Forward Carers has been shortlisted for the prestigious UK Social Enterprise Awards, recognising it as one of the UK’s most effective social enterprises.
Forward Carers, based in the West Midlands is a finalist in the Health & Social Care Social Enterprise of the Year category. Forward Carers is a social enterprise and CIC working in health and social care to improve the lives of unpaid Carers. It’s on a mission to create Carer Friendly Communities, places that empower Carers to thrive in all areas of life and work. Unpaid Carers are amazing people who provide care for friends, family or neighbours who couldn’t manage without them.
In 2021, Forward Carers supported 10,423 Carers across their partnerships, helping Carers to access information and advice, wellbeing activities, financial guidance, Carers Assessments, support groups, specialist training, family activities, and much more. Helping Carers to continue in their caring role, happily and healthily, enables families to stay together for longer and reduces the impact on the social care system.
Social enterprises are businesses that trade for a social or environmental purpose. There are an estimated 100,000 social enterprises in the UK contributing around £60bn annually to the UK economy and are set up to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing society.
The UK Social Enterprise Awards are awarded by Social Enterprise UK, the UK’s leading membership body for social enterprises and recognise excellence and innovation in UK social enterprises. Forward Carers will be joining other shortlisted organisations and guests at a prestigious awards ceremony held at London’s iconic Roundhouse on Thursday 8 December.
Previous winners have included a legal firm representing vulnerable people, a crowdfunding platform helping homeless people into work, and a network of zero waste supermarkets – demonstrating the diversity of the social enterprise in the UK.
Commenting on being shortlisted, Simon Fenton, Forward Carers CEO said, “We are thrilled to be a finalist in these prestigious awards that has recognised our hard work to support unpaid family Carers. We hope that this acknowledgement will also shine a light on the valuable contribution that family Carers make to society.”
Commenting on the Awards, Chief Executive of Social Enterprise UK Peter Holbrook said:
“The UK Social Enterprise Awards are the ultimate showcase of the impact and excellence of social enterprises. These are trailblazers and standard setters for how to do business better, in ways that put people and planet first. They empower and uplift communities. They show us all how we can do business in a way that helps the environment. And they do all this while facing the same challenges as other businesses.
“In these turbulent times, they are a beacon of innovation, optimism and resilience. Those who have made the shortlist of these awards have proven their business’ ability to weather the storm of the pandemic, keeping their business and their mission on track.
“The challenges we face as a society demand new approaches and a shift in the way that businesses big and small act. The entries for this year’s award continue to inspire, innovate and show us all how businesses can help us meet many of these challenges head on.”
We believe the best outcomes for Carers are achieved by partnering with a range of funders, agencies, and organisations to deliver targeted support and services that improve Carer wellbeing. You can find out more about our work here.
About social enterprise
Social enterprises are businesses which trade for a social purpose that reinvest or donate over half their profits to further their social or environmental mission. They are an increasingly important part of the UK economy contributing £60 billion and employing around two million people. There are an estimated 100,000 social enterprises in the UK. Research carried out by Social Enterprise UK, the membership body for the sector, shows they are outperforming traditional businesses when it comes to start-up rates, turnover growth and innovation. They are also ahead of the pack when it comes to workforce diversity and pay. For more information and statistics see Social Enterprise UK’s State of Social enterprise Report 2019 and the ‘Hidden Revolution’ report which showed the true scale and impact of the sector.
About Social Enterprise UK
Social Enterprise UK is the largest network of certified social enterprises in the UK and a global authority on social enterprise. SEUK exists to be a strong voice for social enterprise, to evidence the difference that social enterprises are making and to demonstrate solutions and influence decision-makers to create an environment in which social enterprise can thrive. We work with mainstream businesses and public sector institutions to help them bring social enterprises into their supply chains. SEUK members reflect the diversity of social enterprise in the UK, ranging from local grass-roots organisations to multi-million-pound businesses.
