case study:
Policy and Practice – A Chicken and Egg Story!

telling you about a micro enterprise support agency

The Micro Markets project in Oldham has supported lots of inspirational people over the last three and a half years. All are running or interested in running a social care or community support service. By April 2011, 36 providers were offering a service to people in their local community. To celebrate the success of the project, we held a market-style event called ‘Do YOUR Thing’ where 28 micro provider came together to showcase their collective work and to raise the profile of their service to 150 potential customers.

However, this flourishing of micro-enterprise did not happen overnight….

The journey started in 2007 when the very first micro social care enterprise support agency was established in Oldham with me in place as the co-ordinator. The agency offered support, advice, information and a collective voice to micro social care providers. At the start of the project there were only one or two enterprises already operating. Many of the enquiries and pleas for help I received came from people who were working for Oldham Council and other similar organisations; frontline staff and middle managers with a good enterprise idea and the passion, drive and commitment to make it happen.

By 2011 the 36 services that were up and running had created 140 jobs; 27 of the people in these jobs had previously worked within a LA, 89 had worked elsewhere and 24 had previously been unemployed. Before there was widespread awareness of the Coalition Government’s Big Society (to reduce the size of the state; move central control to people and communities and to generate more mutuals and third sector organisations) micro-providers in Oldham had already begun to deliver on the vision.

Sunshine Care, a Co-operative and Community Interest Company formed in 2008, engaged with me in the early days and gained help and support from the agency to get established. Chris Bailey and Edwina Lennon both worked for neighbouring Rochdale Council as homecare staff. They recognised that a massive restructure was imminent and wanted to support older people funding their own care or using a personal budget. They wanted to help them remain independent, allowing them to have choice and control over when, how and by whom they were cared for. At that time they didn’t know how they wanted their organisation to be constituted, but both agreed that they wanted it to operate on a ‘not for profit’ basis.

Sunshine Care has gone from strength to strength, and is now registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and has been awarded the Quality Mark adopted by Oldham Council (a process developed and piloted by Community Catalysts). Chris and Edwina are also invited down to London on a regular basis as they are one of the first wave of Pathfinder mutuals. The scheme was launched by Francis Maude MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office in 2010, as part of the government’s commitment to support innovation and entrepreneurialism. They support other aspiring co-operatives as well as having their own mentor from Co-op UK. Sunshine Care were also singled out by Labour MP Tessa Jowell who was keen on their model when she met Chris and Edwina during a visit to Oldham in early 2010.

At Community Catalysts, we have learned that the policy drivers or political party are not key to effecting real change. What has real impact on communities is practical help and real support to people with excellent ideas and the motivation to enable them to set up their own enterprise to deliver care and support services. As demonstrated in Oldham this can create jobs, move activity away from the public sector, and sustain communities all whilst transforming the lives of disabled and older people and others who need care and support.

Helen Allen

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