Welfare & Social Services

Across the developed world, the public and elected leaders are demanding welfare and social services that create a meaningful long-term reduction in disadvantage and that target scarce public funding at actions that provide the highest social return. In New Zealand, where social security and welfare accounts for a significant part of core Crown expenses, the sector has been a site of major recent reform, reflecting that international trend, with an increased focus on better managing interventions to achieve better outcomes.

MartinJenkins provides advice to the sector and stakeholders on how to improve welfare and social services are targeted, delivered, funded and organised, and on how effective specific services are at achieving results.

Our expertise

  • Micro and behavioural economic expertise in the implications of policy on social outcomes

  • Creating intervention logics and theories of change to guide social-sector initiatives

  • Conducting economic and financial analysis to support social initiatives, including through business case processes

  • Understanding of the implications of the tax-benefit interface in the design of social support

  • Expertise in the application of insurance principles to the evaluation of social-sector issues

  • Experience in engaging and interviewing vulnerable individuals and populations, and in designing evaluation approaches that are culturally respectful

  • Understanding of social-sector organisations and delivery channels

  • Understanding of effective public-sector procurement of social services

  • Evaluating and research on the performance of policies and initiatives

  • Advising on governance and organisational arrangements. 

Our clients

  • Ministers

  • Central government agencies delivering core welfare and social services

  • Corporates

  • Other social services providers

  • Other agencies in the health, education and justice sectors with interests in the welfare and social services sector.

Related Consultants

Project Examples