Theme A | Theme B | Theme C | Theme D | Theme E | Theme F| Theme H 

Theme D - Strengthening the Social Economy

Objectives

• Establish a framework to foster the development of an "entrepreneurial and enterprise culture" within the social economy
• Provide the capacity for future growth and sustainability, leading to imporvements in job quality in the sector
• Significantly enhancing the cohesion, visibility and credibility of the social economy at local, national and transnational levels.

Target Groups
Social Economy Organisations and Sectors

Mainstreaming Outcomes 

CEiS (a leading social economy development agency) tested new sources of finance to support social enterprises in developing new activities and enhancing their sustainability. This focused on looking at the possibility of equity-type finance and measuring the value of assets. The development of a Diagnostic Investment Readiness Tool (IRT) facilitated new ways of organisations looking at their funding base and new ways of funders looking at organisations.  The tool was disseminated widely at local, national and transnational level and via the ETG and has now been adopted by Futurebuilders Scotland as part of its assessment process for applications to the Investment Fund.

Communities Scotland
To build on the success of the DP’s Zones model, Communities Scotland took a lead role in supporting the development of LSEPs across the country, to enhance local partnership working and a greater degree of inter-agency response to supporting the sector at local level.  This was an explicit action within the Futurebuilders’ Scotland policy document.Futurebuilders Scotland, that sets the context for the Scottish Executive’s commitment and support for the social economy sector, included the recommendation that there should be Local Social Economy Partnerships (LSEPs) to cover all local authority areas in Scotland. 
LSEPs continue to be a priority for Communities Scotland and for the DP in round 2, since LSEPs are now a key feature on the landscape of local social economy developments in Scotland and a key audience in terms of dissemination and horizontal mainstreaming.
The Roll out of Local Social Economy Partnerships (LSEPs) across Scotland resulted in the development of the Social Economy Zones.

Guide to Social Added Value
The guide was being produced to assist social enterprises and voluntary organisations within Scotland to understand and identify social added value tools that would that would best suit them in ensuring investment, commercial contracts or proving their impact from delivering services.  The guide can also be used as a reference document for investors, business advisors and intermediaries supporting organisations moving down this route. 

Highlands and Islands Enterprise
HIE led on the assets base methodology study and was a key partner on the Highlands & Islands Social Enterprise Zone (HISEZ).  This project continues to be funded under Equal round 2 with on-going commitment and financial support from HIE and Communities Scotland.  Another major development for HISEZ is their adoption of a new legal form – community interest company (CIC).  The HISEZ CIC Board is now planning for sustainability, putting in place a number of potential revenue streams for the period post-Equal. The HISEZ one-stop shop model of business support and advice for social enterprises and the CIC legal form itself continue to offer lessons learned and attract interest from the sector and funders alike and may inform the future of support services in the future.

Kilmarnock College worked in partnership with SCVO to deliver activities under the shaping careers & leaders’ pilot. This work enhanced the opportunities for careers within the sector at entry level and led to the creation of a workforce development forum for the discussion of the development of careers within the social economy in Scotland to wider stakeholders.

Scottish Enterprise delivered most of the activity under the e-business innovation theme through the e-commerce team at SE national. This involved training the trainer, web development and an on-line e-business guide for the social economy. The on-line guide provides examples of good practice, pitfalls to be avoided and lessons learned from others using new technologies in the social economy sector. It also carries practical guidelines for using emails, searching the internet, running a website etc.

SCVO was a partner in the Shaping Careers & Leaders Pilot responsible for establishing key the Workforce Development Forum and leading on graduate placement programme and a programme of seminars for women working in the social economy. SCVO was also a key partner in the e-social business innovation pilot through http://www.workwithus.org/ Voluntary sector portal.
SCVO (Equal Management Team) delivered the Action Agenda Programme to promote networking and maximise dissemination of Equal and our programme of work. 

SCR joined the partnership at Action 3 and provided a focus on dissemination and mainstreaming lessons learned. They also provided match funding for the delivery of a series of Making the Case events across Scotland, case studies and a learning Point regarding a Mainstreaming partnership.  SCVO delivered the following outputs with support and direction form SCR.                                                                  

Making the case for the social economy (informing and influencing policy makers, practitioners and the sector itself about the wider benefits of investing in Scotland’s social economy)

• Regional good practice seminars on themes/issues affecting the sector
• Regional seminars for business advisers to the social economy (with support from HIE, Scottish Enterprise and CEiS)
• Website development: www.socialeconomyscotland.info
• National conference “More than profit – making the case for the social economy”
• Policy briefing @ the Scottish Parliament for MSP’s & policy influencers

For more information please contact Pauline Graham
Tel: 0141 225 8007
e-mail: pauline.graham@scvo.org.uk
or visit: www.socieleconomyscotland.info