Our Social Value Statement

1. Our Distinctive Contribution

Open Voice Lab brings together equality-led engagement design, digital accessibility expertise, tactical social media for conversation, hybrid engagement models, a deep understanding of public trust, and direct experience working with NHS and the police.
We create social value by ensuring that everyone, not just the easiest to reach, can shape the decisions that affect their lives.

2. Ethical, Transparent and Responsible Practice

We operate to clear ethical principles: focus on matters that people can actually influence, transparent communication about how feedback will be used, safeguarding and psychological safety throughout, and responsible handling of sensitive lived experience. We make sure people understand the purpose of engagement and how their voice influences decisions, and we hold ourselves to a standard of continuous improvement.

3. Strengthening Communities and Reducing Inequalities

We design engagement programmes that intentionally reach people who are often excluded from traditional consultation. Using our Targeted Equality Engagement Matrix, we identify the groups most affected by a policy or service change and tailor our approach to meet their needs, including:

• people with disabilities

• Deaf and BSL-using communities

• people with limited English

• LGBTQ+ communities

• people experiencing deprivation

• migrant and refugee communities

• neurodivergent staff and residents

• people experiencing digital exclusion

By designing engagement around these groups, we help public bodies make decisions that reduce inequalities and improve access to services.

4. Accessible and Inclusive Communication

Our standard approach would be for engagement materials are available in formats that work for everyone, including Easy Read, Large Print, British Sign Language, translated materials, screen-reader accessible digital formats, paper versions with FREEPOST return options, and WhatsApp routes for Deaf participants.

Our digital content is designed to encourage conversation, not just survey completion, removing barriers and enabling people to participate in ways that feel natural and safe.

5. Local Economic Contribution and Giving Back

Wherever possible, we use local suppliers for resources, printing and equipment, keeping spend within the communities we work in.
We are currently doing pro bono work with a local charity, and we are committed to continuing this as much as we can as we establish ourselves.
When engaging directly with community groups, we look for small ways to give something back, whether that's a gesture of thanks or practical support, rather than simply taking people's time and insight.

6. Reduced-Cost Delivery for Charities and VCSE Organisations

Charities and VCSE organisations play a critical role in tackling inequalities and enabling public voice, often with limited resources. To support this, we offer a standing 20% discount to VCSE clients, along with free initial scoping conversations.

7. Improving Health and Wellbeing Through Better Engagement

When people understand how services work, feel listened to, and see their feedback reflected in decisions, trust increases. This leads to better use of services, improved patient experience, reduced frustration, more equitable access, and stronger relationships between communities and public bodies. Our engagement programmes are designed to directly support these outcomes.

8. Environmental Impact

We take a digital-first, digital-maximised approach to engagement wherever it's appropriate to do so, reducing reliance on printed materials and travel-heavy consultation events in favour of accessible online and hybrid delivery. 

9. Building Capability, Not Dependency

We work alongside client teams, not around them. Wherever we're delivering engagement alongside an organisation's own staff, we build mentoring and structured knowledge transfer, so that when a project ends, the confidence and skills to run good digital and inclusive engagement stay in-house. Our aim is always to leave an organisation better equipped than we found it, not reliant on us to do it again next time.

10. Building Long-Term Social Value

Social value is not created through one-off engagement. We design programmes that build ongoing participation, strengthen public voice over time, support continuous dialogue, create accessible digital spaces for involvement, and help organisations embed inclusive practice, so that our work benefits communities long after individual projects end.

11. Measuring and Reviewing Our Social Value

As a new organisation, we are committed to holding ourselves accountable to these principles as we grow. We will review this statement annually, and we complete a close-down assessment after every project to evaluate how we have met our social value commitments, so that our approach keeps improving alongside our work.