PRIME MINISTER MEETS SOCIAL ENTERPRISE LEADERS

PRIME MINISTER MEETS SOCIAL ENTERPRISE LEADERS

Prime Minister Tony Blair has applauded forward-looking councils' who are working with social enterprises in the delivery of socially innovative public services.

The Prime Minister told a small delegation of local authority councillors and social enterprise leaders that they were blazing a trail which he hoped others would follow just a week before national Social Enterprise Day (Thursday, November 17).

Exploring with the group the potential of social enterprise to do more public service delivery and to examine what barriers exist which might prevent expansion, the Prime Minister commented:

"Local authorities must be more innovative in their approach to public service delivery, and that includes looking at the bigger picture provided by social enterprises."

"The social, economic and environmental benefits of social enterprises are astounding, but there is much room for improvement if we want this important sector to continue to thrive."

"I was delighted to meet so many forward-looking council leaders and social entrepreneurs. They are blazing a trail which I hope others will follow."

The meeting, which was held at 10 Downing Street, London, was also attended by Cabinet Office minister Ed Miliband, who will launch the Government's first-ever social enterprise action plan on November 16 with Chancellor Gordon Brown.

Jonathan Bland, Chief Executive of Social Enterprise Coalition, welcomed the Prime Minister's recognition of social enterprise:

"We are delighted with the prime ministers support for the work that social enterprises are doing in communities all across the UK. Local authorities and other public bodies can get so much more for their money if they work with social enterprise."

For more information and interview opportunities, please contact Louise Third on 0115 906 1377 or email louise@integra.gb.com

ENDS

Notes to editors:
Social enterprises are an alternative model of business - they are driven by a social and/or environmental purpose and reinvest their profits in the company or directly in the community. Examples include The Big Issue, ECT Group and Turning Point.

The Government estimates there are 55,000 social enterprises in Britain today, representing over 5% of all businesses with employees and contributing £8.4bn to the economy. Their value is amplified by their social and environmental benefits.

Last month's Local Government White Paper encouraged councils to work with social enterprises and other third sector organisations to reform the delivery of local public services.

The Social Enterprise Coalition is the UK's national body for social enterprise. Acting as the voice for the sector, it supports and represents the work of its members, influences national policy and promotes best practice. www.socialenterprise.org.uk

LAUNCH OF HEALTH FORUM

LAUNCH OF HEALTH FORUM
18 May 2007

Social enterprises in the emerging health markets are banding together to take control of their sector and unleash their potential to transform public services.

Ivan Lewis MP is to launch the Social Enterprise Coalition's Health and Care Forum next week - a membership body designed to help social enterprises act as a cohesive group for the development of the sector.

The forum was developed by the Coalition's Julie Dent CBE (formerly Chief Executive of South West London SHA).

Julie Dent said: "The forum will allow members to stop being passive and instead identify and target the PCTs and practice based commissioners who are aware of the potential of social enterprise and are ready to do business.

"Members will also create networks and consortia to bid for work and will work together to accelerate the transformation of public services. The climate is right to grow this sector and to influence government policy on public services."

MP Ivan Lewis said: "I welcome this forum as an opportunity to help the sector grow and develop. Social enterprises offer real potential to transform the health market by empowering staff, patients and local people to provide truly personalised care.

"I believe the forum will be a valuable tool for its members as well as an important resource and knowledge base for the Department of Health. It will create a valuable link between the department and the many exciting social enterprises working in health and social care."

Emma Wilson, chief executive of the award-winning Local Care Direct, who has been nominated as chair of the forum said: "We have done the talking, we have sold the sector to the government and policy makers in the Department of Health and its now time for action. It's now time for us to show the market what social enterprise can really deliver."

The Coalition created the forum in response to a growing interest from individuals wanting to start their own social enterprises in health and social care.

It aims to help members use their collective lobbying weight to influence private organisations and the public sector. It will act as a membership network to exchange good practice and share resources, and it will also be a focal point for inquiries on health social enterprises from the media, Government, the NHS, aspiring social enterprises and the public.

Membership is open to aspiring social enterprise practitioners working across the spectrum of health and social care, including organisations that have externalised from the NHS, charities bidding for public sector contracts and Department of Health pathfinder organisations.

The forum will be launched at 9am on Wednesday June 23 by Ivan Lewis, Minister for Care Services and Jonathan Bland, chief executive of the Social Enterprise Coalition.
Speakers include Lord Victor Adebowale, Chief Executive of Turning Point, David Dawes, Director of the European Nursing Leadership Foundation & Lance Gardner, Projects Director of North-East Lincolnshire PCT on topics including 'Why do Social Enterprises fail?' and
'Why do Social enterprises succeed?'.

social enterprise action plan

2006 social enterprise action plan

On 16 November 2006, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, joined Cabinet Office Ministers Hilary Armstrong and Ed Miliband to launch the Government's Social Enterprise Action Plan: Scaling new heights (Cabinet Office 2006).

Social Enterprise Action Plan: Scaling new heights (Cabinet Office 2006) [PDF, 1.67MB, 73 pages]

There are at least 55,000 social enterprises in the UK – including well known success stories like The Big Issue or Jamie Oliver's Fifteen. This action plan aims to open the door to thousands more, raising awareness of what they can achieve and encouraging more people to make a difference, either by involvement or investment.

The action plan will drive change in four areas:
fostering a culture of social enterprise, embedding the change that is already underway, especially through inspiring the next generation to start thinking about the social impact of business
improving business advice, information and support available to social enterprises
tackling the barriers to access to finance that restrict the growth of social enterprises
enabling social enterprises to work effectively with government to develop policy in the areas of expertise

It also builds on the first 2002 Government strategy, Social Enterprise, a strategy for success (DTI 2002).
2002 Government strategy, Social Enterprise, a strategy for success (DTI 2002) [PDF, 389KB, 81 pages]
Have your say – submit your comments on the Social Enterprise Action Plan.
To order a hardcopy of the action plan please phone 0845 015 0010 and quote URN 06/Z3. Please note that stocks are limited and we ask that organisations requesting more than 50 copies contact the OTS (Mike Lewis 0207 276 6070) first.
16/11/2006 Press release: Following in the footsteps of The Eden Project… a new generation of social entrepreneurs can change lives

SEC WILL DELIVER GOVERNMENTS AMBASSADORS PROGRAMME

SEC WILL DELIVER GOVERNMENTS AMBASSADORS PROGRAMME
14 June 2007

Consortium will deliver Governments Social Enterprise Ambassadors programme

Ed Miliband, Minister for the Third Sector, today announced that a consortium headed by the Social Enterprise Coaliton will develop and deliver the Government's exciting new programme to create at least 20 ambassadors for social enterprise.

The consortium brings together key players from across the social enterprise movement with leading agencies in media relations, training and innovation to deliver the ambassadors programme, which will be funded by the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office.

The consortium is being led by the sectors leading representative body, the Social Enterprise Coalition, and will include:
?What If!, leading innovation consultation consultancy
Society Media /Social Enterprise Magazine
School of Social Entrepreneurs
New Economics Foundation, campaigning think tank
Hanover Corporate Communications Consultancy
Media Training Masterclasses, leading communications training agency

The ambassadors will raise awareness of social enterprise and aim to attract new people to the sector. They are likely to be established social entrepreneurs who can be dynamic advocates for kind of social and environmental change that social enterprise can achieve with key audiences from classrooms to boardrooms.

Ed Miliband, Minister for the Third Sector, said: "Social enterprise is a growing movement, but still only one in four people know about it. That means we are missing out on potential entrepreneurs, customers, and investors. That has to change.

"The successful consortium are an unprecedented example of collboarative working in this sector, and we look forward to working with them on this innovative and ambitious programme to spread the message of what social enterprise can achieve. Through their own stories and networks, the ambassadors will add momentum to the social enterprise movement and enable it to achieve even more."

Jonathan Bland, Chief Executive of the Social Enterprise Coalition, said: "The Social Enterprise Coalition and the rest of the consortium are delighted to have been chosen to run this extremely exciting programme.

"As we all already work closely with a number of social enterprise champions we were able to pledge to go over and above the original requirements to make the cabinet office an offer they couldn't refuse. We have now signed the contract but delivery details are being kept under wraps until our big launch later in the summer, so watch this space."

The ambassadors programme was first proposed in the Government's Social Enterprise Action Plan last November, and has been developed in close partnership with the sector throughout.
The consortium will find the ambassadors through an open and transparent process, and will provide further detail at their programme launch later this summer.

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http://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/Page.aspx?SP=2130