EQUAL - REALISE - Real Employment and Livelihoods in Social Enterprise

REALISE - Real Employment and Livelihoods in Social Enterprise

Logo for REALISE - Real Employment and Livelihoods in Social Enterprise

Description

Background

Britain's social enterprise sector is one of the most successful and vibrant in the world. The social enterprise agenda is championed by the government and growing in scope and scale. The government believes that social enterprise has a key role in achieving many of its goals, including overcoming social injustice and exclusion. The social enterprise sector is diverse, including development trusts, community enterprises, housing associations, social firms, and cooperatives.

Social enterprises are part of the 'third sector'; there are currently more than 55,000 social enterprises in the UK. Social enterprises face some of the same challenges faced by the wider business community but with the added complexity that a social enterprise has both a financial and a social or environmental bottom line.

Social enterprises operate across all sectors of the economy. Many operate in markets where the public sector is the main commissioner of services, such as health and social care (including services targeted at disabled people), community transport, or waste management.

Aims

The aim is to change the culture of services supporting disabled people into one of employment, through the creation of new work opportunities. These opportunities will be created through the development of more commercial and sustainable social enterprises in Suffolk. REALISE has brought together partners from different sectors who are experts in the fields of social enterprise/firm development, disability equality, learning and employment organisations, local authorities, health trusts and work groups providing services to people with disabilities. The project will develop a coordination mechanism to ensure that the wide range of agencies involved make the best use of financial and other resource support available to disabled people. REALISE will test modernisation strategies to ensure greater inclusion and will involve vulnerable groups in the partnerships development.

Objectives

To develop and implement modern services.
To create more realistic working environments.
To create more realistic training opportunities.
To establish employment opportunities linked with sustainable business activities.
To develop an umbrella organisation that supports enterprises, provides services and assists with job creation and quality assurance.
To develop a realistic strategy to support employment within social enterprises/social firms for disabled people through the different government agencies, and address any gaps.

Target groups

Social enterprise, disabled people.

Round

Round 1 to Round 2

This development partnership was not involved in Round One.

End-dates

Action 2: 30 September 2007
Action 3: 31 March 2008

Equal theme

Social economy

Beneficiaries

Other, People with disabilities, People with learning disabilities, People with mental health conditions

Achievements

To evaluate the achievements of the REALISE programme, four social enterprises who have been supported by the programme attended a workshop in late 2007. The workshop members agreed that the REALISE programme provided the opportunity for projects to develop, for people to think differently and make changes more quickly and in a more focused manner than they may have otherwise. As a result of the support provided by the REALISE programme, all of the social enterprises had increased their turnover. The workshop concluded with the recommendation that employers should be encouraged to provide ‘real work’ placements (with structured skills progression) for social enterprises and disabled people. The full evaluation report is available by clicking here.

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Connections

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Main outputs

Evaluation of Progression Towards Key Social Enterprise Objectives >> An evaluation of the experiences and progression of "Pilot Projects" in terms of the 3 key objectives outlined at the project’s outset in the Letter of Intent.

Activities and products

REALISE - SIPS Transnational Project is a transnational partnership

REALISE - SIPS Transnational Project >> The SIPS (sharing, identifying, promoting, supporting) transnational partnership aimed to improve the way in which social enterprises are developed, and thus to improve the integration of disadvantaged people into the labour market and into society. Expand/collapse

Products (3)

REALISE SCC "Pilot Project" Learning Presentation >> Social Enterprise Development presentation, delivered at the REALISE Final Event (24th September 2007) which outlines the development, barriers, achievements and lessons learnt from the REALISE Pilot Projects.

Research Reports >>A selection of research reports into Social Enterprise Management and inequalities and discrimination in employment, education, health and social services.

Social Accounting Presentation >> A presentation report, by Graham Speed, looking at Social Accounting - An accounting technique which accurately measures the ‘actual cost’ to society of vulnerable people being unemployed, together with the ‘Social’ impact.

The Journey from Social Care to Social Enterprise >> A report that looks at a workshop, which took place in July 2007, where the "Pilot Projects" talk about the Journey they made through their time in REALISE.

Whitehouse Enterprises Analysis >> A cost benefit analysis relating to Whitehouse Enterprises, by Petra Dreyer (coordinator of the “REALISE” partnership).

Equal-Works

Equal themes