Social Firms UK

Is Work Good For Your Health & Well-Being? (G. Waddell & A. K. Burton, on behalf of DWP, DoH, HSE) While we in the Social Firm sector have always believed that working is good for your health and well-being, here we have the evidence! This is a 'review of reviews', drawn together by Gordon Waddell and A. Kim Burton, and while there are certain provisos attached to this overall conclusion (e.g. depends on teh quality of the job etc.), and some statistical/evidential gaps, it gives everybody a good basis on which to move forward. As far as Social Firms UK is concerned, our development of the Values-Based Checklist links strategically to the outcomes of this research review. As one of the research gaps is around evidencing health gain on re-entry to employment we are keener than every to try and move this bit of work forward. 

REDF, formerly known as the Roberts Enterprise Development Fund, based in San Francisco (USA) has produced this paper from over 10 years of REDF's experiences mixing business practices with social mission. This paper considers some central issues when considering whether to choose a not-for-profit or a for-profit structure. Our thanks and acknowledgements go to REDF for sharing this report with us - please take a look at www.redf.org for more information about their work. Also see REDF's report "Social Impact Report 2005: What A Difference A Job Makes - The Long Term Impact of Social Enterprise Employment."

This is a recording of Jed Emerson's presentation at the 5th Gathering of the Social Enterprise Alliance. Jed Emerson, twice selected by 'The Non-profit Times' as one of its '50 most influential people in the non-profit sector' (USA) does what he does best - challenge the audience to think about the transformation of the sector in new and different ways. Jed is a Senior Fellow with the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. He is also Lecturer in Business at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. His work involves an array of issues related to the development of investment strategies that leverage the greatest value from both philanthropic and market-rate capital in pursuit of a Blended Return on Investment (which includes financial, environmental and socialreturns/metrics). This recording accompanies the slides,as well as the publication, 'The Blended Value Map'.

Written by Social Firms Scotland and Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health, this study aimed to begin to support the development of an evidence base for mental health improvement through employment in Social Firms, by identifying potential indicators and ways of measuring mental health impacts. To download the full report and 2 page summary please http://www.socialfirms.org.uk/whatwedo/measuringtheimpact.asp

In Scotland, a range of partners explored SROI methodology and SROI as a predictor of future social return. This report provides a series of key lessons learned, practical guidance on using and developing SROI analysis, and recommendations for future work in this area.  Contact Forth Sector for a downloadable copy of this guide:  http://www.forthsectordevelopment.org.uk/pages/resources.html

A Practical Guide' has been written for ESF projects that are interested in monitoring soft outcomes and distance travelled, primarily in terms of employability. The guide focuses on systems developed and used by ESF projects. It explains the main components of measurement systems, and provides practical, step by step guidance to developing an approach that best fits the needs of individual projects. (26 pages). 'Existing models' provides information and sample documentation from ten different approaches ranging from 'Bridges to progress' to 'Off the street and into work'. (47 pages)