PRESS RELEASE – 06th Feb 2017
3 Spirit UK accredited for creating genuine social impact
Hertfordshire based 3 Spirit UK has been awarded the Social Enterprise Mark, which proves they are in business to benefit society, community and the environment.
The Social Enterprise Mark is only internationally available social enterprise accreditation, enabling credible social enterprises to prove that they are making a difference. Only organisations which can prove they operate as a social enterprise, with the central aim of using income and profits to maximise their positive social and/or environmental impact taking precedent over a requirement to maximise personal profits for owners and shareholders are awarded a licence to display the Social Enterprise Mark.
Applicants must meet robust qualification criteria in order to be awarded the Social Enterprise Mark, and are re-assessed each year to ensure they continue to meet the criteria. Subjected to an assessment process which is overseen by an independent Certification Panel, 3 Spirit UK’s governance documents and accounts were scrutinised. As a result, 3 Spirit UK has earned the Social Enterprise Mark guarantee that profits [or surpluses] are used to
- to improve the quality of care for vulnerable people through education;
- to support the rights of vulnerable groups through access to education;
- to prevent and delay further deterioration in the health and wellbeing of a person living with dementia through access to education and/or tools.
3 Spirit UK joins other social enterprises that have been awarded the Social Enterprise Mark, such as the Age UK Enterprises, Eden Project, Big Issue, and the Phone Coop.
Government data estimates that there are 70,000 social enterprises across the UK, contributing over £24 billion to the economy and employing around 1 million people.
Social enterprises plough the majority of their profits back into activities that benefit people and planet, rather than just lining shareholders pockets. However, some businesses are taking advantage as there is no legal definition for them. The Social Enterprise Mark CIC is the guardian of genuine social enterprise principles, and it safeguards these through the independent accreditation process.
The 3 Spirit UK aim is to foster a collective responsibility in the social care sector to champion human rights, and to improve the wellbeing of the most vulnerable in our communities. Through education and collaboration, they aim to empower both front line services, and corporate strategists to maintain an ethical and moral ideology in every facet of their work. This is achieved in two different strands of their work:
- by providing education to the health and social care workforce, and directly to vulnerable groups.
- by providing services tools and/or consultancy to improve the impact of their work, to create efficiencies that improve wellbeing.
Over the last four years 3 Spirit UK has been dedicated to researching and developing innovative learning opportunities. This has involved engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders by utilising social media and other platforms to share ideas. In this process the aim has been to develop resources that engage the workforce, and work well in overstretched and underfunded services. In a very challenging social care market 3 Spirit UK has aimed to identify strategies and resources to help services balance competing priorities, focusing on what good care and support, and to determine how to meet individual outcomes for wellbeing.
Caroline Bartle said, “We’re really proud to have been awarded the Social Enterprise Mark. 3 Spirit UK is absolutely committed to supporting sustainable businesses and consequently helping local communities to thrive and prosper”. “Over the last two years 3 Spirit has been engaging with research that identifies factors that impact on the wellbeing of individuals living with dementia. This research shows that there are several lifestyle factors which may delay the onset and progression of dementia. A broader amount of research indicates that many people living with dementia in our communities are amongst the most loneliness, which is harmful to health. To improve outcomes, we have been reviewing the evidence base, and attempting to come up with a tool that provides solutions in practice; the Home Spirit Tool. We are hoping that the mark will demonstrate our commitment to meeting wider social goals through the application of this tool”
Lucy Findlay, Managing Director, Social Enterprise Mark CIC, advised:
“As the only way to independently assess and accredit genuine social enterprises, the Social Enterprise Mark guarantees businesses use profits for purpose not for the pockets of shareholders.”
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