How social enterprise and inclusive business can play a leading role

In the context of disability and inclusion, one of the benefits of empowering social enterprises is to establish tangible case studies where financially viable organisations can demonstrate social and economic benefit from taking an inclusive approach to employment. In a business context, these are relatable and hold more sway than test cases that come from either charities or the public sector.

Social enterprises also have the ability to tackle societal challenges innovatively and entrepreneurially, giving them more agility and opportunity to develop positive sustainable models. These models need not be created from scratch – there are a great many wonderful examples and case studies all over the world that can be learned from, replicated, and adapted to fit different local ecosystems.

If policy were in place to drive socially responsible business, there would be an acceleration in cross-learning opportunities and societal awareness and engagement with new approaches. This would then thereby build momentum in other less mission-focused businesses, and provide proof of concept examples for larger organisations subsequently to adopt, adapt and implement.