Social Firms UK

The social media revolution has amplified the voice of every customer and empowered us all to take greater control of our relationships with the companies and brands we choose to do business with. Now, as a business leader, it’s your turn to choose. You can ignore this global groundswell, dismissing it as hype, or you can decide to understand it, rise to the challenges and seize the opportunities. This eBook is for CEOs and business strategists ready to do the latter – to harness the power of social media and put it to work throughout the company. www.salesforce.com/uk/socialsuccess/form/ebook.jsp

 Executive Summary

This report presents research conducted with London South Bank University to evidence the social impact being created by RNIB and Action for Blind People's two social firms, Concept Conferencing Centre and Viewpoint. These are social enterprises that provide employment and training opportunities to blind and partially sighted people.

The research methodology involved interviewing ten current and past employees and trainees at both organisations to gather evidence of how employment had changed their lives. In addition five interviews were held with the social firm managers and commercial clients, and a short questionnaire with three of the employees' families.

 Executive summary

Helping ex-offenders to fi nd employment is key to helping people reintegrate into society. As a provider of services to offenders, we commissioned ReputationInc to conduct a research study, and this report presents our fi ndings. Following a review of previous research, we identifi ed the main issues which affect the employment rate of ex-offenders. This helped to develop and inform our primary research, examining the views of employers when considering ex-offenders for vacancies. We also conducted a series of interviews with UK employers and an online survey of 300 UK employers.

If you would like a copy of this report in a different format please get in touch with Working Links

The Social Franchising Manual follows on from the 'Growing social enterprise' research findings, providing a how-to guide which includes a general introduction to social franchising - the use of a commercial franchising approach to replicate and share proven organisational models for greater social impact - and practical advice on how to franchise a social enterprise. It is primarily aimed at those thinking of franchising their organisational model (potential franchisors) but will be of use and relevance to a broader audience, including individuals who want to set up a franchise of an existing, successful social enterprise.

Whilst there are lots of tools and resources around to help Social Firm start up and development, there is no template ‘change and development plan’ for businesses that want to turn into Social Firms. Many supported businesses do want a change of direction, however.

There is interest in the Social Firm model and this guide is designed to help supported businesses that want to make that transition. It does not provide an “off the shelf” template because the transition depends on many factors that may or may not exist. What it does do is give a strong insight into the real life experiences of a number of supported businesses that have taken the Social Firm route. It looks at their journey and offers some clear pointers for other supported businesses that want to do the same.

 This document sets out the Government’s vision of a thriving social investment market where social ventures can access the capital they need to grow, allowing them to do more to help build a bigger, stronger society. We also set out a strategy for achieving the vision, explaining how Government and others can act, including the key role of the Big Society Bank as a wholesale investor and champion of the market.

The ‘vital role’ of Social Firms UK

Government cuts and more jobs under threat? Social Firms UK has a history of rising to the challenge.

A recent review by the New Economics Foundation (nef) said the work tells “a remarkable story” of how Social Firms UK is able to maintain a strategic view of how it wants to create change in the world whilst constantly striving to meet its members’ needs.

Social Firms UK’s vision is that everyone has the opportunity to be employed and its main purpose is to support meaningful job creation in market-led social enterprises for people that most employers won’t even consider taking on. The review concluded that since many Social Firms are small and do business locally there is a need for an umbrella body like Social Firms UK to bring them together to represent a unified voice that is able to make a ‘noise’ on a national scale.

This report, the first detailed one since 2006, seeks to provide a picture of the Social Firm sector in 2010 and examine some of the changes to the sector in the last four years in the UK. Since the last report the sector has widened its focus to include other disadvantaged groups such as ex-offenders, homeless people and those who have previously been involved in substance abuse.

The Permitted Work Guide has been updated and is correct from October 2011

Benefit rules are very complex, but changes to Housing Benefit from 1st April 2010 brought a welcome change. Many people are now able to earn and keep up to £93 a week, as well as their incapacity-related benefits.

Who is this guide for? This guide is written for you if you get benefits because a health condition or disability makes it difficult to work but you would like to work part-time. You can use it to work out what you can earn before the “benefits trap” affects you.

Who else might use this guide? You might also want to discuss it with a friend, family member, support worker or employer.

Most individuals who are homeless want to work but have multiple barriers to tackle before being able to gain, or sustain, employment. This is even more the case in the competitive, fast-moving, short-term, low-waged labour market that many with low skills or no recent work experience are likely to find themselves in. The Right Deal For Homeless People is a model of holistic, co-ordinated employment support for the most disadvantaged that, if funded and delivered in the right way, will enable more homeless individuals to achieve sustainable, progressive work. For more information about Off the Streets and into Work, visit www.osw.org.uk