‘We need business, charities and individuals to work together with government. Not just government action but social action. Not just government responsibility but personal and corporate responsibility. That’s how we change our country for the better.’
Rt Hon David Cameron MP, Prime Minister
It is now clear to many that if the UK is to be economically successful, we must understand the whole life cost of our decisions. This means taking into account the social and environmental costs and benefits of all decision taken by government, businesses, communities and individuals. With this in mind, Policy Knowledge is delighted to present this important event looking at how social responsibility can solve some of the most difficult challenges we face as a society whilst putting the UK on a sound fiscal footing.
A common myth is that it is impossible to be socially responsible and economically prosperous simultaneously, but this event will feature presentations and case studies to counter this argument and most cases show how social responsibility can positively affect our communities.
This important event will focus on issues including:
- Embedding social value in all public policy and the impact of the Social Value Act 2012
- Encouraging a cultural shift in society towards a more socially responsible outlook
- Case studies outlining the important work of social enterprises in our communities
- Socially responsible public sector procurement including getting more social enterprises and third sector organisations into public service delivery
- How can being socially responsible assist in tackling some of our toughest challenges as a nation including unemployment and inequality
Speakers:
Professor Fergus Lyon - Middlesex University and ESRC Third Sector Research Centre
Fergus leads the social enterprise strand of the Third Sector Research Centre and has been researching social enterprise issues for the past 15 years in the UK and internationally. Recent work has been focussed on how social enterprises can scale up in different ways and how organisations are currently measuring their impact. He has been working closely with a number of social enterprises and charities. The results of his work are also shared through seminars and talks to social enterprises and policy makers across the UK. He has a background in international development, agriculture and rural issues. He is also a co-founding director of a small early years social enterprise.
Gareth Hart - Chair, Plymouth Social Enterprise Network
Gareth is founder and director of Iridescent Ideas (a CIC and social enterprise) and the Chair of Plymouth Social Enterprise Network. He recently led Plymouth’s successful bid to become the first ‘social enterprise city’ in the UK and has a history of working successfully with a range of social enterprises from tiny start-ups to national organizations. Gareth is currently the Social Entrepreneur in Residence at Plymouth University.
Claire Dove OBE DL - Chair, Social Enterprise UK & Chair, Liverpool Fairness Commission
Claire Dove OBE, DL, has been a key player in the social enterprise movement since the early 1980s and has led the Blackburne House Group since its inception, using her entrepreneurial skills to help the organisation grow into an award winning and extremely successful social business.
One of the leading providers of adult and community education in the country, Blackburne House, a Beacon status college continues to expand its training remit, encompassing not only women embarking upon education for the first time but also women and other socially excluded groups looking to broaden their skills and enhance their career prospects in non traditional areas of work.
Over the past 30 years, the Blackburne House Group has successfully established a number of highly acclaimed, award winning social enterprises, whose products and services are sought throughout the country. The businesses continue to support the educational aims of the organisation and provide tangible examples of how new markets can be used to serve local communities and support business development and growth.
Claire has also works on a national basis to form policy that supports the rights of individuals to education and training and to promote entrepreneurship and social enterprise opportunities across our many diverse communities. Claire was one of the three commissioners on the national worklessness panel that produced the Houghton Review.
Claire is Chair of Social Enterprise UK (SEUK), the UK umbrella body for social enterprise, Deputy Chair of Liverpool Community College and a Board Member for the Charity Commission. She has recently chaired the Liverpool Fairness Commission on behalf of Liverpool City Council and is currently serving on the Liverpool Mayoral Development Board.
Claire was awarded an MBE for her work in the mid-nineties and has received the OBE in 2013 as well as being given the Queens Lifetime Achievement Award. She is also the recipient of an Honorary Fellowship of Liverpool John Moores University, a Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts, was voted nationally as an exemplary leader in Regeneration and is Deputy Lieutenant for Merseyside.