East Sussex Social Enterprise Network - About Essen

Why the need for social enterprise in East Sussex

admin — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 12:14:43 +0000

Social Enterprise has many well understood benefits. These include

Social businesses can provide services and opportunities for disadvantaged people and communities that might otherwise not be available.
Social enterprises can exploit gaps in the market not served by other enterprises to generate profits
Social enterprise is one way that community groups can achieve a degree of sustainability and financial health by moving them away from dependence on an ever-shrinking pool of grant funding
By forming local enterprises where none currently exist, social enterprises can make a meaningful contribution to keeping money in the local economy (sustainable communities) This is done through providing services or products that would otherwise be “imported” from outside the area.
There are significant barriers to entrepreneur development (skills, access to markets, financing etc) in East Sussex that this initiative will help overcome Entrepreneurs are needed to generate economic growth locally, and thus raise the standard of living in East Sussex Rother from where is, i.e. below the national average in many parts of the county.
Profits reaped by social enterprises are re-applied for community benefit
It provides a meaningful way for people excluded from traditional means accessing employment opportunities and can become an important “pathway” for people finding work
We can create a culture of entrepreneurship and “can-do” in communities that currently believe that it is Governments job to supply them with a better standard of living.

More information on social enterprise here

The ESSEN action plan in full

admin — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 12:14:02 +0000

1. Awareness Raising and Information Provision

To raise awareness with communities and potential social enterprises.
1. Publicity Materials
2. Self Help Materials
3. Events and Workshops
4. Presentations
5. Focus Group investigations
6. Website, online forums, Q& A
To raise awareness with policy and decision makers within the public sector (members, managers and officers) about social enterprise opportunities and potential.
1. Events – workshops presentations, best practice examples, case studies.
To raise awareness with public sector procurement managers and to highlight best practice examples and case studies.
1. Events – workshops, briefings
2. Research
3. Production of case studies
To ensure that social enterprise development is included in County and District Strategies and that the development of local support services is a key element in the County Change Up Infrastructure Development Plan to be submitted by March 2006.
1. Lobbying
2. Consultation responses

2. Mapping and Monitoring of Social Enterprises

Map existing and emerging social enterprises within the County.
To ensure that the Steering Committee for the Social Enterprise Network is representative of the existing and emerging businesses in terms of support organisations, geography, types of social enterprise, public sector policy and funding organisations.
To map the existing and potential support services within the County.
To map the significant gaps in social enterprise activity and support services.
To undertake initial research with the emerging network to identify the support services requested and required
Monitor social enterprise sector in the county on an ongoing basis with a view to developing further services in response to emerging policies, opportunities, needs etc.

3. Facilitation and Development of Social Enterprises

To provide support to the voluntary and community sector and community minded entrepreneurs in developing social enterprises.
1. Workshops, seminars, initial business scoping and planning
To ensure good quality and accurate signposting to Business Support services
1. awareness raising workshops
2. liaison meetings with business support service providers
3. development of tracking and monitoring systems
4. teambuilding between Network support organisations
To provide training for support organisations to enable support for potential and established social enterprises
1. SFEDI training courses and identification of accredited organisations
To develop the East Sussex Social Enterprise Network in the first year to co-ordinate support services across the County
To ensure that community groups or individuals with ideas that have social enterprise potential are fostered and supported to a point where the social enterprise business plan has been developed and can be taken forward by more formal business training services
To work with existing business training suppliers to ensure that there services are accessible by social entrepreneurs.
To ensure ongoing support for social enterprises through regular business events, mentoring, networking and help
To facilitate the procurement of contracts by signposting business opportunities, identifying local procurement opportunities and assisting with contracting and tendering processes
To integrate social enterprises within local business communities and to take steps to ensure that existing small businesses do not suffer from unfair competition.

4. Policy and Networking

To ensure ESSEN and the Social Enterprise agenda is well represented at relevant local strategic bodies at county, district and borough levels.
To ensure social enterprise is a valued and supported mechanism for economic development and regeneration
To ensure the county is well represented and the relevant regional and national social enterprise policy making forums
To respond to national, regional or county requirements for consultation or information
To identify the steps needed to develop the Network in Years 2 & 3
To provide networking opportunities for social entrepreneurs, network support providers, established business networks and local authorities

Why do it?

admin — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 12:12:41 +0000

Social Enterprise. It is a phrase misunderstood by many – thinking it to be something to do with charity, is very “worthy” but in a sense not “real business”. Wrong. The motivations of people who run social enterprises may be more social and community minded but first and foremost they are business people. For some it is difficult to accept that it is possible to be business minded and socially driven at the same time. Often claims ‘do good’,or to ‘change things’, can be viewed with incomprehension or outright suspicion especially when pitching for competitive tenders and contracts.. Some enterprises, like a village shop, are the result of a resource or service that is valued and vital, but in risk of being lost, either by staff or the local community. People come together by a shared community interest in order to preserve and enhance services. Some enterprises are businesses just like any other small business but have been nurtured under existing organisations such as housing associations who seek to provide meaningful work opportunities for tenants as well as buying a cost effective service. The Hastings Furniture Service is a good example of a business that recycles furniture and work with various agencies to collect people’s old sofas and wardrobes. This is about better services for the community, and good business practice. Others social enterprises are started by entrepeneurs who just care passionately about some aspect of the community and are happy to share their profits with that community. Nearly all social enterprises are there because they spotted some kind of gap in the market. Often these gaps are not served by either the private or public service, or where there has been a market failiure in the past. Community Transport schemes are a good example – providing services where for example bus companies are not interested. In the case of development trusts, co-operative societies, after-hours activities at primary schools, the people and communities who felt they had been let down or needed something that they just weren’t going to get from the public or private sectors decided to do something about it themselves. Such ‘community enterprises’ can be viewed as a subset of social enterprise –where trading for social purpose has a community base which takes in both community of place and community of interest. Successful social entrepreneurs have mixed money with a clear community purpose and possessing a clear business ethic, applied good management to create successful businesses.

Definition

admin — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 12:11:47 +0000

A social enterprise is a business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners.

Social enterprises tackle a wide range of social and environmental issues and operate in all parts of the economy. By using business solutions to achieve public good, the Government believes that social enterprises have a distinct and valuable role to play in a helping create a strong, sustainable and socially inclusive economy

Social enterprises are diverse. They include local community enterprises, social firms, mutual organizations such as co-operatives and large scale organizations operating nationally or internationally. There is no single legal model for social enterprise. They include companies limited by guarantee, industrial and provident societies and companies limited by shares; some organisations are unincorporated and others are registered charities.
Social Enterprise - a strategy for success DTI, 2004

About essen

admin — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 21:27:17 +0000

Social Enterprise is increasingly being seen as a sustainable way to address social and economic exclusion, economic inactivity, environmental degradation, and strained public services. In recognition of this the South East Regional Development Agency (SEEDA) has established a Framework for the Regional support of social enterprises. As part of this strategy SEEDA recently invited bids from partnerships from around the South East to establish countywide social enterprise support networks. ESSEN is the support network for East Sussex and was formed during the spring of 2005.

The Network is overseen by a Steering Group containing stakeholders
from the following organisations who have been involved in the development
of this report and Action Plan:

1066 Enterprise
Brighton University
Hastings Trust
Harley Reed Consulting
Rother Voluntary Action
Action in Rural Sussex
East Sussex Economic Partnership
Newhaven Community Development Trust
Hailsham Trust
East Sussex Disability Association
Eastbourne & District Enterprise Agency Ltd
SEEDA
Sussex Enterprise