Creating A Quality Standard For Social Firms Enterprise, Employment & Empowerment

1. Creating A Quality Standard For Social Firms Enterprise, Employment & Empowerment Sally Reynolds www.socialfirms.co.uk

2. Social….uh….What? • Social Enterprise – any business that trades for a social purpose • Social Firm – one type of social enterprise whose specific social purpose is to create real employment for disabled people within a thriving and successful market led business • Emerging Social Firm – a trading led enterprise that’s well on the road to becoming one of the above!

3. Social Firms UK • National support agency for Social Firm development • Mission • Challenge(s) • Sector credibility • Passion

4. Enterprise, Employment & Empowerment • Initial criteria >25% employment level & >50% of income through trading income; • Insufficient to prevent bad employment practice and unsatisfactory working environments; • Consultation on a values-led approach 2002; • Result Values-Based Checklist in 2005

5. Benefits to the Social Firm • Being recognised as a leading edge, genuine Social Firm • Proves credibility and sustainability to customers • Raises profile of Social Firms as good businesses • Involves a valuable, developmental process • Standard recognises a level of professionalism

6. Benefits to Social Firm Customers Reassures customers & potential customers of: • A viable business with a sound commercial focus • A quality driven, quality focussed, best value supplier • A good employer • An organisation with high values & ethical purpose • An organisation with positive impact on the community, and • An organisation to help them meet their corporate social responsibility

7. Benefits to Assessors & Their Organisations • Being able to build skills back into the organisation • A potential earned income stream • A route for professional development • The opportunity to share good practice • Opportunity for inter-trading

8. Next Steps • Creation of ‘standard’ for Social Firms • Pilot mid 2006 - end 2007 • Assessors and Social Firms • 12 criteria being examined: • Legal status & constitution • Turnover • Management structure & skills • Business systems • Employment of disabled people • Terms & Conditions of employment 7. Clarity of role 8. Legal compliance 9. Training & learning 10. Retention & progression 11. Stress management 12. Proactive support & development

9. Pilots • ISE (Training, social enterprise support) • Electroville (IT training & services incl. website design for third sector organisations) • Haven Products (fulfilment, packaging & distribution) • Daisies Café (catering) • Bizmatch (cycling refurbishment, horticulture, furniture restoration) • FRAME (furniture recycling) • Pack-IT (fulfilment & distribution) • Yes2Work (recruitment agency) • Spot On (fulfilment, packaging & distribution) • Pluss (equipment maintenance & distribution)

10. Assessors • Being trained by SFEDI (Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative) – one of the main standard setting bodies for business in the UK • Only managers of existing Social Firms or emerging Social Firms (i.e. NOT Social Firms UK!) – people within the sector, for the sector • Initially 8 assessors

11. Branding? Social Firm Social Firm

12. Useful Tools/Resources • DIY Feasibility Toolkit • The Extra Elements • Template Mem & Arts • Guide to Charities developing Social Firms • Guide to public authorities externalising Social Firms • Performance Dashboard Encouragement of ‘measurement’ techniques e.g. distance travelled questionnaires, exit interviews, individual learning plans & good practice e.g. volunteer agreements, supervision & appraisal etc.

13. Links to Policy • SEC / Office of the Third Sector / SEnU • Procurement / CSR • Work, health & well being • Measuring impact • SROI (Social Return On Investment) • Health gain • Welfare Reform / reprovision of Workstep

14. www.socialfirms.co.uk Info@socialfirms.co.uk Tel: 01737 764021