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1. Introduction
The Government Economic Strategy (2007) recognised the contribution the third sector can make to building a successful Scotland. We therefore want to create a country where an enterprising third sector is valued and encouraged. We will do this in two key ways. Firstly, we will invest in those enterprising organisations within the third sector that have the right business skills to deliver high quality services to those that need them, whilst moving towards financial sustainability and reducing organisational dependency on grants. Large scale, transformational investments will be made through the Scottish Investment Fund.
Secondly, we want to create an environment in which an enterprising third sector can thrive. We will do this through the actions outlined in this document, which should not operate in isolation from each other. All actions will form part of an integrated whole, which will ensure that the impact of our programme of direct investment through the Scottish Investment Fund and the Third Sector Enterprise Fund can be maximised.
As well as ensuring that we are investing intelligently, we will continue the work started by the Scottish Social Enterprise Strategy (2007) opening markets for the third sector, especially those key markets in the public sector. We will promote enterprising third sector start-ups, providing support for both social entrepreneurs and for organisations wanting to develop in an enterprising way.
In recent years, within the third sector, we have seen the rise of the social enterprise business model (businesses which trade for a social or environmental purpose) and of the social entrepreneur (innovative individuals who start businesses that meet social or environmental needs). Some of our most enterprising third sector organisations - in the field of community care, for example - are now major providers of high quality public services. The aim of this action plan is to encourage this culture of enterprise throughout the third sector. In short, we want to make Scotland a world leader in the development of an enterprising third sector.
We recognise that for this action plan to succeed we need to work across the government and its agencies, recognising the role of regulators. We understand the part that third sector organisations, through their ability to meet social and environmental objectives, can play in meeting our strategic objectives of a wealthier and fairer, healthier, stronger and safer, smarter and greener Scotland.
We want to improve collaboration and joint working across the public, private and third sectors. Public-social-partnerships are an obvious example of the kind of cross-sector co-operation we want to see, but we will also want to encourage other contact between the sectors. We will work with the third sector to encourage and develop future leaders in the sector to engage even more effectively with both public and private sectors.
We will expect to see increased partnership working between third and public sectors. Building on the concordat with local government together with the work of Community Planning Partnerships ( CPPs) and Local Social Economy Partnerships ( LSEPs), we want to promote new relationships, especially around both the design and delivery of services. This will help ensure the delivery of services of the highest quality, which meet our national outcomes.
We already work with the sector at a national level to develop policy, and there is a growing case that more could be done to encourage stronger, more consistent relationships between statutory and third sectors at local level following the development of local authority single outcome agreements. This action plan does not capture all the work we, or our partners in local government, are doing to progress and facilitate local relationships. Instead, its focus is on a series of actions aimed at setting the right environment for growing an enterprising third sector.
This three-year action plan is intended to invest in a step-change in the capability and capacity of the sector and to forge new relationships. By 2011 we expect many of the actions to become part of the mainstream. We are investing in the sector now, to provide long term benefits into the future. This is an investment in enterprise leading to sustainability.
We know that an enterprising third sector is not homogenous. It operates in many markets, providing a huge range of services. It is led by both recent social entrepreneurs and by those who have worked in the third sector for a number of years. It is led by people representing all communities and equality groups 1 in Scotland. This action plan aims to support an enterprising third sector in the full range of its activities.
The third sector can also play a lead role in promoting sustainable economic growth, not only through many organisations' primary purpose - be it recycling, grounds maintenance or environmental protection - but through the way in which all organisations are run. The third sector can lead the way in giving equal weight to income generation and sustainability.
The actions that we set out here are part of the Scottish Government's wider support for the third sector, which is about ensuring that the sector is supported at all levels of its development. These actions are focused on setting the right environment for growing an enterprising third sector. The challenge to the third sector is to make the most of the opportunities that this presents. Firstly, to operate professionally, identifying markets or opportunities - for many organisations this will involve developing products and then competing for, and winning, contracts. Secondly, to demonstrate the unique contribution that the third sector provides. Thirdly, to develop better third sector organisations contributing to increased sustainable economic growth and a more successful country.
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