This interview covers pioneering work by Rotherham Council to develop a local ecosystem of social and micro enterprises to maximise outcomes for people with a learning disability and autistic people.

Some considered it brave or bold to put faith in micro and social emterpises to develop an extensive "offer" (of excellent services which reflect a person’s interests and passions, not their disability) as the council moved away from building-based services.

But the results speak for themselves, as you can hear from Nathan. The programme has been a "fantastic contributor to Rotherham Council's commitment to social value."  It has also created more than 100 new jobs in Rotherham.

A "partnership" approach was a critical success factor. How did the council and its partner, Community Catalysts, create and nurture an environment where both social and micro-enterprises would flourish? And how does the programme support independence and offer affordable, personalised services that people want to choose? Nathan explains.

He believes social enterprises are purpose-aligned, natural partners to local authorities and he tells us why in this episode. And he has great ideas about what can we do to turn exemplars such as this into a movement across the UK.

Nathan is now Corporate Director of Adults and Wellbeing at Trafford Council, a role he took up in January 2023, and formerly Assistant Director of Strategic Commissioning in Adult Care, Housing and Public Health at Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. We recorded this interview before Nathan left Rotherham and joined  Trafford.

What next?

• Nathan has written a chapter for Vitalising Purpose – The Power of the Social Enterprise Difference in Public Services.
•  A 'must-read for chief executives, heads of transformation, commissioners and procurement officers, and social entrepreneurs,' the book is available in paperback and ebook formats here: https://e3m.org.uk/vitalising-purpose-book/
• And from Amazon here ( https://amzn.eu/d/6f25KJB )

"Probably, lawyers are most responsible for some of the  non-progressive aspects of how we deal with public services at the moment," says today's guest, a lawyer.

Julian Blake is a partner at Stone King and co-author of the widely acclaimed 2016 publication, The Art of the Possible in Public Procurement. For over 30 years, he has specialised in social enterprise, charity, responsible business, public service reform and innovation, co-operatives and stakeholder participation – blending business and public benefit legal disciplines. 

"The law compounds the failures in facilitating and applying practical frameworks for public service commissioning," writes Julian in the new book, Vitalising Purpose.

"It is deferred to as rigid authority too much and applied purposively too little. The technical lawyer is too dominant and the practical lawyer too underemployed." So what advice can this practical-minded and expert lawyer give us? Plenty. We cover:

• How things have changed since The Art of the Possible in Public Procurement was published in 2016.
• Organisations Julian admires  for commissioning progressively, with examples of multi-stakeholder, purpose-aligned partnerships.
• The difference between public value and social value.
• "Social Value Imperatives" and how commissioners and public authorities can use them.
• Open book accounting in public service delivery.
• More public authorities are creating Innovation Partnerships, or entities equivalent to them, since trailblazers and pioneers did so.
• What the future looks like with a new Procurement Bill (and associated Guidance) coming.

What next?

•  Visit the Stone King website: https://www.stoneking.co.uk
•  Julian has written a chapter for Vitalising Purpose – The Power of the Social Enterprise Difference in Public Services.
•  A 'must-read for chief executives, heads of transformation, commissioners and procurement officers, and social entrepreneurs,' the book is available in paperback and ebook formats here: https://e3m.org.uk/vitalising-purpose-book/
• And from Amazon here ( https://amzn.eu/d/6f25KJB )
• The Art of the Possible in Public Procurement, co-written by Julian Blake and Frank Villeneuve, is available here: https://e3m.org.uk/the-art-of-the-possible-in-public-procurement/
• Part 1 Consultation on draft regulations to implement the Procurement Bill (which closes on 28 July 2023).

It's often assumed that people across an organisation understand what impact measurement is.  But impact is about much, much more than "putting fancy numbers in reports." Next level impact measurement and management maximises social value and today's guest explains how.

Heidi Fisher MBE has worked for over two decades in impact measurement and management. As founder and CEO of Make an Impact CIC she has supported thousands of social enterprises, from start-ups to those with over £1 billion in income.

She does lots of impact measurement and management work with NHS Trusts and foundations, and with social enterprises which work with them.

A qualified accountant, she finds impact measurement work "much more interesting and fun." We cover:

• Three essential ingredients of impact measurement and management.
• Five ways to embed impact in your organisation.
• Common challenges organisations have in measuring and managing their impact, and how to address these.
• The impact of better and more effective impact measurement and management,  in terms of maximising social value, creating better outcomes for people, improving staff morale, involvement and wellbeing, and creating better value for money.

What next?

•  Visit the Make an Impact CIC website: https://makeanimpactcic.co.uk
•  Heidi has written a chapter for Vitalising Purpose – The Power of the Social Enterprise Difference in Public Services.
•  A 'must-read for chief executives, heads of transformation, commissioners and procurement officers, and social entrepreneurs,' the book is available in paperback and ebook formats here: https://e3m.org.uk/vitalising-purpose-book/
•   And from Amazon here ( https://amzn.eu/d/6f25KJB )
• Heidi's book, Impact First, is available here  https://makeanimpactcic.co.uk/about-2/my-book-impact-first/

Welcome to the Vitalising Purpose podcast, about the power of the social enterprise difference in public services.

We depend on public services for a functioning society. But there are record pressures on our health, social care and children’s services; and those covering homelessness, housing, domestic abuse, education, employment and training, criminal justice and support. Resources are stretched. Demand is escalating. 

Traditional approaches, whereby public authorities either do everything in-house, or outsource services with the same process as when they buy goods, are not delivering good outcomes. The market has failed many people-centred services.

We can’t just despair at these challenges. We must do better.

Vitalising Purpose investigates how partnerships between public authorities and social enterprises can make a difference to how public services are provided, and to people’s lives.

We've asked our guests whether, why and how social enterprises have made things better where they deliver public services. They have worked in local and central government, the NHS, and some of the UK's leading social enterprises which deliver public services, alongside academia and professional services.

They give  inspiring examples of the ‘social enterprise difference’, and practical ideas to maximise social value, public benefit and good outcomes when delivering public services.

•  This podcast accompanies the new book, Vitalising Purpose – The Power of the Social Enterprise Difference in Public Services.
•  A 'must-read for chief executives, heads of transformation, commissioners and procurement officers, and social entrepreneurs,' the book is available in paperback and ebook formats here: https://e3m.org.uk/vitalising-purpose-book/
•  And from Amazon here ( https://amzn.eu/d/6f25KJB )

PossAbilities CIC provides services for people with learning disabilities, people with dementia and young people leaving care.

Formed in 2014, PossAbilities has increased staff from 220 to more than 600, had eight consecutive years of growth and surplus, and grown its capital and reserves from zero to £6 million.

It was formerly the Adult Social Care Provider within Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (MBC) and was one of the first 100 social enterprises to be formed by ‘spinning-out’ services which had formerly been run by public sector bodies.

It has become a regional rather than local provider – and much of this, says CEO Rachel Law, is through doing ‘the opposite of what we were used to doing as part of a local authority’.

Its organisational achievements are matched by its outcomes: PossAbilities CIC has used its own surpluses to build high-quality accommodation and to run numerous community initiatives and events, becoming a catalyst in the neighbourhoods it works.

Rachel gives us an honest description of how she and her team overcame barriers and challenges to ‘push the boundaries of what is possible’ as a social entrepreneur and former local authority officer leading a successful public service spin-out.

What next?

•  Visit the PossAbilities CIC website: https://www.possabilities.org.uk
•  Rachel has written a chapter for Vitalising Purpose – The Power of the Social Enterprise Difference in Public Services.
•  A 'must-read for chief executives, heads of transformation, commissioners and procurement officers, and social entrepreneurs,' the book is available in paperback and ebook formats here: https://e3m.org.uk/vitalising-purpose-book/
•  And from Amazon here ( https://amzn.eu/d/6f25KJB )

Naomi Hulston is the chief executive of Catch22,  a social business with a social mission, which has a long and rich history in innovative public service work.

Naomi describes herself as a ‘relatively new CEO’ but is not new to the organisation she leads. Having worked at all levels across Catch22 for 21 years she understood its culture inside and out when she took the helm. But she’s not been afraid to make big changes to its operational practices, bringing in thoughtful workplace wellbeing ideas which have boosted morale and staff retention.

She reflects on accountability, transparency, leadership and how to foster an 'intentional' culture in this episode, and leaders of all types of organisation will find her ideas, born from practical experience, invaluable.

She also reflects on how to harness support for the care profession into the future,  why social enterprises have such people-centred cultures and what that means for their partners in public service delivery.

There's even an amazing story about the Rolling Stones.

What next?

•  Visit the Catch22 website: https://www.catch-22.org.uk
•  Naomi has written a chapter for Vitalising Purpose – The Power of the Social Enterprise Difference in Public Services.
•  A 'must-read for chief executives, heads of transformation, commissioners and procurement officers, and social entrepreneurs,' the book is available in paperback and ebook formats here: https://e3m.org.uk/vitalising-purpose-book/
•   And from Amazon here ( https://amzn.eu/d/6f25KJB )