Dear ,

Scottish Govt’s consultation on becoming a Fair Work Nation came to an end in December.  Given how significantly social enterprises contribute to the Govt’s Fair Work ambitions, SENScot facilitated a series of consultation sessions to inform our response on behalf of SEN members.  Key messages to emerge included: Fair Work should mean fair work for everyone – reaching and extending opportunities to more marginalised individuals; Fair Work requirements should be accessible and proportionate for smaller organisations, to enable them to further embrace fairness, flexibility and inclusivity. The latest SE Action Plan states that ‘social enterprises are leading the way…. and have the knowledge, skills and expertise to act as Fair Work Champions’ to increase understanding of Fair Work across the sector. Members also called for a commitment to longer term, flexible (core) funding alongside ensuring procurement systems focus on  collaborative rather than competitive approaches to ensure the success of a Fair Work Nation. To help organisations get a better understanding of how Fair Work will operate in practice, SENScot is hosting an event, in partnership with SCVO, on Wednesday, 23rd February (10.30am). Scottish Govt will also be contributing – giving an update on the recent consultation. See further details and registration form.

Another Scottish Govt consultation that is currently underway is Ending the Need for Foodbanks – with responses invited by 25th January 2022. Given the valuable work that so many SEN members undertake in this area and the key insights social enterprises have in understanding food insecurity, SENScot hosted a session yesterday – with a view to submitting a response to the consultation on behalf of SEN members. With over 20 organisations participating, the discussion focused on the 6 consultation questions. Key issues raised included the complexity of the issue; the need to facilitate culture change; and how to increase community engagement. Our response will seek to capture as many of these views as possible - to ensure the voices of frontline social enterprises can be heard in shaping the Draft National Plan.

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Social enterprises and other third sector organisations have been, in recent years, increasingly asked by funders and other potential investors to be able to demonstrate the ‘impact’ they are having. This must go beyond a ‘numbers game’ which often misses the wider and longer-term benefits of the sector’s contribution across society. SCVO is currently running an interesting series on these wider benefits – on the theme that ‘the third sector is as crucial to our society’s economic wellbeing as the public and private sectors’. The purpose of the series is to promote debate and also to help better understand the extent of the sector’s contribution.

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The First Minister, this week, provided an update to the Scottish Parliament on COVID-19 and related restrictions, so we are drawing readers’ attention to the relaxation of some measures and to ask that we all continue to try and promote adherence to Coronavirus guidance and testing wherever possible. Safe behaviours across the sector and adherence to baseline measures, guidance and regulations, can be part of a collective effort across the whole country to help mitigate the risk of having to re‑impose restrictions. Adherence to the above remain one of the primary tools in managing the impact of the pandemic We’re all in this together!

Edinburgh Social Enterprise is holding its AGM on Thursday, 27th January 2022 (4.30pm) at their newly refurbished premises at the Charteris Centre on the Pleasance. Edinburgh SE hope that it can be an ‘in person’ event – but, if that is not possible, folk will be given 24 hours’ notice of any change of plans.  Also being given, naturally, will be a recap on events and activities during 2021 – as well as an update on their plans for the year ahead. To sign and for more details, see link above:

A final reminder to folk wishing to participate in the 2021 SE Census. This Online Survey has been ’live’ since early November – will remain do for the next week or so. This is the fourth Census to take place – following those in 2015,2017 and 2019 – and , as before, the Census is being conducted by Social Value Lab. If you’ve not had the opportunity to respond to the survey, we’d be grateful if you take 15/20 mins to complete it. It can all help to influence future policy and funding decisions for our sector.

It’s always good to hear about the opening of a new social enterprise, particularly when it demonstrates the mutual benefits of collaboration. This week has seen the official opening of Willow Den at Spartans. This new venture is Willow Den’s first fully outdoor nursery and is located within the grounds of the Spartans Community Football Academy in Edinburgh, offering early learning and childcare to children aged 3 years to school age. Best of luck all round:

Over the last year, SENScot has worked closely on a number of initiatives with Health SEN member, Outside the Box. These have included its Co-Shadowing Pilot as well as its Community Solutions Project. Another initiative Outside the Box has been involved with over recent years has been Rural Wisdom - a five-year project that has focused on improving the lives of older people living in rural communities and helping people develop new activities and initiatives. Last month they produced this Evaluation Report that explores the impact of their work in Scotland during 2021 - the last year of the project.

The Robertson Trust has recently announced its latest round of funding awards – distributing nearly £1.3m to 32 organisations across the country. See list of awards:

Glasgow SEN member, Maryhill Burgh Halls is currently looking to recruit a Communications Co-ordinator (p/t). The Co-ordinator’s main role will be to raise the profile and awareness of the Trust and its community through positive representation in the full range of media, establishing and protecting a prominent media profile for the organisation. Closing date is Monday, 31st January 2022:

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

Monday, 17th January 2020 (10am) – DTA Scotland’s Community Ownership Support Service (COSS) is hosting a series of online events over the coming months, kicking off next Monday with An Introduction to Community Asset Transfer – with the focus being on publicly-owned assets as opposed to those that are privately owned. See link for more details on next week’s event and others coming up later:

Wednesday, 19th January 2022 (12 noon) – An Introduction to Community Wealth Building. With Fife Council and Fife Community Planning Partnership having agreed to implement CWB in Fife, Fife Voluntary Action is hosting one of its ‘Lunchtime Learning’ sessions – giving some background to CWB and also exploring some of opportunities and challenges in there for the third sector. See link to register:

Thursday, 20th January 2022 (10am) – Forth Valley SEN will be hosting its first meeting of 2022. Agenda items will include how to utilise the new communications pack for the online FV Social Enterprise Directory (launched in December) – and seeking feedback on the new FVSEN bulletin. See link to sign up:

Wednesday, 26th January 2022 (10am) – Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action will be hosting its Social Enterprise Forum  - where they will be launching the new Aberdeenshire SEN. Contributions, on the day, will also come from SENScot, Firstport, the Social Enterprise Academy and the BIG Lottery. NB – Attendees are asked to register by 5pm on Monday, 17th January 2022:

Wednesday 23rd February (10.30am) - Fair Work in Practice – a session – organised by SENScot and SCVO - to learn about and share Fair Work practices that social enterprises and the wider third sector have implemented within their organisation.  Speakers will talk us through the Fair Work practices they have embraced. Scottish Govt will also provide an update on the Fair Work Nation consultation, and the upcoming refresh of the Fair Work Action Plan. See link for more details and to book your place: