About Us - Partnership Organisations

Social Firms Wales works with a number of partnership organisations to provide the best range of services and advice to clients. 

Welsh Government

We’re known for our fine voices in Wales, and together we sound even better. That’s why we want the new Welsh Social Enterprise Coalition (WSEC) to be a collection of voices speaking up for what we need to make sure our social enterprises are healthy and respected throughout Wales and beyond.

For more information on the new Welsh Social Enterprise Coalition please contact: j.bennett@welshsec.org

WCVA 

WCVA – championing volunteering in Wales

WCVA is the national membership organization for the third sector in Wales. Our aim is to make Wales a better place by championing volunteering, voluntary organizations and community groups.

We provide services and support to other frontline charities, community groups, voluntary organizations and social enterprises, and to volunteers. We also consult our members and represent their views by lobbying decision makers at all levels.

Visit www.wcva.org.uk to see what we could do for you!

Social Firms UK

Social Firms UK is the national support organisation for the development of the Social Firm sector in the UK. We carry out lobbying and awareness-raising activities, research and practical initiatives to increase the number and ensure the quality of Social Firms in the UK. We have approximately 300 members.

Vision: 'Everyone has the opportunity to be employed'

Mission: 'To support, strengthen and grow the Social Firm sector so that more people facing the most significant barriers to work can gain employment.'

Strategic priorities:

• To promote the values and increase the level of understanding around the Social Firm model
• To facilitate the start up, development and growth of new Social Firm businesses and strengthen those already in existence
• To serve and grow the membership effectively and efficiently, determining and meeting their needs
• To lead on R&D initiatives to drive development, production and promotion of new and existing resources
 

Wales Cooperative Centre

The Wales Co-operative Centre delivers several major projects in Wales:

Social Enterprise and Co-operative Support
 The Social Enterprise Support project provides advice and training to co-operatives, social enterprises and social entrepreneurs in Convergence areas of Wales, so that they can become successful and sustainable businesses.
The Co-operative Enterprise hub provides a package of advice and support to help aspiring and established co-operatives become more sustainable businesses. In the near future, support will be focused on non convergence areas of Wales

Digital Inclusion
 Communities 2.0 is a Welsh Government scheme. The Wales Co-operative Centre runs the scheme which helps people in the most disadvantaged communities to use new technologies and learn computer skills.

Financial Inclusion
 The Centre works with Credit Unions in Wales and manages several financial inclusion projects, such as the Department for Work and Pensions Growth Fund, the Financial Inclusion Champions initiative and the Debt Redemption and Money Advice scheme.

Fair Trade
 Our Fair Trade Marketing Officer works with mainstream businesses who wish to adopt a fair trade policy, as well as emerging fair trade businesses.

Development Trusts Association Wales

The Development Trusts Association (DTA) Wales is an independent practitioner based membership organisation promoting the work of and supporting the growing development trust movement in Wales. We are part of the UK wide community enterprise and regeneration Development Trusts Association network of 500 Trusts.

Development trusts are locally based and community led organisations which operate as community or social enterprises.

They create and retain wealth in communities, supporting the local economy through trading, providing services, securing and developing community assets, enterprises and skills and investing in long term community renewal.

Cylch

Cylch is the Wales Community Recycling Network. We provide information, advice and support to existing and emerging community recyclers across Wales.

Community recycling means sustainable resource management for local benefit. Waste materials are a valuable resource which, if managed effectively, can create environmental, social and economic benefits for local people. Community recycling places resource management hand in hand with regeneration. The Cylch Membership comprises over 70 community waste minimisation, reuse, recycling and composting enterprises throughout Wales. These organisations provide employment and training within the local area.

Our vision is of a Wales where enterprise and the community manage resources (waste) sustainably for the benefit of all.

Our mission is to enable the community sector to play a key role in maximising the social, environmental and economic benefits of sustainable resource management in Wales.

Cylch is committed to…

• Zero Waste
• Sustainable development principles
• Working in partnership and trust
• Respecting confidentiality
• Being transparent and accountable

Cylch aims to...

• Develop and support a network of community recycling, reuse and composting organisations [the community recycling sector] in Wales
• Position the community sector as an essential partner in the future of Welsh resource management
• Develop new ideas and work in partnership to see 

Community Broker

Brokering for Communities, Supporting Social Change

Community Broker is an on-line brokering directory for communities everywhere. Bringing together information provided by many service providers, charities, social enterprises and professionals across Wales. For people wanting advice, to learn new skills, update old ones; find opportunities to volunteer, training programmes and jobs.

Community Broker is all about community brokering and strengthening,
People, their needs and their attainment are core to the ethos of Community Broker believing that every single person has a right to choice, to be part of local community life, and to be respected and valued within society.