Shared Lives Plus Simon Taylor Micro-enterprise Support and Development Officer

What is SharedLivesPlus?  The UK network for family-based and small-scale ways of supporting adults.  Members are Shared Lives carers and workers, Homeshare programmes and micro-enterprises  Shared Lives is UK wide and used by 15,000 people. The micro-enterprise sector is starting to establish.  Shared Lives Plus (formerly NAAPS UK) was established in 1992, has 4,000 primarily Shared Lives members, developing membership support for micro-enterprises. Seeks to support the members by:  helping them to deliver  providing information and guidance  campaigning for and promoting small- scale ways of working

Micro providers  Are local people providing support and services to other local people  Work on a very small scale (usually 5 or fewer workers – paid or unpaid)  Are independent of any larger organisation

Micro providers  An alternative to traditional care services  An alternative to employing own staff  Personal, tailored, co-produced  Flexible and responsive to change  Help people to link to their community and build social capital  Help people to make their money go further  Local people helping other local people

Micro providers Supported tenancies Well being and health Transport Employment Leisure and arts Food businesses Holidays and short breaks Friendship or good neighbour Drop in centres and lunch clubs Advice and representation People buy ways of living their lives - many micro- enterprises fall outside health and social care:

Why consider micro- enterprise? Recently a number of Shared Lives carers have considered or set up a micro-enterprise in addition to continuing their role as Shared Lives Carers. People’s reasons for taking on this kind of new venture are varied: wanting a new challenge filling a gap in available services work opportunities for adults who have support needs need to increase their own income in ways that will be compatible with being a Shared Lives carer.

How are Shared Lives and micro-enterprise different? Unlike Shared Lives provision, your work as a micro-enterprise will be done entirely independently, without the back-up of your local Shared Lives scheme which, for example, shoulders the responsibility for registration of Shared Lives activities with the Care Quality Commission. You will be responsible for : legislative and regulatory compliance ensuring you can run the activities as a successful business considering if your self-employment status is appropriate managing the particular risks involved in the activity you are planning A key challenge is turning a great idea for a service into a viable source of income. Membership of Shared Lives Plus, as a micro- enterprise, can offer support on these issues.

Impact on your shared lives role It is usually appropriate to tell your Shared Lives scheme about changes in your employment and any impact this may have on your Shared Lives carer role. If you are thinking about setting up a micro- enterprise, speaking with the scheme at an early stage is advisable.

What do you need to consider? What services will you provide? Understanding what is involved and also talking to potential customers of your services will help you identify whether what you intend to do is needed and if people can afford to pay for it. It will help you identify the best way to provide the services and help you understand some of the things you will need to have in place to take the next steps. Who will buy your services? Who will be your customers? You do not need to know them all at the start but you do need to know where your first and future clients may come from and how you will communicate with them about what you offer. How many customer or clients do you need to ensure you will be successful? Are there enough people locally needing the service? What other providers are there locally? Will you struggle to match their prices or find new customers?

What do you need to consider? How much will it cost you to deliver the services and what can you charge? You must consider the running costs of your enterprise. Do you need: –Premises –Transport –Insurance and wages –Etc. Once you are trading these costs should be covered by income from the customers but initially these costs may need to be met either through personal investment or from a loan or grant. These initial costs may need to be spent at your own risk before potential incomes have been received. Factors which impact on the cost of the service need to be carefully considered to ensure your prices for the care and support you provide are set so that you are able to meet your costs and make a profit, small though this may be, which will be the money you need to pay yourself and potentially re-invest in the enterprise.

What do you need to consider? What type of business will you run? Should you be self-employed or set up one of the different types of companies? This questions should only be considered once you know what you want to do and who will be involved.

What do you need to consider? Business typeDistinct natureAccountability Self-employed (sometimes called sole traders) femployed/register- selfemp.htm The simplest form of starting a business, registration is with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. Submission of a personal end of year tax form, you may need to run a PAYE registered payroll system but no other accounting is required. Companies limited by shares or guarantee e.gov.uk Simple private companies. The limit by shares or guarantee separates and protects personal assets from the finances of the business. You will need to produce end of year accounts usually through a paid accountant and you may need to run a PAYE registered payroll system. Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) e.gov.uk A partnership which is legally binding and acts as a company but it treats the tax of each owner separately through an end of year tax submission. Personal assets can be protected. Accountability is as with self- employment but you also need to produce end of year accounts usually through a paid accountant.

What do you need to consider? Business typeDistinct natureAccountability Community Interest Companies (CICs) A form used by many social enterprises. It protects personal assets as with limited companies but it must have a social aim for which it is accountable. As an owner, beyond a paid salary, taking the profit from the company is capped and usually it is all reinvested in the business and not used for personal gain. Accountability is as with companies limited by shares or guarantee but will include a simple return reporting on the delivery of the social aim. Co-operatives Not a specific legal form but embeds the principals of common ownership. Often but not always, owned by their workers who all have a vote at companies Annual General Meetings. Accountability is as with companies limited by shares or guarantee. Additional accountability for membership is often required. Social Enterprise Not a specific legal form. Many are companies limited by guarantee or Community Interest Companies. All have a defined social aim which they seek to deliver through their business activities. Accountability is as with companies limited by shares or guarantee. A simple return reporting on the delivery of the social aim may also be required.

What do you need to consider? Accountability. Financial records will need to be kept which may be more detailed than current information held for tax returns. If you are registered as a company you will need to ensure accounts are kept and you will probably need to appoint an accountant. You may need to run a payroll system for yourself and certainly will need to if you have any employees. Guidance and support can be found through Business Link and Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC). As a recent HMRC inspector confirmed “It is better to ask us for help than for us to ask you for your records” See: and Other regulation and legislation may impact on the sort of services you provide. Shared Lives Plus micro-enterprise members have access to a range of policies and guidelines we have developed. Of course, you will need to take personal responsibility for the services you provide.

What do you need to consider? Business Planning. Unless you are seeking support or finance from a bank or external organisation you may not need to write a formal business plan. However, you should consider the issues above and others relevant to your situation, before embarking on the enterprise or incurring set up costs.

The opportunities Opportunities for small scale care and support providers are continuing to arise. As people move to personal budgets and take Direct Payments, they – alongside the many people who self-fund their support – may decide to buy services from local providers who really know their customers. This list covers some areas which have seen a growth in micro-enterprise providers: Residential (including supported living) Day Opportunities Home Care services Personal care Transport Food services Employment opportunities such as café, horticulture etc. Shared Lives Plus micro-enterprise membership is open to all micro- enterprises working within care, support and inclusion and we welcome people with new ideas.

Examples of what people are already doing…

Pulp Friction CIC  Jill Carter runs the enterprise with her daughter Jessie, who has learning disabilities  Jessie wanted to find work like her friends but Jill felt it was unlikely that this would happen so the pair set up Pulp Friction  Pulp Friction run cycle powered smoothie bar at community events in Nottinghamshire  Work with young adults with learning disabilities to develop their social, independent and work readiness skills

 New service idea from a couple who have a passion for gardening and skills in delivering care services  Will offer older and disabled people including those with dementia support to garden  Older people who used to love to care for their own garden but can no longer do so  Carers wanting to maintain their garden, enable their loved one to keep active and gain some free time  Residential care homes wanting to make better use of garden maintenance budget whilst providing the people who live in the home with a hobby and a real interest in their surroundings Ace of Spades

Set up by Carita who runs a drama group for people with a learning disability and knew people were looking for things to do with their friends Focuses on health and well being Members decide the activities which include aerobics, kickboxing, tai chi, street dancing, belly dancing and visits from a nutritionist and dentist One member Michael says ‘ ideas are not restricted by management’ as in council services!! Funky Fitness and Fun

Space Inclusive A partnership set up by two enterprising former teachers with a background in special education. Seeing former pupils struggle to access post 19 provision They now deliver transition services to young adults with learning disabilities. Clients come from across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Currently 20 full time equivalent service users. The adult provision is funded through individual’s personal budgets

Home Dee worked in the voluntary sector for more than 15 years with vulnerable adults Seeing how people struggled with everyday activities, especially when they had relatives or friends to offer assistance. She now offers non-personal care services, including befriending, to enable people to remain independent in their own homes. Examples include taking a sensory impaired lady shopping to withdraw money, collect her prescription and buy groceries or offering weekly cleaning for a man with Parkinson’s and a lady who has suffered a stroke. Recently meeting with the Stroke Early Discharge Team and MacMillan Information Adviser from the local hospital

Micro providers 90% of unsupported micro-enterprises fail in year one. Business, Start Ups and Economic Churn: A literature review: NIESR: 2009 Half of micro-enterprises surveyed operate sub- legally. MacGillivray, A., Conaty, P., and Wadhams, C. (2001) Low flying heroes: micro-social enterprise below the radar screen, London: New Economics Foundation. For every 100 people with a good idea only one makes it UnLtd July 2010

Why do alternatives need extra support?  The way in which services are supported, regulated and commissioned has forced many good micro services to close  It is unattractive or impossible for new and emerging providers to enter the market  Without support many existing providers will cease trading and people with great ideas will never set up their service  Existing third sector, business and other infrastructure organisations rarely work together, understand the market, have the specialised knowledge or the remit to provide the necessary tailored support

Membership People with a passion for great support and inclusion for disabled adults and older people, who have fewer than five workers (paid or unpaid). Our members include: supported tenancies small residential care homes day services/drop-in centres meals services/lunch clubs short breaks and befriending support for people in their own homes. Support for people to access the community And much more. Our membership is open to all micro-enterprises working within care, support and inclusion. We welcome people with new ideas!

Membership Successful members Information and Advice Better working Campaign and lobbying Policy change Every-day support You are not alone! Once you join Shared Lives Plus you become part of a respected network of support and information

Membership Every-day support Free legal advice helpline Access to Public Liability Insurance at a preferential rate Support from the Micro-enterprise Support Officer An online forum for discussions. Information and Advice A monthly bulletin on regulations, funding, training Access to conferences A members-only website with guides and resources Campaigning and Lobbying The opportunity to share issues with other members: online, tele- conferences, face to face Support to help your voice to be heard by local and national decision- makers. Key policies? Members have free access to template policies and procedures covering many areas, from health and safety and fire regulations to safeguarding and data protection.

Membership A Collective Voice: We represents the members with governments and regulatory organisations. Information and Advice: provides information and advice about issues and concerns affecting members Insurance: We work closely with Insurance Brokers to develop competitive insurance products Legal Expenses Cover: access to a 24-hour legal help-line and Legal Cover Publications: We develop a range of publications tailored to the needs of members. Learning Opportunities: We provides an annual programme of training and learning designed around members. Conferences: We organises our conference around members issues Dissemination events: We work with key partner organisations to disseminate information of importance to members. Awards: registered with the National Open College Network as an assessment centre Involvement in SharedLivesPlus Governance: Members have the right to vote at Annual General Meetings.

Community Catalysts  A social enterprise and Community Interest Company established by Shared Lives Plus in 2010  Works to harness the talents and imaginations of people and communities to provide high quality small scale local care and support services  Community Catalysts has developed a way to find, engage, support, connect with local people running a micro enterprise or with a great idea  Have worked with approx 20 councils and communities to help them support micro enterprise in their area

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