By now we’re all well versed in the art of handwashing — lathering up with soap and scrubbing away to the tune of ‘Happy Birthday’ under clean, running water — knowing that it’s one of the simplest things we can do to prevent ourselves and others from getting ill. It’s clear that accessible supplies of clean water are needed, now more than ever, to protect against the spread of COVID-19. Yet still, at this critical time, two in five people around the world lack handwashing facilities at home and one in four health centres still can’t access this necessity. …

In social procurement, we often talk about the difference that can be made when organisations purchase everyday products and services from social enterprises. Making such a simple switch seems like a no-brainer. Given the choice, why wouldn’t you help give back to society with money you’re already spending to buy things you’re already buying? When it comes to these goods and services, you can’t get much more ‘everyday’ than office supplies. One business that’s delivering these essentials is Ethical Stationery CIC (or Ethstat), a facilities management social enterprise and cooperative. They provide top-quality stationery, cleaning products and other office supplies…

Since the Social Value Act was introduced in 2012, public bodies have had the legal obligation to consider and demonstrate the value they are delivering to the communities they operate in when procuring. The question of how to measure this value is undoubtedly complicated. A number of frameworks exist to help with the process. If you are working on social value for a public sector body, then picking the right framework for your organisation can add another layer of complication. Each framework has different advantages depending on your goals. …

For all organisations, no matter what industry you’re in, the benefits of working with social enterprises are numerous. It can help to align your values with the way you do business, contribute to meeting CSR and social value commitments, and even improve customer retention and staff satisfaction. The fact that social enterprises can help to achieve all of this (and more), often at no extra cost, makes working with them a no-brainer for any organisation. …

This blog was co-authored by Dan Ebanks (founder of the Social Value Exchange), Beth Pilgrim (co-founder of Supply Change) and Ben Carpenter (Chief Exec at Social Value UK). Social Value UK, the Social Value Exchange and Supply Change are facilitating Social Value Brokerage workshops throughout August.

Local government has performed heroics in the response to the Covid 19 pandemic. We’ve spoken to lots of local government folk who have described to us the enormous amount of work they have done. Long hours and long weeks, particularly in the early phase of the pandemic. Food supply systems built from scratch. Thousands…

Around a million families across the UK are raising a child with a disability or serious illness. With greater caring responsibilities often comes additional financial strain, adding to the struggles these families already face. Family Fund Business Services (FFBS) is a social enterprise working to alleviate some of this pressure by helping to sustain their parent charity, Family Fund. We chatted with the team about the additional social value they’re creating through their work, their biggest highlights and hurdles, and the support they think social enterprises need in order to go mainstream.

FFBS launched in 2013 — following the devolution…

Creating a social procurement strategy may seem like a complicated and daunting task, particularly in large organisations which have complex supply chains and procurement processes. Speaking from experience is Sam Scharf, Director of Community Investment at Orbit Group — one of the largest housing providers in the UK — and he doesn’t disagree with this notion entirely. We chatted to him recently about Orbit’s social procurement journey and how they’ve got to where they are today.

We asked Sam how organisations can enable this shift in thinking so that social procurement is placed at the heart of buying decisions.

He…

Moving to a different country and adapting to new environments can be challenging, even in the best of circumstances. For those seeking refuge or asylum outside of their home nations, this experience can be one that is incredibly distressing and traumatic. Many people not only have to go through the trauma of being uprooted from their homes but quite often have been forced to flee countries ravaged by war and destruction. To then have to start anew in an unfamiliar place is something that comes with significant challenges of its own. For numerous refugees, these can include learning a foreign…