Our shops are a vital lifeline for generating income to deliver our work.

And it’s not just about the money. Our shops are the face of Scope to thousands of people in their communities, a place where conversations about our work and mission happen.

We rely on our supporters to donate quality clothes, books, toys, bric-a-brac, furniture to our shops. And we also rely on our volunteers – put simply our shops could not operate without our dedicated volunteers, many of whom are disabled.

But we face huge challenges in this area. The environment is incredibly competitive with multiple charity shops battling against each other on every high street.

Additionally, we need to double our volunteer numbers. A tough ask when the charity retail sector is facing reduced levels of volunteer interest year on year.

So we have big plans for our shops over the next 5 years to ensure we have a sustainable source of income to finance our ambitions.

More money

We have an ambitious target to more than double our current annual profit from £3.3 million to £5.5 million by 2021/2022. We want the conversations with our customers to go further, to talk more about what we do and how they can support us to achieve our vision.

More shops

We plan to grow the number of shops from 220 to 250 by 2022. We will open 10 new shops and 20 of our new Home by Scope, furniture and electrical shops. The first Home by Scope shop opened in Northampton in July 2018, with 4 more to follow in 2018/19.

More digital

We will use digital technology to drive efficiency and improve systems so we’re even better at signing people up to Gift Aid, inducting and training our staff and volunteers, and moving stock around.

More people

We will continue to invest in our people and set up an expert volunteering team to help us recruit more volunteers and champion them as part of the Scope team.

Goal: Have the opportunity to work

Scope will work to reduce the gap between the percentage of disabled people and non-disabled people in work by:

• Ensuring disabled people get voluntary, tailored and joined-up support so they get in, stay in and progress in work.
• Improving workplace policies, practice and culture so that disabled employees are better supported at work and experience improved attitudes in the workplace.
• Changing attitudes, promoting ambition and fostering a culture where disabled people can be open about what they need to succeed at work.

Goal: Have a decent standard of living

Scope will tackle the financial penalty associated with disability by:

• Reducing the extra costs disabled people face particularly in relation to everyday goods and services such as energy and telecommunications.
• Tackling the digital divide and empowering disabled consumers to use digital technology so they are able to access online tools and offers that bring down the cost of living.
• Ensuring disabled people receive the financial support they need for a decent standard of living.

So, what will we do?

• Launch even more employment services in the next 5 years to provide highly personalised support for disabled people to find, apply for and progress in work.
• Continue to offer Support to Work, launched together with Virgin Media, which is an online national employment service providing tailored information so disabled people have the skills to apply for a job and stay in work.
• Continue to grow our Get Inclusive network, a membership programme aimed at helping organisations improve practice and become great employers of disabled people.
• Influence policymakers and businesses to drive down the cost of everyday goods and energy from 2020 to 2022.

Together we can take action to ensure that disabled people have fairness and equality. At home. At work. At school. In our communities.

Everyday equality. No less.

And we won’t stop until it happens.

We help disabled children get the best start in life. We support disabled people to lead the lives they choose. But life is still much harder for disabled people than it needs to be.

Scope research shows that:

The challenges disabled people face are changing. Disabled people today have greater ambitions for life and expect to be treated equally.

But too often disabled people can’t access the support they need at home, in education or at work, and face negative attitudes, unnecessary extra costs and huge pressures on family life.

So we’re making a choice to change too. We want to support disabled people to realise their ambitions. We will focus on having the greatest impact on the lives of disabled people.

There is still much more to do. To challenge injustice, change attitudes and ensure disabled people have a stronger voice to influence change at home and across society.

We will redesign our information, advice and support to reach millions of disabled people and have the greatest impact on their lives.

We will be bold in challenging government and businesses to tackle inequality. We will change attitudes so that disabled people can fulfil their aspirations.

Goal: Fulfil my potential during my early years

Scope will improve opportunities for disabled children and the resilience of their families by:

• Increasing financial security so that families face fewer extra costs.
• Challenging attitudes and barriers that limit opportunities and ensuring disabled children and their families access the support and information they need to live the life they choose.
• Increasing emotional resilience so that families can overcome challenges in the early years.

Goal: Fulfil my potential during transition to adulthood

Scope will ensure disabled young people have the same opportunities as everyone else by:

• Increasing access to early and tailored support, information and advice.
• Supporting more young disabled people to move into work.
• Challenging attitudes and barriers that limit young people’s potential.

So, what will we do?

• After launching the Disability Price Tag calculation in 2019, we will continue to measure the extra costs families of disabled children face and track the impact this has on their opportunities' each year.
• Open additional parenting and sleep services across the UK in the next 5 years, to help build emotional resilience and happier families.
• We will campaign to improve families' access to, and experience of, support for disabled children in their early years.
• Commission research to better understand disabled young people's lives and what's important to them.

This strategy is the continuation of our important journey. It is a clear statement of how we realise change, so that disabled people enjoy equality and fairness.

Scope has always been about making positive change happen. We aim for quality information and advice, personalised services and influential campaigns that mean that more disabled people can lead the lives they choose.

But life today is still much harder for disabled people than it needs to be. And disabled people have told us that the challenges they face are continuing to change too. So we’re changing to meet those challenges with them. If we don’t, we won’t be in a place to support disabled people to realise their ambitions.

Our strategy is underpinned by detailed and robust plans that aim to achieve our mission of everyday equality. We will be an organisation that is truly led by our mission and relevant to the lives of millions of disabled people and their families. Available when disabled people need us most.

We want to raise expectations when it comes to disability. To do this we focus on the priorities disabled people tell us matter most; supporting them to get the best start in life, live the life they choose and be financially secure.

We aim to harness the power of digital technology to improve lives and reach many more disabled people, to offer the information they need, to be better connected and in control.

We want disabled people and like-minded partners to come together, start campaigns, challenge attitudes, influence decision makers and shape the world around them.

We want disabled people to have fairness and equality – at home, at work, at school and in our communities. Disabled people will remain at the heart of everything we do.

We are proud of what we have achieved and excited about the future. We aim to be a bold and collaborative force to bring about positive, lasting change. And we look forward to working with you to make that happen.

Our strategy for 2017 to 2022

We’re Scope. We won’t stop until we achieve a society where all disabled people enjoy equality and fairness.

Goal: Live the life I choose

Scope will ensure all disabled people are able to live the life they choose by:

• Widening access to care and support and ensuring it is better tailored to individual need so that disabled people can live independently and fulfil personal aspirations.
• Increasing disabled people’s power and influence so they are empowered to make decisions about their lives and make change in communities.
• Harness the potential of digital technology so that disabled people can live more independently.

So, what will we do?

• Each year we will support young disabled people to become campaign leaders through Scope for Change.
• Campaign so that social care, transport and other support services better enable disabled people to be independent, confident and connected to their friends and family.
• Continue to run and define the Big Hack, our digital influencing programme, to ensure future digital technology is designed inclusively so it meets disabled consumers needs.

By 2022 we will be the go-to organisation for disability, directly reaching 2 million people with information, advice and support.

By 2022 we will be driving change for many of the 14 million disabled people in the UK, so their ambitions aren’t limited by attitudes or policy and they can lead the lives they choose.

We have ambitious plans for the next 5 years.

To help us develop this strategy, we listened to disabled people, their families, our supporters and Disabled People’s Organisations to ask them where we should focus on the next 5 years. It was important to have conversations with people who matter to us so we could build a strategy that tackles the challenges and issues they told us they face.

We will work in partnership with disabled people, government, businesses, partners and the public to make change happen.

We will deliver social change by influencing policy, attitudes and markets, and by offering information, advice and support to disabled people and their families.

We will:

• Develop a robust evidence base through 12 pioneering research projects on extra costs, attitudes, families, and technology that will tell a compelling story about the reality of disabled people’s lives and the need for change.
• Run 2 major campaigns each year to inspire government, businesses and the public to change policy, practice and attitudes. In 2019 we will campaign for a minister for disabled children and families and help businesses to design new technology inclusively.
• Offer over 60 quality services disabled people tell us they need in a way that suits them – from support through our national helpline to tailored employment advice, and from access to practical tools and guides to personalised emotional support.
• Build a community of disabled people who support each other and share experiences, advice and tips to guide one another through life’s big moments. By the end of 2018/19 we plan to secure 40,000 community members.
• Harness the power of digital technology and reach many more disabled people to offer the information they need, and improve lives through assistive technology and better access to products and platforms.
• Be the go-to organisation for 2 million people who need information, advice and support at times when it matters most.
• Diversify our income streams through fundraising, partnerships and our shops so that we have a sustainable voluntary funded base, and powerful network of supporters to collaborate with to drive change.

Everything we do will be underpinned by robust evidence and customer insight, and focus on delivering social change.

We have developed a theory of change to ensure our actions, and how it influences people to behave differently, deliver the social change we wish to see.

The golden threads of our theory of change will inform all we do. It will keep our focus on the issues that matter and have the greatest impact possible.

It’s not just about reaching many more people at moments that matter. It’s also about making a big difference, for a lifetime.

We will:

• Track progress nationally using national surveys, population-level data and our own data to measure the long term impact of our work.
• Build a strong evidence base of economic, statistical and qualitative research to tell the story of what it’s like to be disabled in Britain today and show what needs to change.
• Use customer insight and data to improve our services, strengthen our influence and keep focus on what will make the biggest difference to disabled people.
• Track changes in 80 disabled people’s lives over 5 years in a groundbreaking research project, Our Lives Our Journey, to inform our future work.
• Collect and share information about outcomes for disabled people from our services and campaigns to ensure we make the greatest impact.
• Measure our reach and engagement to make sure we have the scale we need to make an impact for the 1 in 5 of us who are disabled.
• Allocate resources based on impact performance and report openly to our supporters on the progress we are making towards everyday equality for disabled people.

And we won’t stop until we get there

Our people are at the heart of everything we do.

This strategy isn’t just about what will we do to make change happen, it’s also about the people who deliver our work – our staff and volunteers. And how we will up our game to attract, retain and motivate the talent we need to deliver everyday equality.

We will create a culture based on our new values, where our people can flourish. We will work together in an environment that supports creativity, passion and growth. By investing in our people and supporting them to be the best they can be, we will be united in our commitment to achieving our mission.

Leading the field

One of our ambitions is to be an inclusive employer, leading the field in the employment of disabled people and supporting diversity in all its forms. We know we must lead by example on disability equality, acting as a role model for other employers. And we know we can do more.

We have a solid foundation to build upon. Our staff survey tells us that of our staff who declared themselves disabled, 84% are happy to disclose their impairment. This is well above the average for any charity and public sector organisation.

We also know that our disabled staff are very positive about Scope as a place to work. We have taken the first step by moving to a fully accessible and inspiring work place. The contemporary facilities include a Changing Places toilet which is accessible to the local community as well as our staff and volunteers.

The next steps are to:

• Run a development programme for all managers to ensure they are confident in recruiting and supporting disabled colleagues.
• Provide a diversity and disability awareness programme as part of staff and volunteer inductions.
• Launch an apprenticeships and interns programme and a volunteer programme to attract and provide development opportunities.
• Revise our policies and procedures to remove any barriers to entering and staying in work.
• Push the boundaries in workforce planning and pilot new models of practice with both our own people and our external consultancy work.

Supporters are the heartbeat of Scope. We are here to mobilise change through others and without your support we cannot achieve the change we all want to see.

By 2022, we want to achieve more than 120,000 supporters and donors in addition to our 40,000 online community members and our 8,000 retail volunteers. With our supporters, we will use our collective power to:

• Challenge inequality, disrupt the status quo and inspire change through hard hitting campaigns.
• Work together to share our stories, influence our networks, spread the word and create inspiring content that brings home the reason why we do what we do. We will work with digital partners and online influencers to remain at the forefront of communication and to extend our reach and voice.
• Connect with partners across the commercial and social business space to build alliances and influence, share expertise, increase reach and impact. We will be known as the partner of choice in driving social purpose through our business networks.
• Innovate in our income generation, extending beyond our philanthropic routes to driving commercial and social enterprise models that challenge the status quo and generate more income for our mission.
• Create an events and engagement platform that brings people closer to us and provides a way for them to join us in our ambitions. Together we are stronger and we will do all we can to welcome you into our family. Our events will articulate the change we want to see and play an integral role in driving equality for disabled people.

The more money we have, the more we can achieve. We rely on our voluntary income as the sole source of income generation. By 2022 we will increase our voluntary income to £90 million and in doing so will have reached 2 million disabled people and their families and achieved the social change we want to see.

We can’t do this without you. Everyone has a role to play however small or big. It matters. Please join us.

Our values set the tone for how we work together, how we behave and how we make decisions.

Pioneering

We are passionate. We make things happen and lead the way. We are curious, abandoning assumptions and pushing boundaries. We innovate to find new solutions and always strive for better. We expect a lot of ourselves and each other, but we are confident – proud of our work and focussed on the impact we can have.

Connected

Working together our passion, knowledge and experience will create a fairer society for disabled people. We make it our business to connect – internally and externally – to collaborate and form alliances. We listen. We pull the best minds together, tapping into the expertise and imagination of the right people.

Courageous

We always question why. We are willing to challenge the status quo, ourselves and each other. We are unafraid to fail fast and learn quickly and single minded in our desire to achieve disability equality. We don’t settle for less.

Open

It’s a mind-set. We are open to ideas, and to each other. We are transparent about what we do and how we do it, building trust internally and with our customers and supporters. We create supportive, accessible environments where everyone has a voice and people feel confident to speak up. Our openness means we can achieve more and achieve more quickly.

Fair

We are the change we seek, passionate about making sure all have a fair chance, the opportunities we all deserve. And this is how we work at Scope, valuing, respecting and supporting each other, our diversity, our skills and our expertise. We all take responsibility. We ask a lot of ourselves and each other and we support each other to succeed.

Scope will support disabled people to:

• Get the best start in life
• Live the life they choose
• Be financially secure

Starting Line customers sharing their experience

Disabled people told us they wanted advice from a source that felt like ‘they knew because they’d been there’. The best way to do this was by asking disabled people who had ‘been there’ to share their experiences.

Joel, a former customer and graduate of our Starting Line employment service, returned to talk to new customers about his experience on the project, and how he benefited from it. He volunteered his time.

The session went well – key feedback from the participant was that the process was exciting, quick and simple.

As a result, we’ve rolled this out to all our Starting Line services. These sessions are well received by new customers.

Pair writing with disabled subject matter experts

Pair writing involves disabled people helping us to write copy for our website. A Scope content designer and a working-age disabled person sit down together to draft the content. This becomes the information and advice on our website – in this case about jobs, work and benefits.

Working like this ensures that our content reflects user needs and language, which makes it easier for our customers to find and understand. It also builds participants’ writing and communication skills and delivers reportedly increased self-confidence and self-esteem.

The new online content, designed alongside disabled people, is rated consistently higher by visitors than the old content. Importantly, the participants valued the opportunity to contribute.

Measuring impact

To ensure our strategy, truly makes an impact through our daily work, disabled people who have received our services helped us to develop a set of measures. Their input was vital in how we developed our Impact Assessment Framework.

This shows how our disabled customers’ lived experience is directly influencing the way we work.

Everyday equality is about ensuring we all have an equal chance in life. Not feeling inferior, not being treated unfairly, not being overlooked because of who we are. It’s about fairness, justice and rights – at home, at school, at work and in our communities.

Disabled people tell us that everyday equality can’t be achieved without a steady income, enough to pay the bills and cope with unexpected events. For many, but not all disabled people, it’s about having a job.

It’s about feeling strong enough to cope with the hard times. It’s about knowing how to get support and getting that support when it’s most needed, in a way that suits you. It’s about finding others who are in the same boat, not feeling alone. It’s about going to school, feeling safe, having friends, going out and enjoying life. It’s about feeling independent, confident and connected.

Putting disabled people front and centre of all we do. The lived experience and expertise of disabled people, parents of disabled children and disabled people’s organisations will shape our work.

Scope exists to lift the voices of disabled people and to work together with disabled people and their families to make sure our services and our campaigns deliver what we know disabled people need to provide everyday equality. We will continue to work tirelessly to improve disabled people’s experiences of working with us.

Our core values of pioneering, courageous, connected, open and fair are important to us. We encourage disabled people to challenge and collaborate at every opportunity, as it is only through challenge and teamwork that we can innovate and improve. We work hard to remain relevant to the needs of today and to be ready for the needs of tomorrow.

We are here to work together with disabled people and their families to shape a society that is equal, to help share the stories, the aspirations, the struggles and the successes and to work together and with others to find solutions and support each other at times of need.

We share our insights and our experiences to inspire businesses, the media and creative industry, the government and the public to change the way they engage with disabled people. We will create equality for disabled people and we will do this together. It starts when you step forward... join us and become a ‘Disability Gamechanger’.

We hold true to 5 core principles:

1. We recognise, value and act on disabled people’s knowledge and expertise based on their lived experience.
2. We work alongside disabled people with a variety of skills, support needs, ages and backgrounds to bring a richness of experiences.
3. We work together to make sure that everything we do is accessible.
4. We are open and honest about our limitations if we are not able to do something.
5. We make sure that disabled people feel confident and supported when working with us to achieve Scope’s vision.