It’s interesting to note how in its ascendance, Britain was mighty and brave, a fearless nation…while nowadays it is driven by fear and indeed investor risk aversion, created from a poor retail investment sector. This remains a big problem as our first story discusses as there may be a paucity of investors without better education. This has big ramifications beyond purely SIBs as retirement plans in the west are precarious at best and investors of all hues need to appreciate, understand and approach risk much more positively to avoid penury in retirement, let alone the funding of SIBs.
Social Impact Bonds Face Big Hurdles – UK Think Tank
Pro Bono Australia
Harnessing private cash to finance public services via ‘Social Impact Bonds’ is unlikely to appeal to mainstream investors because of the impossibly high risks they would have to shoulder, new UK research reveals.
The Risky Business report, by think tank the Social Market Foundation, explores the scope for developing a significant market in ‘Social Impact Bonds’ – a type of payment-by-results in which investors are paid when the services they finance achieve outcomes specified by government.
The research considers the economics of making Social Impact Bonds work, examining the hurdles that need to be overcome if they are to grow beyond the isolated examples that exist today to finance public services, such as the rehabilitation services at Peterborough prison.
Social Impact Bond To Fund Support For New Parents Of Hard-To-Place Children
The Guardian
As part of their assessment process before becoming approved as adoptive parents, Ella Waites and her husband were asked what kind of child they would consider taking on. Age, gender, illness and disability were all explored, as well as whether they would feel able to adopt more than one.
“We were told about genetic factors that might affect them; a history of learning difficulties in the family,” says Waites. “And although the children are developing normally now, things can play out later, so it’s about accepting that uncertainty.”
“Hard to place” is the blunt term used for children who have been approved for adoption but whose age and challenging personal histories and characteristics make it unlikely that they’ll be picked. About 2,000 such children are approved for adoption every year. However, there are more who languish in the care system because local authorities never put them on the adoption pathway, assuming it unlikely that any prospective parent would want to take them on.
Deciding on the level of difficulty you are prepared to accept in a child is one of the more discomforting aspects of the adoption process, but Waites is clear that you have to be realistic [about your capabilities.