Putting People First (and Proving It)
Jennifer Bird • Aug 28, 2025 • 2 min read
We don’t just support access for the Deaf community to services — we’re working on all aspects of our employment.
We recognise the importance of social value and understand why it is crucial to deliver added value to public sector contracts. And this is what we provide, social value in action. As a co-op, it’s also how we’re built. Also, local is important to us, so delivering value locally, no matter where our services are delivered.
Recently we’ve:
- Renewed our Social Enterprise UK membership.
- Upgraded to Disability Confident: Employer (Level 2) — and we could have done it months ago;
- Achieved Liverpool City Region’s Fair Employment Charter – Aspiring status, reinforcing our commitment to Liverpool and the wider region.
- Introduced flexible working policies.
- Stayed a Real Living Wage employer.
- Continued to support worker members (the communication professionals that deliver vital services), through co-operative values and shared ownership.
- Worked with universities on student placements.
- Provided Deafblind training to North West interpreters from the excellent Penny Gunn of Sign for Thoughts to encourage more take up of skills in this vital area. We are supporting this work to help solve the shortage of Deafblind interpreters.
Why it matters
As the Crown Commercial Service (the government’s procurement agency) says, “Social value in procurement is about making sure that what we buy creates an overall positive impact on our people and communities.” Fair work, stability and inclusion make for better services and better outcomes — for Deaf people, interpreters, the economy and commissioners alike.
Our future plans
We are expanding our work and taking our values to other areas and regions. We are interested in supporting Trainee Interpreters with placements, expanding our reach and solving more gaps that the Signalise membership has identified with services.
If you’re building social value into contracts, we’re ready to help you achieve more by delivering great quality, efficient services with our added social value.
