Equal - Digital Repository

Background

Supporting Inclusion in Enterprise Development (SIED) is a Theme C partnership. SIED’s purpose is to increase enterprise development and self-employment by EQUAL target groups living in deprived areas. SIED will build on work developed by REFLEX, a successful local Equal Round 1 partnership.  The partnership will focus its mainstreaming model on building the capacity of NGO’s at a Community level to deliver enterprise support through the development of The Association of Community Based Business Advice (ACBBA).  SIED will meet needs by drawing support for enterprise development by excluded communities based on a redefinition of what constitutes the mainstream. New, innovative working structures and tools are being developed to overcome barriers to enterprise development which are widely acknowledged as existing both for policy makers and mainstream business support services in engaging with excluded communities living in areas of deprivation.

Aims

SIED is developing a new and innovative social inclusion approaches to enterprise development at a London-wide and potentially national level.

Objectives:

• To develop a new organisation (ACBBA) to give voice to members of Minority Ethnic Communities, Refugees, Women, Disabled People and members of Faith Communities and enable NGO’s working at a community level to deliver high quality enterprise support that meets quality standards.
• Foster new forms of access and responsiveness from mainstream business support agencies and their operators to widen pathways for creating an enterprise culture and engagement with skills and knowledge in VCS.
• To implement a programme of support to enterprise and self employed people through NGO’s that represent Ethnic Minorities, Refugees, Women, Disabled people and Faith Communities.
• To increase the skills and knowledge of business advisors employed directly by NGO’s and to develop ongoing programmes for their support and development.
• To explore new ways of accreditation and quality models for community based business advice to ensure the very best standard of enterprise support.
• To develop new solutions to the issues surrounding business advice for enterprise development in languages other than English.
• To explore and deliver innovative forms of micro-credit for new start enterprises developed by members of excluded communities who have been in receipt of state benefits.
• To research and comprehensively identify and quantify the nature and characteristics of social factors which influence enterprise development in different communities living in areas of multiple deprivation.
• To build effective networks of support amongst entrepreneurs who are from disadvantaged communities and work with the mainstream to ensure effective linkages.
• To devise new delivery mechanisms that combine the best of the tools for enterprise support developed by other DPs who offer innovative training to specific disadvantaged communities (particularly refugees and women) with approaches developed by community based business advisors.
• To build new models which will ensure the ongoing inclusion of new and emerging communities in enterprise support.
• To develop new tools for delivery of enterprise support for people who speak languages other than English.
• To develop appropriate information resources and advocacy mechanisms for people changing from an income on benefit to an income from enterprise.
• To work with transnational partners to identify and develop good practice models in supporting enterprise from excluded communities
• To evaluate and disseminate the key findings of the project throughout, by an extensive programme of thematic networking.
• To ensure maximum impact on policy audiences.

Beneficiaries

Unemployed, Population not migrant and not asylum seeker, population not suffering from a disability, without such specific discriminations.

 

SIED builds on work developed by REFLEX, a successful Equal Round 1 partnership.  The essence of Reflex model is to develop the capacity of community organisations to enable them to support and advice businesses generated by their communities. Reflex enabled organisations to employ Community Based Business Advisers and to develop their capacity to support enterprises and entrepreneurs. The accessibility of advisers and flexibility of Reflex produced a highly effective model that can be developed by other partnerships. (see website /)

ACBBA, Camden Training Network, Centa Business Services, Community Links, GLE oneLondon Business Advice Service South Central, Innovative Enterprise Action, Institute of Business Consulting, Islington Training Network, Kingston University, London Borough of Camden, London Borough of Lewisham, Prevista Ltd, Prowess Ltd, Quaker Social Action, Redbridge CVS

Tony Swash, London Borough of Islington,

Business creation