I am really enjoying the twitter feed on the piece I got into the Guardian Public yesterday on social impact assesment. It is gratifying when people describe your work as spot on especially if they are leading lights in the social enterprise world. I will continue to bang on about social impact assesment as I truly believe it is the only way to ensure the most vulnerable in our society are not left behind as everything changes. I believe we are in a transition phase and managing the risks and maximising the opportunities will all come down to measuring and valuing social impact.
Last night having popped home early to take my daughter and her rabbit to the vet, my husband suggested making the most of my rare early appearance at home to pop out to Wimbledon and see if we could get in. We took the boys who love their tennis, our Joe is the top seed in his year at school, and literally swaned in. At 7pm there is still 2 and a half hours of play and for £14 cash you can literally just walk in. We didn't even have to queue! Its the gate near Car park 10 for those who want to give that a go. We saw Clement and the boys got to see Jovovich on Centre Court as some kind soul gave Sam two centre court tickets. Sam does have a wonderfully smiley face and lovely things do seem to happen to him. Long may that last.
This morning we had our joint event with PWC and the LDA on Governance and Risk. We had a full room of leading social entrepreneurs and the discussion was fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the horror shown by the PWC risk experts to the notion of starting to deliver contracts before they are signed. Such a different culture to ours where such things are common place. If social enterprise is to deliver more contracts not only will we have to behave differently but the public sector will need to treat us differently. No more expecting us to start contracts at risk and no more protracted negotiations followed by unrealistic deadlines. Keep an eye out for the next event, there have been three so far in the series and they have gone down a storm. I was almost told off by one CEO as she left for not telling people how good the program is as having not attended the first 2, she felt she had missed out. So I am telling you, these sessions are top notch and you well worth your time. For more info contact the SEL offices (020 702201920).
During the event I had an interesting chat with Steve Wyler from the DTA about how we can get the most out of Big Society which we agreed has presented us with an unparalleled opportunity. I will reflect some of that conversation tonight when I respond to Nick Hurd's speech at the Acevo reception for new MP's.
I will also need to comment on the budget, as indeed will we all. I do hope amidst the doom and gloom there remains enough investment for us to, in the immortal words of the sports commentator David Coleman at the '76 Olympics, open (our) legs and show (our) class.
Showing posts with label risk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label risk. Show all posts
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
Monday, 21 June 2010
Sophie's choice or social reformation?
I have a piece in Guardian Public today on asking people what they think about the cuts within the context of using social impact assessment. I know that sounds deathly dull but what I am trying to say is not. If you count more than the financial cost of a service, and instead focus on moneterised social impact, you can prioritise with minimal long-term regret. At the very least you can make the process transparent and one which people can consult on. Without social impact assessment you may cut a service because it looks expensive now, only to find out later that not providing that service has caused a far greater drain on the public purse. Cause and effect, 20/80, the six ‘p’s’.........
Tell me what you think http://www.guardianpublic.co.uk/social-impact-public-services
Another mad weekend, in so many ways.... On Saturday, whilst womaning the book stall at our local primary school I bumped into Zac Goldsmith, see picture below with fellow school mum. Zac was doing his star turn at the Sheen Mount Primary School Fair, much to the delight of the Mum’s. He and I had a quick catch up on an event we are putting on together, next month, to launch a social enterprise hub in Richmond. Strangely enough Richmond has become quite a hotbed of innovative social enterprise activity, to the extent critical mass has been reached. Watch this space.
After the fair, and with my 2 carrier bags of summer reading, I headed home to get back into the garden. My big job this weekend was to dig out the Phyllostachys Nigra (black bamboo) out of my herbaceous border. It was less gardening and more your navying. The shrub had really taken hold, to the extent that by the time I had finished I had enough plants, some of them standing at 20 feet, to fill 2, one metre planters. In the spaces left in the border I had the joy of planting out my homage to the Eden Project, ‘Places for Change garden at Chelsea Flower Show’ 2010 designed by Paul Stone. This garden was put together by 6 groups of homeless people from centres around the UK. It emphasised veg growing, recycling and the more traditional approaches to English gardening using heart warming planting which brought in the usual chic purples, mauves and blues with fiery oranges and yellows, perfect. To achieve this I planted in my newly peat free composted beds, perennial geraniums, Oxalis and Icelandic poppies. I asked one of the exhibitors of the garden about a particularly ice catching Geranuium which turned out to be Sanguineum which I now have 15 dotted around my garden. I finished at 10pm so had to wait for the sun to come up to admire my handy work.
Unfortunately a combination of old, baggy gardening jeans and late night gardening meant I fell foul of mosquitoes. Which in turn leads me to an explanation of this morning’s tweet concerning my bottom (thank you to those who have made enquires). We were at my Mother’s yesterday afternoon where, whilst showing her my fine array of bites, as you do, a wasp flew in through her kitchen window, and unhindered by her, stung me on the arse. On the way home something flew up my trouser leg and bit me on the calf. I am, frankly, feeling got at.
Tomorrow we have our breakfast meeting (08:30 – 10:00) on governance and risk with Price Waterhouse Coopers at 1 Embankment Place, London, WC2N 6RH, which is fully booked but I’m sure we can find room for a few last minute social entrepreneurs if you call the SEL offices (020 7022 1920). My day will conclude at the Acevo New MP’s reception in Westminster, where I have been asked to follow our new Minister, Nick Hurd’s address, with some thoughts about the future opportunities and challenges for the sector as I see them. Any top tips or thoughts on that, as always, will be very gratefully received.
Tell me what you think http://www.guardianpublic.co.uk/social-impact-public-services
Another mad weekend, in so many ways.... On Saturday, whilst womaning the book stall at our local primary school I bumped into Zac Goldsmith, see picture below with fellow school mum. Zac was doing his star turn at the Sheen Mount Primary School Fair, much to the delight of the Mum’s. He and I had a quick catch up on an event we are putting on together, next month, to launch a social enterprise hub in Richmond. Strangely enough Richmond has become quite a hotbed of innovative social enterprise activity, to the extent critical mass has been reached. Watch this space.
After the fair, and with my 2 carrier bags of summer reading, I headed home to get back into the garden. My big job this weekend was to dig out the Phyllostachys Nigra (black bamboo) out of my herbaceous border. It was less gardening and more your navying. The shrub had really taken hold, to the extent that by the time I had finished I had enough plants, some of them standing at 20 feet, to fill 2, one metre planters. In the spaces left in the border I had the joy of planting out my homage to the Eden Project, ‘Places for Change garden at Chelsea Flower Show’ 2010 designed by Paul Stone. This garden was put together by 6 groups of homeless people from centres around the UK. It emphasised veg growing, recycling and the more traditional approaches to English gardening using heart warming planting which brought in the usual chic purples, mauves and blues with fiery oranges and yellows, perfect. To achieve this I planted in my newly peat free composted beds, perennial geraniums, Oxalis and Icelandic poppies. I asked one of the exhibitors of the garden about a particularly ice catching Geranuium which turned out to be Sanguineum which I now have 15 dotted around my garden. I finished at 10pm so had to wait for the sun to come up to admire my handy work.
Unfortunately a combination of old, baggy gardening jeans and late night gardening meant I fell foul of mosquitoes. Which in turn leads me to an explanation of this morning’s tweet concerning my bottom (thank you to those who have made enquires). We were at my Mother’s yesterday afternoon where, whilst showing her my fine array of bites, as you do, a wasp flew in through her kitchen window, and unhindered by her, stung me on the arse. On the way home something flew up my trouser leg and bit me on the calf. I am, frankly, feeling got at.
Tomorrow we have our breakfast meeting (08:30 – 10:00) on governance and risk with Price Waterhouse Coopers at 1 Embankment Place, London, WC2N 6RH, which is fully booked but I’m sure we can find room for a few last minute social entrepreneurs if you call the SEL offices (020 7022 1920). My day will conclude at the Acevo New MP’s reception in Westminster, where I have been asked to follow our new Minister, Nick Hurd’s address, with some thoughts about the future opportunities and challenges for the sector as I see them. Any top tips or thoughts on that, as always, will be very gratefully received.
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