Duncan Thorp, Social Enterprise Scotland
Strong support. In Scotland we are in a strong position in terms of the support for social enterprise, both from central government and in terms of our innovative business support organisations. We have cross-party support but we are very pleased with the level of support from the current government. Just Enterprise is a new consortium of support organisations, offering comprehensive advice and support to our sector. We have a very inclusive movement and, dare I say, a culture where social enterprise is a natural, community-led response to economic and social challenges, not just something that politicians see as a new, quick fix to budget cuts. I can honestly say that co-ops are not just a part of the sector - but they are leading it too.
Solutions for small social enterprises. Small social enterprises are facing the challenges of reduced public sector funding, selling quality products and services in a difficult economy and getting over the barriers of red tape, complex procurement and some misunderstanding about what social enterprise is and does. We are just writing our local government manifesto - with a range of solutions to these issues!
No legal definition of social enterprise, it's worth nothing, and yes there is an ongoing debate about exactly what we mean by 'social enterprise'. Our own definition ensures that only 'real' social enterprises can join us, while also being flexible and not stuck in a rigid silo.
Need to go beyond CSR. It's more about corporate social investment - not simply a nice, annual charity donation. I'm sure some business people see 'social' and think 'socialist' sometimes and that scares a lot of private sector people - it's about awareness raising in the media and the wider public and with business organisations (of which there are a lot in Scotland). That's the job of Social Enterprise Scotland as we move forward.
The sector is stronger and closer than England, due to our geography, definitely a friendly sector! We love co-ops and they have a very long history in Scotland, they were the 'original' social enterprises. I can't speak for Social Enterprise UK or England and they also have a very different policy context and a very different geography etc. I don't think we need to be 'at odds' with those over the border, we do what we do in the current devolved settlement. We have a strong working relationship with Social Enterprise UK .
Karen Anderson - Programme Co-ordinator, Social Firms Scotland
New government funded programme. Last Tuesday John Swinney, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, launched a government funded programme focusing on building best practice of using community benefit clauses in procurement across Scotland. The contract is being delivered by Ready For Business Partnership and this link gives more detail on the partnership and the contract.
Private sector want to support social enterprises. There is an appetite from within the private sector for supporting organisations where businesses are creating social good. Many business people I speak to see this as different from CSR and like social enterprise (once you tell them what it is). The feedback we got from business angels on investing in social enterprises is that often social enterprises are seen as something politically inspired and this scares away potential social entrepreneurs and private investors. When it was explained as a business with a social/community mission suddenly they are very interested in working with them to deliver community benefit or even being part of start-up or selling their business to become a social enterprise.
More private businesses looking to sell to the third sector than social enterprises ready to buy them. The benefits of selling to the third sector are that the business will be protected and grown - a third sector buyer wants to protect the brand and employ more people through growth, rather than asset strip the business, move production and reduce head count. There are many businesses that are not likely to find a trade buyer and have no other succession options but contribute services, jobs and profits which third sector buyers find attractive.
The Scottish sector is very well connected. Having moved to Scotland and worked in the social enterprise sector in England myself - I find the sector here very "social" and committed to making a difference. The fact that Scotland is smaller means that the sector are very well connected. The involvement and commitment from the Scottish Government to social enterprise is more evident as they work closely with the various organisations, when I was in England it felt like Westminster was far away.
Olof Jonsdottir - Policy and public affairs manager, Social Enterprise UK
Social enterprises are doing well. Fightback Britain, Social Enterprise UK's report on the state of the sector across the UK, recently pointed to a number of areas where social enterprises are doing well. In broad terms, across the UK social enterprises are outstripping mainstream businesses for confidence and twice as likely to have reported growth in the last year, and 1 in 7 of all social enterprises is a start-up, more than three times the proportion of start-ups in mainstream small businesses (14%, compared to 4%).
Increasing use of social causes in procurement. Despite tough public sector markets at the moment, in Scotland the use of social clauses in procurement is increasing, so we hope to see more social enterprises entering supply chains thanks to their expertise and experience in providing added value in contract delivery. Social Enterprise Scotland also recently produced a report showing that social enterprises working in food and catering were faring well.
Danny Scott - Communications Officer, the Social Enterprise Academy
A Knowledge gap. Although it's slowly changing, we've encountered a knowledge gap when it comes to social enterprise in Scotland. When we first started working with Scottish schools to help them set up social enterprises, a lot of the business studies teachers gave weird and wonderful definitions of the model. It is fantastic news, therefore, to see social enterprise scheduled to enter the Scottish curriculum in 2014.
Strong support networks. There are strong support networks and mutual respect in the Scottish social enterprise sector. The Scottish Government is switched on to the movement and there is a real sense of purpose and networking alive in our sector today.
