Overall Purpose:

The Social Enterprise Thematic Group exists to champion, support and develop social enterprises across the VCFSE sector, recognising their unique role in delivering social, environmental and economic value.

Also, acting as a hub for advocacy, influence, learning and collaboration, helping social enterprises to thrive and maximise their contribution to their communities and the wider VCFSE operating environment.

• Provide a collective voice for social enterprises within the assembly, ensuring their perspectives, challenges and opportunities inform strategy, policy and decision‑making. 

• Strengthen the sustainability and impact of social enterprises by sharing knowledge, good practice, skills and innovation. 

• Promote social enterprise as a delivery model, highlighting its contribution to inclusive growth, community wealth building, and effective public service delivery. 

• Influence commissioners, funders and policymakers to create enabling environments, fair commissioning processes and appropriate investment opportunities for social enterprises. 

• Support collaboration and partnership, encouraging joint working between social enterprises, voluntary organisations, faith groups, statutory bodies and the private sector. 

• Identify and respond to emerging needs and trends, including funding changes, commissioning reforms, social investment, workforce development, and regulatory issues. 

• Contribute to the wider aims of the VCFSE Assembly, aligning social enterprise activity with shared priorities such as tackling inequality, improving wellbeing, and strengthening communities. 

Key Priorities:

Our key priorities focus on influence, sustainability, fairness, learning and skills development, collaboration and impact - ensuring social enterprises can continue to thrive and play a strong, visible role within the wider VCFSE partnership and local systems.

1. Representation and Influence 

• Act as the representative voice of social enterprises within the wider VCFSE assembly. 

• Influence local strategy, commissioning, procurement and policy so that social enterprises are recognised, understood and supported. 

• Ensure social enterprise perspectives inform decisions made by public bodies, funders and partners. 

2. Sustainability and Growth of Social Enterprises 

• Support the financial and organisational sustainability of social enterprises. 

• Address common challenges such as cashflow, contract readiness, business planning, governance, and workforce development. 

• Promote access to appropriate funding, contracts and social investment. 

3. Fair Commissioning and Procurement 

• Advocate for fair, proportionate and transparent commissioning and procurement practices. 

• Promote social value, community benefit and preventative approaches in commissioning decisions. 

• Support social enterprises to collaborate and compete effectively for contracts. 

4. Collaboration and Partnership 

• Encourage collaborative working, consortia and partnerships between social enterprises and the wider VCFSE sector. 

• Strengthen relationships with statutory partners, health systems, local authorities and anchor institutions. 

• Reduce duplication and increase collective impact. 

5. Skills, Learning and Peer Support 

• Create opportunities for peer learning, shared problem‑solving and capacity building. 

• Share best practice, innovation and successful delivery models. 

• Support leadership development within the social enterprise community. 

6. Promoting Social Enterprise Impact 

• Demonstrate and communicate the social, environmental and economic impact of social enterprises. 

• Build the evidence base for social enterprise contributions to community wellbeing, inclusion and local economies. 

• Raise the profile of social enterprises within local systems and communities. 

7. Responding to Emerging Issues 

• Identify and respond to emerging trends and risks, such as changes in funding, regulation, workforce pressures or economic conditions. 

• Adapting priorities to reflect local needs and strategic developments. 

• Supporting social enterprises through periods of change or uncertainty.

Impact:

To grow and increase its impact across Northamptonshire, the Social Enterprise Thematic Group will: 

• Expand its reach 

• Strengthen its voice  

• Focus on collaboration  

• Support sustainability  

• Influence commissioning  

• Evidence impact  

• Align with system priorities. 

The actions associated with each of these elements is outlined below. 

1. Strengthen Membership and Reach Across the County 

We will: 

• Actively engage social enterprises in North, West and South Northamptonshire, ensuring rural, town‑based and urban voices are all represented. 

• Use targeted outreach to under‑represented social enterprises (e.g. micro‑enterprises, start‑ups, community‑led enterprises, minority‑led organisations). 

• Offer clear routes to participation: open forums, thematic sub‑groups, short‑term task-and-finish groups. 

To increase impact, we will encourage: 

• Broader legitimacy and credibility. 

• Better understanding of local needs and differences across Northamptonshire. 

• A stronger mandate when influencing strategy and commissioning. 

2. Become the Go‑To Voice for Social Enterprise in Northamptonshire 

We will: 

• Develop a clear, consistent narrative about the value of social enterprise locally (jobs, prevention, inclusion, community wealth building). 

• Maintain regular engagement with key stakeholders: 

• West Northamptonshire Council 

• North Northamptonshire Council 

• Northamptonshire Integrated Care System (ICS) 

• Economic development and regeneration teams 

• Produce short, evidence‑led, briefings that translate frontline experience into system‑level insight. 

To increase impact, we will ensure: 

• Social enterprise becomes embedded in decision‑making rather than consulted late. 

• Increased trust from statutory partners and commissioners. 

• Better designed strategies and funding programmes. 

3. Focus on Collaborative Action, Not Just Discussion 

We will: 

• Move from information‑sharing to joint problem‑solving around agreed priorities (e.g. procurement access, workforce shortages, sustainability). 

• Support consortia and collaborations to deliver larger contracts or county‑wide services. 

• Identify 1–2 flagship collaborative initiatives per year to demonstrate collective impact. 

To increase impact, we will encourage: 

• Tangible outcomes that show the group’s value. 

• Stronger relationships between social enterprises. 

• Greater ability to influence through delivery, not just advocacy. 

4. Support Sustainability and Readiness for Growth 

We will: 

• Identify common barriers facing local social enterprises (e.g. cashflow, contract readiness, social investment). 

• Co‑design practical support with partners such as VCFSE infrastructure bodies, business support organisations and funders. 

• Share peer expertise through mentoring, surgeries and learning sets. 

To increase impact, we will encourage: 

• More resilient social enterprises. 

• Higher success rates in bidding and service delivery. 

• Reduced failure of valuable community‑based organisations. 

5. Influence Fair Commissioning and Procurement Practices 

We will: 

• Act as a collective voice on fair commissioning, proportional requirements and social value. 

• Work constructively with commissioners to pilot: 

• Smaller, flexible contracts 

• Longer contract terms 

• Co‑produced service models 

• Feed lived experience from providers directly into commissioning redesign. 

To increase impact, we will encourage: 

• More accessible opportunities for local social enterprises. 

• Improved service quality and outcomes for residents. 

• Stronger local supply chains rooted in communities. 

6. Demonstrate and Communicate Impact 

We will: 

• Agree simple, shared ways of articulating social impact across the group. 

• Collect case studies showing how social enterprises contribute to: 

• Health and wellbeing 

• Employment and skills 

• Community resilience 

• Use multiple channels: reports, briefings, events, digital storytelling. 

To increase impact, we will encourage: 

• Clear evidence of value for money and social return. 

• Increased visibility and recognition across Northamptonshire. 

• Making a stronger case for investment and partnership. 

7. Alignment With Wider Northamptonshire Priorities 

We will: 

• Ensure the SE Thematic Group’s work aligns with key place‑based priorities such as: 

• Health inequalities and prevention 

• Levelling up and inclusive growth 

• Climate and environmental sustainability 

• Position social enterprise as part of solutions, not a niche interest. 

To increase impact, we will encourage: 

• Greater relevance to system leaders. 

• Deeper integration into county‑wide plans and strategies. 

• Long‑term sustainability of the SE Thematic Group’s influence. 

8. Build Strong Leadership and Governance 

We will: 

• Ensure leadership reflects the diversity of Northamptonshire’s social enterprises. 

• Rotate leadership roles to share ownership and avoid burnout. 

• Maintain clear terms of reference, priorities and reporting lines to the wider VCFSE Assembly. 

To increase impact, we will encourage: 

• Stronger accountability and continuity. 

• More confident and credible leadership. 

• Increased confidence from partners and funders. 

 The aim is for the Social Enterprise Thematic Group to become an essential part of Northamptonshire’s social and economic infrastructure, not just a representative forum. 

Thematic Lead - Tim Stone