Impact story: Scaling up from local to national, the success story of VETA

How can a local initiative become a lever for nationwide transformation?

Since 2014, the French organisation VETA (meaning A different way of living and working) has been working to promote the inclusion of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Intellectual Developmental Disabilities (IDD). Its model combines employment, housing, and tailored support.

In France, there are 400,000 autistic adults of working age. Among them, 95% are unemployed. For those with an intellectual disability, the number reaches 100%.

VETA responds to this alarming reality with an ambitious goal: unlock the potential of autistic individuals and turn employment into both a path to autonomy and an asset for businesses. At the same time, VETA develops inclusive housing: shared, independent, and adapted. The organisation believes that autonomy depends equally on a suitable job, a stable home, and social fulfilment.

A groundbreaking methodology:

ScaleChanger became involved in 2019 when VETA joined a scaling programme run by  La France s’Engage Foundation. As a specialist in supporting the scaling up of high-impact solutions, ScaleChanger worked alongside VETA’s operational team and governance bodies to transform the pioneering initiative into a structured and replicable model, laying the groundwork for a robust and sustainable social franchise.

This support involved:

• Clarifying the model’s core principles and success factors;
• Structuring the scaling up pathway, with practical tools and processes to guide project leaders;
• Designing the network of organisations: its mission, operations, and governance;
• Developing a five-year financial plan to ensure effective national oversight;
• And in partnership with Impact Lawyers, creating the legal structure for VETA’s network and formalising agreements with local entities.
  

Thanks to this collaboration, the organisation was able to acquire the essential tools to run  its scaling strategy, while adapting to local realities.

The diagram below illustrates the structure of the social franchise model:

A model recognised in public policy

In addition to its operational deployment, VETA has engaged in sustained advocacy efforts with tangible results. The model developed by VETA was integrated into the National Strategy for Neurodevelopmental Disorders 2023–2027, and an interministerial directive issued in March 2025 now provides for its deployment and funding in every French department.