WELCOME TO EDINBURGH AND SCOTLAND!

WELCOME TO EDINBURGH AND SCOTLAND! PACTES EUROPEAN/Grundtvig Visit to Edinburgh 18-20/09/13

Purposes… • To find out more about social and community enterprise • To learn from each other through exchanging knowledge and experiences • To relate what we hear about to our own situation in our own communities • To reflect on the learning

Planned activities… See the programme….which includes… • Get to know each other and their organisations • Find out about social and community enterprise • Look at aspects of social enterprise – employability, rural economy, social capital • Make 3 visits to social enterprises – Engine Shed (employability); Whitmuir Farm (rural economy); Melting Pot (social capital) • Look at tools and models – social accounting; learning methods • Reflect on the learning • 2 PACTES European meetings – intro; formal • Evaluation

Any questions?

CBS Network and Overview of Social Enterprise and Community Enterprise in Scotland Alan Kay CBS Network Grundtvig Learning Visit Edinburgh September 2013

What I want to do… • Introduce CBS Network • Define the social economy and social enterprise • Roots of social and community enterprise • A case study • Current situation of social enterprise in the UK • Support to social enterprises • Recent developments • Current issues • Key questions

CBS Network… • Established 1981 to support community business in Scotland • Instrumental in setting up other organisations eg. SE Scotland, SAN, etc. • Shrunk in size, influence and status as others take over • Now…charitable holding company – support international development projects; and JUST the Business (6 people) • Activities: research, consultancy, academia (MSc in Social Enterprise) • Areas: social accounting, social capital, social enterprise

Locating the social and community enterprise in the social economy

Defining social enterprise… Lots of definitions - very similar….. DTI (UK Government) definition (2003): “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…” …now adopted the Social Enterprise Mark…

European definition of social enterprise… Social enterprise means an enterprise whose primary objective is to achieve social impact rather than generate profit for owners and stakeholders. It operates in the market through the production of goods and services in an entrepreneurial and innovative way, and uses surpluses mainly to achieve social goals. It is managed in an accountable and transparent way, in particular by involving workers, customers and stakeholders affected by its business activity. (European Union: Proposed Definition (2011))

Draw your attention to… In Scotland there is Senscot Paper 2012 – Voluntary Code… the basics • primary objective - social and environmental benefit • profits are reinvested in the business or the community and assets are redirected appropriately (asset lock) distinguished from the private sector by the asset lock • differentiated from charities which do not aspire to financial independence through trading • distinct from the public sector and cannot be the subsidiary of a public body. Social economy and related concepts paper – Yvon Poirier

And to add to the confusion… Social Business(Mohammed Yunus)- a non-loss, non-dividend company designed to address a social objective ….. Social Enterprise and Community Enterprise ….. Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS) – alternative to the capitalist system placing all people and the environment first

Where did community and social enterprise come from… • From the community business movement in Scotland… history… West Ireland, Highland Community Co-ops, community business, development units, community business/enterprise, now social enterprise • From voluntary organisations wishing to trade • From social entrepreneurs setting up businesses with social objectives – philanthropic SE? • From public sector wanting to contract out – procurement…

Case study: All Saints Action Network (ASAN) • Development trust strongly based in the community aiming to improve local services, strengthen the local economy and create jobs • Involved in local community campaigning, a tool library; kerbside recycling • Runs businesses – a car park, a workspace, a nursery • Established 1995; now £500,000 annual turnover; employing 40; community governance; variety of funding; involved in heritage work Benefits: employs local people; local control; independent; campaigns for community benefit

Current situation with social enterprise… • Mapping of social enterprises very difficult as definitions are often very wide…self declaring… • But from the Social Enterprise Coalition in the UK… “…55,000 social enterprises with a £27 billion turnover accounting for 5% of the total business sector…” Social Enterprises: Diversity & Dynamics, Contexts and Contribution (ESRC Monograph Social Enterprise Coalition and Cardiff University - 2009) • In Scotland, estimated 5,500 social enterprises with £2.7b turnover… (Senscot)

Support for social enterprises…government Government supports social enterprise as they… • combat social exclusion… • provide public services on contract…. • help in regeneration of disadvantaged areas…. • work with socially excluded groups

Support for social enterprises…intermediaries In Scotland…intermediary support organisations… • Area based andmultifunctional eg. CEiS, CEL, HISEZ • According to type of social enterprise eg. Development Trust Associations (Locality in England), Social Firms Scotland, Co-operative Development Scotland, credit unions • Networking eg. Senscot, area-based Social Enterprise Networks • Policy, representation and promotion of the sector eg. Social Enterprise Scotland • Training eg. Social Enterprise Academy

Recent developments… • CICs – special form of company • Social Enterprise Mark – a branding of social enterprise – issues in Scotland • Emphasis on paying for results….for “outcomes” not “outputs” • Trying to attract private sector investment – N American not European model • Economic recession and funding cuts causing havoc in Third Sector…solutions? • Triple Bottom Line – Social, environmental and economic BUT new thinking on the Triple Bottom Line… social, environmental and cultural…

Sustainability based on communityneeds… The needs to create sustainable communities… CEST Transfer Project

Current issues… • How do assess or measure the impact a social enterprise is having… • How can organisations with a social purpose be sustainable… social investment companies; social impact bonds, etc. • How does society define social enterprise • How do we regard ‘community’ when talking about community enterprise

Key questions to think about over the next 2 days… • What are the social, environmental and cultural benefits of social enterprise? • How are social services going to be provided in the future? Will it be fair and socially just? • How can we organise together to support a shift towards a people centred economy?

Thank you! • Any questions?

WELCOME TO EDINBURGH AND SCOTLAND!