Social Firms UK

 A Good Practice Guide for Social Firms.

The sections in this document are:

• Legal and Constitutional
• Business and Finance
• People and Skills
• Employment and Training
• Inclusion and Support
• Environmental, Health and Safety

Social Firms UK has launched the second in its series of template memorandum and articles for use by Social Firms and other types of social enterprise: the Share Community Interest Company (CIC) structure. There are comprehensive guidance notes accompanying the template which help the reader understand the potential of this legal structure and how best to use it as a way of leveraging more private investment into the social enterprise sector. The first in the series was produced a few years ago for the then most popular legal form chosen by Social Firms: the not-for-profit guarantee company. Social Firms UK decided to produce the share CIC guidance and template on seeing that an increasing number of its members were interested in this relatively new legal structure and recognising the potential of the Share CIC, for example, in creative fundraising, not being fully realised.

This tool helps assess the viability of a business to become a social enterprise. It enables the quality of employment, workplace support issues and employee development opportunities to be assessed in businesses that might be replicated as Social Firms or social enterprises. It comes in Word format in order to allow your own text to be added. This document was is an adaptation of a tool produced by Social Firms Australia as part of a business buy-out programme. It has been produced with the support of the Small Business Service.

This template helps measure the impact for individuals who are being trained.

This questionnaire was adapted for use by the Social Firm sector by Social Firms UK to help prove the difference being made to people's lives.  It is particularly useful for those providing training or employment/network experience opportunities to disabled people or those with mental health problems.