Action for Children’s Arts, the umbrella body for arts organisations working for and with children, has launched the first ‘Manifesto for Children’s Arts’.

See http://www.childrensarts.org.uk or download the manifesto (pdf, 76KB) from http://www.childrensarts.org.uk/images/M_pdfs/manifesto.pdf.

(Source: Voluntary Arts Network)

A major study on social entrepreneurship in the UK found that social entrepreneurial start-ups are higher amongst the black and minority ethnic communities than the white community, and in contrast to mainstream business, there are no significant differences between women and men.

‘Social Entrepreneurship in the UK’ draws on five years of research. The summary ‘Social Enterprise in the UK’ (pdf, 1.75MB) is at http://www.deltaeconomics.com/media/socialenterprise2008summary.pdf, the full report (pdf, 1.16MB) at http://www.deltaeconomics.com/media/social2008fullreport.pdf.

A report for the Scottish Government says that initiatives that promote social enterprise start-up are “fragmented, complex, uneven and inconsistent”.

Commissioned by the previous administration, it maps out existing provision in Scotland and identifies key challenges. Support providers are encouraged to speak to one another and form a joined-up approach.

‘Scoping Study: Support for Social Enterprise Start-Ups’ is available in web or pdf versions, summary at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/24161631/0, full report at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/24161705/0.

A ‘Worker Co-operative Code of Governance’, developed over the last two years based on practical experience from worker co-operatives, sets out how to run and govern a workers’ co-operative successfully.

Available from Co-operativesUK at http://www.workercode.coop. News item.

A thirty million pound Scottish Investment Fund is being set up by the Scottish Government to help trading charities and social enterprises increase their turnover or become financially sustainable. It will provide a mixture of loan/repayable finance and grant funding to mature established social economy organisations who have been trading successfully for at least three years. Official news item at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/06/18150321, or see fund manager Social Investment Scotland’s information, including a pdf download (61KB) of the Investment Strategy.

As reported by Charity Finance (http://www.charityfinance.co.uk/home/content.php?id=1993), organisations at an earlier stage of development will be able to apply to the separate Third Sector Enterprise Fund, which will have £12 million over three years available in amounts of up to £100,000. Details are to follow in the next few months.

The Scottish Government has also published ‘Enterprising Third Sector Action Plan, 2008-11′ to “help to create the right conditions in which an enterprising Third Sector - including social enterprises - can thrive, enabling the Third Sector to play a full role in the development, design and delivery of policy and services in Scotland.” This is a large pdf, see http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/15300/Actionplan for introduction and link.

A Capacitybuilders Social Enterprise Programme was announced by third sector minister Phil Hope at the Capacitybuilders conference this week.

Some six million pounds will be distributed over the next three years, working with social enterprise networks and other local partners, such as Regional Development Agencies, in each English region to identify the best ways to meet local needs. It will be spent on areas such as new mentoring schemes, more accredited advisers and work to develop emerging markets.

Office of Third Sector News item, which includes information on awards under the Improving Reach programme too, or see Capacitybuilders with more details of the programme.

A new Third Sector Capacity Building Programme covering waste and resource management has been funded by WRAP, the government’s waste-reduction body. Run by a new CIC (community interest company), REconomy, the scheme has five strands of Organisational Development, Market Development, Networking and Training, Investment for Growth, Projects. REconomy has been set up by a partnership of four networks: Community Recycling Network UK, Furniture Reuse Network, Community Composting Network and London Community Recycling Network. See http://reconomy.org.uk/programme, or the WRAP news item at http://www.wrap.org.uk/wrap_corporate/news/wrap_joins_forces.html.

The Minister for the Environment in the Welsh Assembly has also announced £3 million over the next three years towards the ‘Cylch Capacity Building Investment Fund’. This will provide strategic support for Welsh community re-use and recycling enterprises that need help to grow their business operations. CRN Scotland news item.

Worth noting in this context is that community interest company ECT Recycling has just been bought by private company May Gurney from the ECT Group (which runs Ealing Community Transport). Third Sector reports that the CIC Regulator (http://www.cicregulator.gov.uk) has said that it would be monitoring the deal, presumably because there are restrictions on asset transfers by CICs (http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/815634/, registration required)

The Ministry of Justice has published its Third Sector Strategy, setting out how it will engage with the third sector to deliver better public services and improve policy through effective partnerships. This follows consultation on the draft, which closed in March.

The strategy is built around four heads: Enabling voice and campaigning, Strengthening communities, Transforming public services and Encouraging social enterprise.

Download ‘Third Sector Strategy - Improving policies and securing better public services through effective partnerships’, or read the news release, via http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/third-sector-strategy.htm.

SROI UK is providing a resource and networking opportunity for anyone interested in the development of the concept of Social Return on Investment, measuring the social value of an organisation’s work.

The network launched at the SROI Exchange conference in Manchester recently. http://www.sroi-uk.org.

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, with the Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition, has produced a promotional leaflet highlighting how housing associations are playing their part in developing the social economy.

‘Housing Associations and Social Enterprise: Engaging with Scotland’s growing alternative business movement’ in pdf format, 301KB, from http://www.sfha.co.uk/site/documents/842.pdf. (Source: CRNS)

Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published research findings which give a summary of whether the approaches taken to tackling street crime by a social enterprise in Manchester might be relevant to similar neighbourhoods in other areas.

http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/housing/2204.asp.

The Office of the Third Sector is to bring together the public sector, independent investors and social enterprises to work on standardising and improving how social return on investment (SROI) is measured. Third Sector reports that three-year funding of around £350,000 will be used on events and research to develop “greater consensus and standardisation” in the measurement of social impact.

This should help charities and social enterprises prove their social value to potential public service or private investors. OTS news item on SROI.