Page 9 - TLAP Beyond Direct Payments

MICRO-ENTERPRISE
Micro enterprises should be central to a better vision for health and social care in the twenty- rst century.
Health and social care is not fully taking the opportunity to invest and support the potential of micro-enterprise as a support solution. Instead of standardised care solutions, micro- enterprises build on the assets of local people and local communities. They should be central to a better vision for health and social care in the twenty- rst century.
There are many micro-enterprises, up and down the country, but their work often goes unnoticed. They lack the means to trumpet success and they rarely t neatly into large-scale plans: their value is closely connected to the fact they are rarely scalable. It is the particular passion of particular people in particular places that makes them work.
In the past 8 years a national organisation called Community Catalysts has been developed to promote and support the role of micro-enterprises.
Community Catalysts is a social enterprise that works across the UK to try to make sure that people who need care and support to live their lives can get help in ways, times and places that suit them, with real choice of attractive local options. The Community Catalysts model means a single Co-ordinator or Catalyst can support up to 200 small, self-organising enterprises or small community ventures. It results in low-cost, exible and care and support for older or disabled people and their families, and appropriately paid, highly satisfying self- employment for people who set up and run community micro-enterprises and ventures.
The business models used by community micro-enterprises are on a continuum from fully commercial at one end to fully voluntary at the other. About 40% see themselves as a social enterprise or business and of these only 25% intend to grow. Only some enterprises and ventures are delivering formal health or social care services that require regulation by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Older and disabled people and those with experience of using services play a variety of roles in the design and delivery of community micro-enterprises and ventures. In nearly all cases people are involved in the co-design of services and a growing number of people are setting up their own community micro-enterprises.
Beyond Direct Payments
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