital.  News and information are available at www.atkinsrealis.com or follow us on LinkedIn. 

About MeasureUp

MeasureUp is a free resource for organisations concerned with evidencing the social, environmental and commercial benefits of doing ‘good’ business. The platform was developed by three partners with a long track record in the social value space. Impact Reporting, State of Life and PRD came together to tackle the widespread frustration surrounding oversimplified measurement, valuation and a lack of collective action. 

MeasureUp is a pragmatic solution that prioritises progress over perfection. As broad sustainability reporting and procurement regulations come into force, being able to demonstrate the difference organisations are making to the world we live in, is fast becoming a business imperative. For the first time, this technology enables enterprises of all shapes, sizes and social value maturity to capture challenging metrics and carve out a path of continuous improvement. By taking the bold step of making the framework completely accessible, MeasureUp is backing the social value communities strive for greater transparency and enabling the win-wins that come with transitioning to a purpose-led economy.

Questions? Please feel free to contact us at hello@measure-up.org