Social Firms UK

Following the publication of its Green Paper on Welfare Reform “In Work, Better Off” DWP has been drawing up a strategy on how it will commission employment support programmes. It favours moving towards a position where it has large contracts with a small number of prime contractors. They in turn will subcontract with smaller or more specialist providers. In its response, Social Firms UK highlights the role that Social Firms play in providing employment and employment support for people furthest from the open labour market and flags up the need to support job creation as well as employment support. We include a proposal aimed at helping the Social Firm sector to grow and highlight ways in which the needs of Social Firms should be taken into account in any future contracting arrangements.