SOCIAL LICENCES
We have been working with Social Licences for some decades now (first used in 1980) and can be considered pioneers of this tool.
The basis for Social Licences are two fold:
Firstly we think that as social enterprises we cannot simply use the tools of the private sector to conduct our relationships that cover financial, legal and management agreements or to cover our sharing, replication or partnership working. Instead these agreements should first and foremost be based on common values and social objectives.
Secondly these agreements should be between equals and based on the principles of the licences we helped draw up for managed workspaces in the 1980s (allowing for easy in and easy out and subject to regular reviews) We have helped a number of enterprises and organisations set up Social Licence agreements and these include: Licences between one established enterprise and a number of others wishing to replicate their work Licences between schools or community based organisations making agreements with their stakeholders within the community, creating the school as a community hub Licences within larger social enterprises such as Development Trusts allowing parts of the enterprise become more independant and self managed Lincences between several existing enterprises and agencies forming an umbrella organisation to market or tender for large contracts We believe that the setting of the common goals and values should be part of a rigorous and transparent process.
Often our Social Licences have been based on the work of a social audit team. The stronger the committment to the objectives and values the more the relationship can depend on trust and mutual respect and the less need for bureaucratic and exclusive documentation.
Many of the Social Licences we have set up or helped to set up are only a couple of pages long. Social Enterprise Europe Ltd has set up Social Licence agreements with partners in a number of European, Asian and African countries. We are also involved in a project with the Social Enterprise Coalition and NESEP to explore the potential of Social Licences and Social Franchising and to develop training modules around these tools.
