Dear ,

Scottish Govt has this week published the findings of its recent survey on the Role of a Single Social Enterprise Intermediary Body. The survey’s findings will inform the criteria being used in the application process for the transition from the existing arrangement to that of a new, single intermediary body. The survey itself received 151 responses as well as views from a number of ‘stakeholders’ that included SENScot itself, Social Enterprise Scotland (SES), Firstport, Social Investment Scotland (SIS), Scottish Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise, Community Enterprise and Social Enterprise World Forum. Key themes to emerge included: types of services and support the new intermediary should provide; representativeness; governance, structure and transparency; defining and unifying our social enterprise community; and the new body’s relationship with Scottish Govt. Applications are to be submitted by 15th December 2021 – with a decision being made, all being well, by the end of January 2022. SENScot has already begun the process of preparing its application in the hope of being able to continue and build on the work it has sought to achieve over the last 20 years. It is unfortunate that it has come to a competitive bidding process between fellow intermediaries, but we genuinely hope that the process being undertaken can result in real and lasting benefit for our sector in Scotland which has made so much progress over the last two decades.

Very few initiatives can compare with Pockets & Prospects (P&P) when it comes to reach, impact, connecting and joint working – all on the premise of allocating small sums of money to frontline community-based organisations and trusting them to know what is best needed in their own communities. SENScot is delighted to share the summary report on this year’s programme - Collaborating in Communities to Improve Mental Wellbeing. The P&P programme is funded by Scottish Govt – and allocated via the Scottish Community Alliance. This is the third year that SENScot has hosted or co-hosted the programme - this year in partnership with CHEX and Scottish Communities for Health & Wellbeing - which saw 15 community organisations from across Scotland – each being allocated £1300 - purchase services from over 50 social enterprises and reaching over 800 participants – all with a focus on addressing mental health and wellbeing.

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SENScot has joined a broad coalition of over 100 charities, faith groups, trade unions and civic organisations in writing to Kate Forbes (Cabinet Secretary for Finance and The Economy) urging her to make the necessary financial commitment in the upcoming Scottish Budget to double the Scottish Child Payment immediately. Doing so would be the single most impactful thing Scottish Govt can do now to protect families and give Scotland a chance to meet our child poverty targets. See Letter and Press Release.

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Tomorrow is Black Friday – but it is also Buy Nothing Day (BND). First set up in Canada in 1992 as a protest against consumerism and overconsumption, BND has spread to many other countries across the globe. In the UK, in 2017, the Reuse Network introduced Buy Nothing New Day to coincide with Black Friday - as a way to put the spotlight on its members and reuse charity shops during one of the biggest consumer days of the year. Try and support it if you can. Also, following COP26, and on this very issue, Iain Gulland, CEO at Zero Waste Scotland has written the following blog: What COP26 didn't discuss: How to stop overconsumption and promote circular economies – which is definitely worth a read.

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Sometimes it is important to step back and look at what you are doing, why you are doing it, and asking what difference it is making. Cambridge academic, Belinda Bell looks back on her 20 year involvement with social enterprise as a teacher, supporter and practitioner and has done just that – challenging some of the ‘sacred cows’ that have emerged in the sector over the last two decades.

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The Plunkett Foundation recently produced this comprehensive report – Community Pubs: a better form of business - which includes a raft of  interesting stats that include: 113 were trading last year across the UK; average cost of purchase was just under £300k – with refurbishment etc around £160k; and 13 new community pubs opened last year, raising approximately £2.7 million from 2,616 new community shareholders. The report says there are currently four in Scotland. See link for full report.

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We will keep highlighting the Social Enterprise Census 2021 in the run up to Christmas. Social Value Lab is now conducting the 2021 Census on behalf of Scottish Govt via this Online Survey. If you could take 15/20 minutes to fill in your organisation’s details and relevant information – it would be very much appreciated. Getting as accurate a picture as possible is important in being able to help influence future policy and funding decisions for our sector. For info on the previous Censuses, see http://socialenterprisecensus.org.uk/

Scottish Govt’s Investing in Communities Fund (ICF) is due to open for a second round of applications in Spring 2022. In advance of that, Scottish Govt’s Regeneration Unit will be holding two webinar sessions to provide an overview of the fund’s aims, eligibility criteria and the application process – for prospective applicants. The first takes place on Tuesday, 30th November (10.30am) – and the second on Wednesday, 8th December (2pm). See links for background on ICF and, if interested, to book your place:

The Third Sector Net Zero Strategy is the focus of the next SE Cross Party Group (CPG) – taking place on Tuesday, 14th December at 6pm (see link to book). ‘Social Enterprise and the Climate Emergency’ will look at the role of social enterprises in seeking to tackle this emergency. Recent examples of work already taking place were highlighted through Edinburgh Social Enterprise’s  Climate Action Fringe Events; Glasgow SEN’s excellent video – BetheChange; and Zero Waste Scotland’s series of case studies on ‘community-led climate action’. Try and get along if you can – the more frontline voices heard, the better:

Reminder: There is still time to contribute to Community Enterprise’s Online Survey which is geared to giving them a better picture of the right kind of support to offer via its digital-based support services. Your input can help shape its future delivery. Digital Support Officer, Jane Mackinnon, provides background etc via this blog - ‘Driving Digital’:

West Lothian SEN member, The Larder has a number of vacancies currently available. These include Finance Manager(p/t); Bookkeeper (p/t); Associate Chef Trainer; and an Experienced Cook. See details on all four vacancies:

With various SEN meetings scheduled over the coming weeks, we’ll be listing core details – dates, times, guest speakers etc – to keep people up to date with what’s on and when

Tuesday 30th November 2021 (1pm) – InspirAlba is hosting an event to mark the ending of its ViSENet Project. As a result of the UK withdrawal from the EU, the Erasmus project is no longer open to Scottish organisations. The event takes place at the newly refurbished and community-owned Rockfield Centre in Oban – with the focus on ‘Bringing Communities Together’. If you’d like to participate, please email M.allaway@inspiralba.org.uk:

Thursday 30th November 2021 (2pm) - A Third Sector Employability Forum (TSEF) webinar to discuss the latest updates on No One Left Behind and Young Person’s Guarantee.  Also covering the new £20mn Long Term Unemployed programme (scroll down), future commissioning through the Scotland Excel employability framework, and there will be an opportunity to look at ways in which the third sector can engage.   Speakers and contributors will include a Local Employability Partnership (LEP) representative, a Third Sector Interface and third sector employability providers/employers. Participants will be able to post views and asks questions through the chat function. Book here:

Wednesday, 1st December and Monday 13th December 2021(both 2pm) – Community Ownership Support Service (COSS) has published new guidance for communities who are considering Community Right to Buy. With three legislative routes now open to communities, it can be difficult to know which is the right option to pursue and how to go about it. These webinars will provide an introduction to the new guidance: