This interactive course equips participants with contemporary knowledge, practical tools and emerging approaches to strengthen Social Impact Assessment (SIA) practice. Led by experienced SIA practitioners involved in establishing the world’s first SIA Practitioner Certification, the course provides a valuable opportunity to learn from leading practice in Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand, and internationally.

Participants will explore innovative approaches to social baselining, including the use of GIS and AI, impact significance assessment, community engagement and participation, mitigation and benefit-sharing, co-creation and co-benefit agreements, and participatory monitoring and governance. The course also examines how national and international standards, including IAIA guidance, the Equator Principles, international finance standards and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, inform contemporary SIA practice.

Through practical activities, case studies and group reflection, participants will apply techniques to their own projects and learn strategies for identifying, mitigating, and addressing negative social impacts while improving social benefits and supporting wellbeing and equitable outcomes.

Level: Intermediate/Advanced

Prerequisites: At least five years’ in-field experience in related fields/roles, including professionals in SIA, ESG, social performance, or sustainability roles; SIA practitioners or consultants working on project development; specialists in regulatory agencies, project developers, financial institutions that lend to projects, or consultancies; professional or academic experience similar to the above. Intermediate to advanced experience with social impact assessment. This includes practice, research, policy, and governance.

Language: English

Duration: 2 days (18-19 April)

Min/Max: 15-35

Price: $560

Instructors: Professor Sara Bice, Co-Founder and Director, Institute for Infrastructure in Society, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University (Australia), Dr. Ana Maria Esteves, Director, Community Insights Group (Netherlands), Dr. Richard Parsons, Principal, RP Social Research (Australia)

Professor Sara Bice is Professor and Director, Institute for Infrastructure in Society (I2S) at the Crawford School of Public Policy, the Australian National University, where she also serves as Special Advisor Executive Education. She is Co-Founder and Director of ANU spin-off Next Generation Engagement. Sara is Past President, IAIA and, in 2020 received the IAIA Outstanding Service Award for her ‘leadership and vision in support of impact assessment’. She has facilitated the learning of thousands of university students and professionals over two decades, working across almost two-dozen countries, including as Senior Visiting Professor, School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing (2018-ongoing). Sara’s research agenda is cross-cutting and deeply engaged with industry and government. Her research focuses on the intersection of corporations, communities and governments as they negotiate the impacts of major projects, with an aim to mitigate environmental and social risks and optimize potential benefits.

Dr Ana Maria Esteves is the Founder and Managing Director of Community Insights Group (CIG), an international social impact management consultancy firm and visiting professor at the University of Strathclyde’s Faculty of Engineering. Ana Maria has worked all over the world with developers and lenders of projects in the extractives, energy and agribusiness sectors. Ana Maria is the former president of the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) (2016-2017) and is the co-author of IAIA’s guidance document on SIA.

Dr Richard Parsons is an accomplished practitioner, researcher, and leader of projects and programs that seek to achieve fair, equitable, and just social outcomes. His principal goal is to improve social and cultural wellbeing through fair and ethical processes.
Richard’s expertise includes social impact assessment, community and stakeholder engagement, social licence, and organisational communication. He has worked with various sectors and industries, including government, mining, gas, energy, infrastructure, transport, tourism, research, tertiary education, and not-for-profit organisations.
Richard has a PhD in organisational communication from the University of Queensland, investigating community engagement in the minerals industry. He also has a Master of Business Administration and BA (Hons) Economics and Public Policy. He was the first person globally to achieve formal certification in social impact assessment.