Kibble Education and Care Centre in Paisley has won a top national award.
Government minister Nigel Griffiths MP presented Kibble’s chief executive Graham Bell with the UK’s Social Enterprise of the Year Award at a ceremony in London.
The New Statesman Upstarts award was given to Kibble after the organisation was judged to clearly show it had the qualities and attributes of a successful social enterprise.
A social enterprise is an organisation that carries out a social mission or objective, but trades as a normal business selling its services and expertise.
All profits are then re-invested into the organisation.
The Kibble - which has been in Paisley since 1895 - provides residential care and education for young people who have social, emotional, educational and behavioural problems.
It employs 270 staff, has an annual turnover of almost £8 million and is one of Scotland’s largest social enterprises. According to award organisers Kibble blends a strong social mission with best business practice.
The prize for the Social enterprise of the Year Award is a trophy, £4000 and the chance for Graham Bell to attend an international conference on social enterprise being held in America.
Prior to 1996 organisations like Kibble survived on grants from government but after the break-up of the regions in Scotland they had to generate their own income and be run as a business.
Graham Bell said: “We are particularly proud of our staff’s achievements. They have had to adapt to a different way of working. We have one of the best-qualified staff groups in the sector.
“We are like any other business and have to sell our expertise and services to make a profit. Although unlike traditional businesses, our profits don’t go to investors or shareholders as ours is ploughed back into the organisation.
“And like any successful business we have to continually evolve and innovate to keep at the forefront of what we are doing.
“It’s the same for all social enterprises – they have to keep ahead of the game because the alternative is not having anyone buying their services.
“Necessity being the mother of invention, this highlights how social enterprises can also be social innovators and, like any business need to keep innovating to maintain or expand market share.”
He added: “I believe market pressures mean social enterprises can become consistently effective social innovators.”
“The social enterprise structure has provided Kibble with the opportunity to be a social business incubator. “In essence, each year since 1996 two new small social businesses have developed, albeit under the Kibble umbrella.
“There are at least enough such projects in the pipeline to continue this for the next five years. If this is replicated across the country it’s easy to see how social enterprise can become a powerhouse in the economy.”
Nigel Griffiths MP said: “By developing innovative solutions to the challenges faced by many communities across the nation social entrepreneurs are a powerful driving force behind the achievements of the social enterprise sector.
“Social enterprises are an integral and dynamic part of the economy, creating new goods, services and jobs as well as encouraging growth of entrepreneurship and empowerment in disadvantaged areas.
"Firms like Kibble in Paisley are changing the way we deliver business solutions to social problems.”
In Scotland, the social enterprise sector is worth £2.2 billion to the economy and accounts for four per cent of the country’s gross domestic product.
Graham Bell describes operators in the social enterprise sector as ‘social capitalists’ and said: “We have shown you can combine a particular social mission of a charity with a new way of doing business where you don’t depend on grants. You deliver a quality service people are prepared to buy.”
“I am proud that we can combine a social mission with best business practice. They are not mutually exclusive.”