New research into social enterprise networks published
28 March 2008
The Office of the Third Sector has published a new report which looks into
social enterprise networks in England. The research, conducted by Rocket
Science, identifies national, regional, sub-regional and local networks and
makes recommendations how gaps might be addressed.
The research stems from a commitment given in the
Social Enterprise Action Plan, which highlighted that peer group
support from businesses operating in a similar environment can be an
effective way of supporting social enterprises.
The report contains:
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An overview of the national, regional, sub-regional, local and sectoral
social enterprise support networks currently operating across England
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An exploration of what constitutes a good network, including general
characteristics, how to measure these characteristics, how these
characteristics vary for different types of network, case studies, and
evaluation methods
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The identification of gaps in networks provision and suggestions on how
these might be addressed.
The report identifies a total of 79 social enterprise networks which are a
mix of networks operating at national, regional, sub-regional and local
level.
It concluded that network coverage at both national and regional level was
adequate. But it identified gaps at the sub-regional level, in terms of
geographic spread, and in the real estate and education
sectors.
The research also identified a demand for peer-to-peer learning and
suggests cluster networks as one way of developing social enterprises that
can bring about high returns. The report's findings will inform
the Office of the Third Sector's future work.
