Portfolio
Portfolio
The Challenge Network
In 2008, the Shaftesbury Partnership was asked to design a pilot for a Civic Service programme that would inspire young people from different backgrounds to serve their communities and help their transition into adulthood. After an initial feasibility study and conceptual design of the marketing and programme plan, SP spun the project out into an independent charity called The Challenge Network. The Challenge launched in South London in 2009, working with nearly 200 young people; and in 2010 is working with over 500 young people in London and Birmingham. The Challenge aspires that it will be a significant provider in the delivery of the Government’s National Citizen Service pilots in 2011 (currently out for tender).
Act Network
Following research into the unique strengths of faith based organisations working in inner city areas, SP created the Act Network to support their work. The Act Network aims to resource scalable social action ministries in cities such as London, addressing shortfalls in financial resources, skills, or human capital. Mission Year is the human capital arm of the Act Network, and will recruit individuals from all walks of life to choose to live in deprived communities – initially for one training year – in community houses, with a focus on service and establishing social action projects among the poor.
FranchisingWorks: Creating jobs and businesses in city regions
Responding to the emerging unemployment crisis, in early 2009 the Shaftesbury Partnership researched the history of effective interventions in labour markets. This research highlighted the potential of franchise models to create sustainable new businesses and jobs with the consequent social and economic benefits to local communities. FranchisingWorks is an innovative programme that will create significant numbers of new jobs by using the franchising model to support the creation of multiple start-up businesses. We are working with a number of cities to raise awareness and understanding of business opportunities within franchising, and to foster partnerships between public, private and voluntary sectors that facilitate the introduction of prospective franchisees to reputable franchisors.
Nurse First
Nurse First is a concept for a new career pathway for potential community nursing leaders and innovators, which has been developed in response to the increasing demands from individuals and from government on this part of the nursing workforce. The Nurse First career path will encourage high-potential nurses, who are ambitious to find ways to improve community health services. Drawing on the model of TeachFirst, we are designing a 12-month part-time programme that will complement existing community nurse training with a modular Enterprise, Business, Innovation and Leadership (EBIL) programme different to any training currently available to nurses. The Shaftesbury Partnership has completed a feasibility study using a grant from Guy’s and St. Thomas Charity and is currently designing a pilot programme with key partners representing nurses and nursing training.
New Schools Fund
The New Schools Fund aims to radically improve educational outcomes, where most needed, through targeted entrepreneurial investments in highly progressive schools and supporting programmes. The fund will provide capital and support to groups setting up new schools in areas that meet our investment criteria. Our current thinking is that the new schools we support should be primary schools in areas that demonstrate a need for new schools (in terms of quality and quantity of places), and have a focus on lower income communities.
Projects in Development
Social Franchising: Investigating and creating successful methods for highly effective social enterprises to engage in Welfare to Work programmes at scale;
Working to reduce re-offending rates: Designing models that enable community involvement in the support of ex-offenders, including housing, employment and mentoring;
Participatory Housing: Researching ground-breaking ways to assist homeowners whose houses are at risk of being repossessed due to the recession;
Citizen Media: Assisting a team working on ways to empower citizens to become active participants in shaping the way the news is reported;
Community Organising: Designing an effective methodology for training significant numbers of community organisers across the country.