Ministers have this week released a statement announcing a brand new employment programme for severely disabled people . ‘Work Choice" will be introduced in October and will sit alongside the Work Programme. It aims to help people who face the most complex and long term barriers into employment.
If you are a Social Firm that provides care services for adults in England, you may be eligible to receive a grant of up to £20,000 in order to Improve ICT access for your users and staff. The third cycle of the Get Connected Investment project is now open for applications.
Private and voluntary sector adult social care providers offering services in England and registered with either the Care Quality Commission, Companies House, Financial Services Authority or Charity Commission are eligible to apply.
The government is calling on Social Firms to help it get hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people into work. Our CEO, Sally Reynolds, is featured in Social Enterprise Magazine (online edition) discussing work with the government to create employment for the most vulnerable people in the labour market. Sally is the only social enterprise representative in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Social Inclusion Advisory group and is therefore ideally placed to ensure the Social Firm sector is well positioned in the move to job creation, rather than job placement.
CEO of Social Firms UK Sally Reynolds has been made a member of the Department for Work and Pensions social inclusion advisory group- the only representative of the social enterprise sector.
The new Coalition Government is 'desperate' for job creation initiatives and is working with Social Firms UK to ensure that there is''job creation, rather than job placement', for those most disadvantaged in the labour market.
The European Social Firms of the Year Awards, which took place during the Social Firms UK and Social Firms Europe CEFEC annual conference, celebrated some of the fantastic work taking place across Europe was showcased and celebrated in style. Those winners in full:-
Best Overall winner 2010: Oxford Wood Recycling Ltd, UK
The launch of the ‘Just Buy’ campaign last month by Social Firms UK invited consumers to buy on a regular basis from their local Social Firms. The campaign so inspired social enterprise advisor Bob Northey, Director of Social Traders, that he offered his services in order to create a new Google map using the latest mapping tools provided by the popular internet search giant.
Bookdonors were awarded the Future Jobs Fund placements at the start of January 2010 which gives us support to employ 15 people for 6 months. We have already taken on 8 people over the last few months with another 7 starting with us in the near future.
The fund was announced in the 2009 Budget and the money is to be spent between October 2009 and March 2011. The fund is run by the Department of Work and Pensions in partnership with the Department for Communities and Local Government, with input from Jobcentre Plus Regional Government Offices.
The Scottish Business Diversity Awards 2009 was held on Thursday 26 November in the Glasgow Science Centre. Bookdonors won the award for best Social Enterprise/Social Firms Category. This award category recognises good practice and innovation in creating employment opportunities for disadvantaged people within this sector.
ITV's Wales Tonight programme showcased Ten Green Bottles' fantastic glassware recycling operation in New Radnor. Boss Lorraine Powers was delighted with the coverage and we hope that the attention brings in the customers to support their new shop.
View the new item here.
Ministers have this week released a statement announcing a brand new employment programme for severely disabled people . ‘Work Choice" will be introduced in October and will sit alongside the Work Programme. It aims to help people who face the most complex and long term barriers into employment.
CEO of Social Firms UK Sally Reynolds has been made a member of the Department for Work and Pensions social inclusion advisory group- the only representative of the social enterprise sector. 
The launch of the ‘Just Buy’ campaign last month by Social Firms UK invited consumers to buy on a regular basis from their local Social Firms. The campaign so inspired social enterprise advisor Bob Northey, Director of Social Traders, that he offered his services in order to create a new Google map using the latest mapping tools provided by the popular internet search giant. 
ITV's Wales Tonight programme showcased