Social firm is the British term for a work integration
social enterprise
A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in financial, social and environmental well-being. This may include maximizing social impact alongside profits for co-owners.
Social enterprises ha ...
(WISE), a business created to employ people who have a disability or are otherwise disadvantaged in the labour market. Its commercial and production activities are undertaken in the context of a social mission, with profits going back into the company to further its goals. A significant number of the employees of social firms will be people with a disability or disadvantage, including
mental health
Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...
issues. The firms grew out of disillusionment with mainstream businesses, and the failure to recognise or enable everyone's potential. All workers are paid a market-rate wage or salary appropriate to the work. All employees are intended to have the same employment opportunities, rights and obligations.
Social Firms England, which supports the development of the social firm sector in England, suggests that there are two types of social firm, those which provide ''employment'' in businesses producing marketable
goods and services
Goods are items that are usually (but not always) tangible, such as pens or Apple, apples. Services are activities provided by other people, such as teachers or barbers. Taken together, it is the Production (economics), production, distributio ...
, and those which work to improve the ''employability'' of those they work with.
History
The original social firms were established well before the term came into use in 1980s. Firms in Europe started to prosper and employ increasing numbers of people with a disability. Schemes, and coordinating organisations, became more established and numerous in the 1990
Iain Duncan Smith visited Pluss, a social firm in
Exeter
Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
which makes cushions for wheelchairs and car upholstery, in March 2015. The firm is owned by four councils: Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay and is facing potential closure of its manufacturing operations in Exeter and Bridgwater, and rationalisation of corporate services could result in up to 75 redundancies.
Star Social Firm
Star Social Firm is an externally validated standard ensuring that a social firm meets a set of quality measures.
[NEF Consulting]
Star Social Firm
accessed 25 April 2021
See also
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Social enterprise
A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in financial, social and environmental well-being. This may include maximizing social impact alongside profits for co-owners.
Social enterprises ha ...
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Disability rights
The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all disabled people.
It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocates, around ...
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Social inclusion
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Social model of disability
The social model of disability identifies systemic barriers, derogatory attitudes, and social exclusion (intentional or inadvertent), which make it difficult or impossible for disabled people to attain their valued functionings. The social mod ...
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Psychiatric rehabilitation
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Recovery model
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Social psychiatry
Social psychiatry is a branch of psychiatry that studies how the social environment impacts mental health and mental illness. It applies a cultural and societal lens on mental health by focusing on mental illness prevention, community-based care, m ...
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RepaNet
References
{{Reflist
External links
European Confederation of social firms and co-operatives(CEFEC)
Social entrepreneurship