SRAG Membership Enquiry

The SRAG is not just a network. It is an employer-led social value framework supporting better hiring, stronger governance, and measurable social impact.

If you believe recruitment can be fairer, braver, and more meaningful, and that social value impact matters - you're already one of us.

The Social Recruitment Advocacy Group (SRAG) brings together employers of all sizes who want to make hiring more human and more socially impactful.

It provides a structured approach to social value delivery, combining practical recruitment support, governance, and independent progression through the SRAG Charter Mark.

From Lidl and IKEA to Currys, Mitie, Unipart, Sureserve and many more, SRAG members share one thing: a commitment to doing the work that makes real change possible for people and places across the UK.

Founded by PeoplePlus – the UK’s largest prison education provider and pioneers in inclusive recruitment – SRAG supports employers across England and Wales with a practical social value framework rooted in real delivery.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

You’ll get hands-on support to embed social value into hiring practices, with practical guidance that stands up to procurement and reporting scrutiny.
You’ll gain access to the SRAG Charter Mark - a step-by-step framework for meaningful, measurable progress, used by employers as a recognised progression and assurance model,
You’ll work alongside partners like ANTZ, Whatimpact, Standing Tall, Springpod, Ride Tandem and experts with lived experience, not just consultants.
You’ll be part of conversations that shape strategy at the highest level - including Westminster.

And you won’t be doing it alone. You’ll be doing it with people who believe what you believe:

“The SRAG, chaired by the Rt. Hon. Anne Milton, is a powerful network of employers and organisations working together to champion socially responsible recruitment - an approach that opens doors for those who face barriers to employment and helps build a more inclusive future."
- Gateway Qualifications, Silver Charter Mark holder and SRAG Member, 2025

“Always a pleasure to be part of this wonderful group of organisations as we focus today on addressing the employment readiness gap - I'll spend the day working with a room full of people driven to make the biggest social impact they can!"
- Sodexo, Ambassador Charter Mark holder and SRAG Member, 2025

This is a moment of momentum.

The case for acting now has never been stronger - or more urgent. Over one in five working-age people in the UK are currently out of work and not looking for work. Older workers are leaving too early. Disabled people remain locked out of employment at twice the rate of non-disabled people. Mental ill-health among young people is rising sharply. These are not abstract statistics. They are people in your community, and in ours.

The number of young people not in education or work who are economically inactive has risen to 20.5%, with the number of job vacancies falling, down over 8% in the past year alone. The pipeline is thinning at both ends. Employers who have not yet built inclusive hiring into their model are going to feel this.

Meanwhile, the policy environment is demanding more - not less:

The Keep Britain Working Review, published in 2026, makes clear that this crisis cannot be solved by government alone - it requires a committed movement of employers working alongside government and communities to change how we hire, retain and support people at work.

The Procurement Act 2023 is now fully in force, strengthening social value's role not just at tender evaluation but across the entire contract lifecycle.

The updated Social Value Model has been mandatory for central government procurements since October 2025, with a minimum 10% weighting on social value in tender evaluation - and new transparency requirements on social value KPIs for contracts over £5 million came into effect in April 2026.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 - the biggest overhaul of employment law in a generation is being phased in across 2026 and 2027, with mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting on the horizon.

Employers already walking the walk on inclusion are far better placed than those scrambling to comply. And the Social Recruitment Covenant, launched by SRAG members at Westminster in 2024, remains the fastest-growing employment-related covenant in the UK - backed by the DWP, employers, and education providers across every sector.

So yes - this is the right time. Not because joining a network looks good. Because the labour market is structurally changing, procurement expectations are growing and the employers who move now are the ones who will lead when the bar rises even further.

But SRAG Membership isn’t just about timing. It’s about values, action and progress that sticks.

Whether you’re hiring 5 or 5,000, this is your invitation to join a movement where every aspect of employment has the potential to change lives.

Let’s make work better - together.

Over to You

There are no limits to the size of the SRAG. Add your details below and a member of the team will contact you very soon to explore what you could achieve as a SRAG Member for the benefit of individuals facing unique disadvantages, for your business, and for society.

The next SRAG Summit is in July, hosted by Mitie, an Ambassador level organisation in the SRAG Charter framework.

We can't wait to hear from you.