Social enterprise conference presentations

The VCS Engage social enterprise conference was held on the 15th November 2007 at Rich Mix in Bethnal Green.  Below is an outline of the day, and some of the presentations that were given are available for download.  Please note that some of the files were very large so some images have been removed from them to make downloading quicker and easier.

Welcome address [pdf]
Sally Whitaker
Deputy CEO, National Children’s Bureau and VCS Engage Programme Director

Social enterprise: delivering the Government’s third sector strategy for children and young people [pdf]
Kevin Brennan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, DCSF

Why a local third sector strategy is important [pdf]
Natalie Parish
Head of Strategy, Partnerships and Performance, Children’s Services, London Borough Tower Hamlets

Seminars

Children’s Services Hubs
Bringing services together in one place not only adds value for users, but can also help to create a stronger business model by bringing together funding, contracting and revenue generating opportunities.

Sarah Newton (Deputy Chief Executive, Sheffield Community Enterprise Development Unit - SCEDU)
Frances Rehal (Programme Manager, Millmead Children’s Centre)
Claire Millet and Sara Hughes (Coin Street)

SCEDU presentation [pdf]
Millmead presentation [pdf] (images removed)
Coin Street presentation [pdf] (images removed)

 

Working across commissioning boundaries
Working across commissioning boundaries is a significant challenge for any organisation seeking to expand its role beyond the local. Organisations that are addressing this challenge share their experiences.

Becky Pearson (Community Foster Care)
Jane Christofi (Head of Childcare Services, Schoolfriend etc)
Steve Ward and Carolyn Myring (Greenwich Leisure Ltd)

Community Foster Care presentation [pdf]
Schoolfriend etc presentation [pdf] (images removed)
Greenwich Leisure Ltd presentation [pdf] (images removed)

 

Community Interest Company (CIC)
CIC is a legal form that is two years old but relatively untried in the children, young people and families sector. This workshop explains what CIC is and organisations that have pioneered its use offer some practical pointers.

Caroline Burghard (Founder and Director, Whippersnappers)
Mary Groom (Solicitor, Bates Wells and Braithwaite)  
Fiona Napier (Focus to Work)

Whippersnappers presentation (not available)
Bates Wells and Braithwaite presentation [pdf]
Focus to Work presentation [pdf] (images removed)

 

Routes to social enterprise: three different stories
Three different stories from three very different organisations – a national children’s charity, an umbrella of social enterprises and a community resource centre share their perspectives.

Evan Edwards (Director of Social Enterprise, Barnardos)
Fay Selvan (Chief Executive, The Big Life Group)
Lin Mathews (Managing Director, Gloucestershire Resource Centre)

Barnardos presentation (not available)
The Big Life Group presentation [pdf] (images removed)
Gloucestershire Resource Centre presentation [pdf]

Workshop tasters

Social enterprise: business planning considerations
Based around Forth Sector’s excellent ‘A business planning guide to developing a social enterprise’.
Facilitator: Kevin Robbie (Forth Sector)

Social enterprise: a starter’s guide
Definitions, tools, structures in the context of ECM framework– based on the recommended areas for development arising from the feasibility study for VCS Engage.
Facilitator: Emma Strang France (independent consultant)
Please see Useful links / Social enterprise on this website for more information.

Social audit [pdf]
Measuring the so-called ‘triple bottom-line’ of financial, social and environmental impact is a key element in the social enterprise approach. This session provides a generic introduction and touches on the specific challenges for organisations working to deliver outcomes within the Every Child Matters framework.
Facilitators: Karen Lowthrop (Hill Holt Wood)
Les Belmon (Eldonians)

Governance: towards an entrepreneurial approach [pdf]
Thinking about taking a more entrepreneurial approach? How do you align the values of both the business and the charity? Business consultants Primetimers, review a range of models.
Facilitator: Brent Thomas (Primetimers)

Afternoon speakers

Going forward - how the market is shaping up
Children, young people and families’ services are under pressure to respond to the fast moving timetable of the developing children’s trusts arrangements. Whilst this new commissioning environment poses challenges, it also offers opportunities to service providers.
Speaker: Matt Stevenson-Dodd (Chief Executive, Unique Coffee Bar)

Panel discussion
The invited panel held a wide range of experience and expertise from across the social enterprise spectrum. They reviewed the primary considerations for organisations developing as social enterprises.
Chair: Mary Chadwick (Primetimers)
Panel members: Alistair Wilson (Chief Executive, School For Social Entrepreneurs)
Fay Selvan (Chief Executive, The Big Life Group)
Modupe Debbie Ariyo (Founder and Executive Director, Afruca)

 

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