micro-enterprise: help for public bodies

Public bodies across the UK understand the value of micro-enterprise to people seeking personalised services. They are looking for ways to support existing providers and create an environment within which new enterprises can emerge and flourish.

We can offer comprehensive advice and help to organisations wishing to stimulate and support micro enterprise in their area. The level of help is tailored to the requirements of the organisation.

Our services include:

1. micro-enterprise support agency

Identifying the micro-providers in your area is only a first step to developing a flourishing local micro-market. Local people with great entrepreneurial ideas need tailored support in order to turn those ideas into reality. Existing micro-providers need help to understand the changing world of social care and decide how to respond. A local support agency, working practically with existing and new micro providers is key to ensuring that micro enterprise will thrive locally.

Community Catalysts can help you establish a successful support agency in one of two ways:

outsourcing

Community Catalysts will manage a support agency on behalf of the funding organisation. With our wealth of knowledge acquired though establishing many similar and successful programmes, Community Catalysts are ideally placed to set up and establish an agency quickly and efficiently, avoiding any potential pitfalls or problems.

A structured approach involving strategic planning, recruitment, induction, support and management has been honed to provide reliable and high quality outcomes to ensure long term success.

advice and help in setting up a micro-enterprise support agency

Community Catalysts can support organisations to establish a micro-enterprise support agency. With our help, the agency will be established quickly, with the right personnel, and with a robust operational framework and plan in place from the outset.

The success of the agency depends on finding the right person to co-ordinate its work, and giving them the tools they need to hit the ground running. Community Catalysts can provide you with:

• A thorough understanding of the role of the co-ordinator
• A project plan designed to achieve realistic and measureable milestones
• Access to specialist resource, knowledge and advice
• Peer mentoring network
• Access to a Quality Mark system for providers
• An evaluative framework
• Ongoing support

We draw upon our knowledge of effective working in other local authority areas, in order to ensure that the agency gets off to a flying start The co-ordinator is helped to deal with the inevitable challenges and problems quickly and will not waste time trying to find solutions to problems that have been successfully addressed elsewhere.

See our case studies:
> Nottinghamshire County Council
> Innovative people, with an Ace up their sleeve
> Pulp Friction CIC

2. revealing micro-enterprise – uncovering a world of choice

PCT’s and local authorities must make sure that people have the greatest possible choice of services available to them but are often not aware of the many small businesses, community organisations, groups and charities operating in their area that are already making a difference to people’s lives.

In just three months we can provide local authorities and PCTs with a detailed ‘map’ of local micro-providers. Once identified, Community Catalysts engages with the providers, gaining further information about their service and the resources that they need to flourish.

Find out more about ‘micro-enterprise: uncovering a world of choice’

3. supporting micromarket development – a guide for local authorities

In 2006 the Department of Health funded Shared Lives Plus/Community Catalysts to manage a three-year micro markets project. The project was designed to test a business model to support and stimulate the development of a range of micro care and support services. These services provide real choice for people who need care or support to live the lives that they choose as part of their local community.

The project successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of this local support agency approach and learning from the first phase was brought together in a detailed Practical Guide for local authorities and other organisations interested in stimulating and supporting micro enterprise in their area. The Practical Guide is on the Think Local Act Personal website and forms part of the DH Personalisation Toolkit supporting councils to transform their social care systems.

In January, Community Catalysts participated in a Dragons Den-style event, organised by The Guardian newspaper. They presented their ideas for building community capacity by stimulating micro-enterprise to a panel of sector leaders which included Richard Jones, President of ADASS. Watch the video below for the full story.

For more information on how we can help public bodies with micro-enterprise contact us on 01423 790126.

micro-enterprise

micro enterprise:
help for
micro-providers