Democratic deliberation as a North Star: Showcasing a framework to assess the value for money of systems-change efforts

The growing interest in systems-change initiatives sits alongside increasing pressure to demonstrate value for money (VFM), which is challenging for emergent, interconnected and often intangible work. A new way to assess the VFM of systems-change work involves considering the value of changing system conditions and the creation of potential value for future systems transformation. This innovation combines the Water of Systems Change framework with the Cycles of Value Creation to create five types of value for systems-change work: inherent, potential, applied, realised and transformative. The VFM of systems-change efforts is then best understood, negotiated and judged by different stakeholders through democratic deliberation. A practical case study of WorkWell (a systems-change initiative to improve mental well-being in Victoria, Australia) is used to demonstrate the use of the approach and offer reflections on its rigour.