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The Social Enterprise Partnership

Logo for The Social Enterprise Partnership www.sepgb.co.uk 

Partnership information

Description

The european partnersAim

The Social Enterprise DP aimed to develop infrastructure and build capacity in the social enterprise sector.

Objectives

The wider objectives of the DP were to:

  • Raise awareness of social enterprise models and their value.

  • Improve the performance of existing and emerging social enterprises.

  • Improve and build effective support structures for social enterprises at national and regional levels.

  • Create new tools and materials of strategic importance to the sector.

  • Influence the social enterprise and the wider social inclusion and enterprise policy agenda.

    Background

    The DP brought together all the leading national social enterprise bodies including Co-operativesUK, Development Trusts Association, Social Enterprise Coalition and Social Firms UK. The DP partners were some of the key national bodies in the field. The project was needed as it enabled national social enterprise organisations to work together to respond to key obstacles/barriers facing the social enterprise sector, including lack of awareness, a fragmented support structure, a need to demonstrate value and impact of social enterprise approaches and a lack of professional development programmes in the sector.

    The project benefited social enterprises and their support bodies throughout the UK. Programmes were delivered in 7 regions (Scotland, Yorkshire and Humber, South East, North East, West Midlands, London & Wales), via the regional structures of the national partners. As well as building regional infrastructure and raising awareness, a whole series of activities took place to support social enterprises including the development of an inter-trading web-site, action research in procurement, piloting national materials in Q&I and training and delivering business support.

    Target Beneficiary Groups

    The programme was aimed at business advisers, consultants, development workers, project officers, managers and other professionals working with or for social enterprises.

Round

1

Lead partner

Social Enterprise Partnership Ltd

Core partners

Local Government Association, New Economics Foundation, Social Enterprise London, The Co-operative Union, The Development Trusts Association

Transnational partnerships

Information for Transnational partnerships

Contact

Gerold Schwarz, Social Enterprise Partnership Ltd,

End-dates

Action 2: 30 June 2005
Action 3: 14 November 2005

Equal theme

Social economy

Achievements

New models were set up for starting new social enterprises.

Access to business support for social enterprises was improved.

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Connections

Connections

Activities and products

Activity
Consultants registerSEP-EQUAL developed a national register of consultants for the social enterprise sector.
Activity
Disincentives ResearchWith King’s College London, SEP-EQUAL examined disincentives in the UK benefits systems (with comparative European research) for potential social enterprise employees.Expand/collapse Products (1)
Activity
Social Accounting ToolsPlanned tools included Ethical Explorer, a Healthcheck model, Key Performance Indicators, Balanced Scorecards, Social Return on Investment, Social Auditing and PQASSO.
Activity
Training SEP-EQUAL worked with SFEDI and training experts to develop two new professional development programmes for business advisors to the social enterprise sector and social enterprise managers.Expand/collapse Products (2)
Website
Ethical ExplorerThis was a tool to help organisations measure and report on social impact and engage with stakeholders.
Website
Governance and Participation Development ToolkitDeveloped by Co-operatives UK.
Website
National Register of Business AdvisorsNational Register of Business Advisors.
Print
NewslettersReports on new developments and progress in the project.
Print
Public ProcurementA report on compiled by the transnational partnership Squares and published by the Social Enterprise Partnership.
Meeting/congress
SEP/SFEDI (Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative) Endorsement Programme WorkshopA workshop held in London for training providers to learn how to get their learning product(s) endorsed against the new National Occupational Standards in business support for social enterprise.
Print
Social Enterprise Partnership GB Limited OverviewA comprehensive report on the partnership.
Website
Social Enterprise Partnership WebsiteDP website.
Print
Understanding Social EnterpriseThis was the UK’s first nationally recognised qualification based on the new national occupational standards in social enterprise development.