Scotland's Social Enterprise Strategy 2016-2026

Annex: Consultation Methods

We carried out a consultation in partnership with the social enterprise community between May and September 2016, which has shaped this strategy. This consultation involved a number of main elements.

We facilitated a series of ten thematic roundtable events that involved 154 representatives from national agencies, local authorities, grant-makers, social investors, national third sector intermediary organisations, Third Sector Interface bodies, Social Enterprise Networks, and social enterprises.

We canvassed the views of the sector widely, and received 205 written submissions describing priorities and ideas for the strategy. The responses came from 27 individuals, 121 social enterprises, 42 community and voluntary organisations, and 12 third sector intermediary bodies.

We set up on an online consultation that enabled social enterprises from across the country to upload and prioritise ideas for the strategy in a democratic, open, and efficient way. This received 3,334 votes on 71 ideas.

We held two focus groups involving representatives from minority ethnic communities and convened a group discussion with rural social enterprises in Argyll and Bute.

We carried out an internal Scottish Government consultation that incorporated feedback and written responses from a range of key stakeholders across divisions and agencies.

We received written and verbal feedback on early drafts of the strategy from key stakeholders within government and from the wider social enterprise community.

We have conducted an Equality Impact Assessment of the Strategy, involving further targeted consultation with equalities representative groups.

In the spirit of the forthcoming Islands Bill, which will include a provision to island-proof future legislation, policies and action plans, we have consulted specifically with stakeholders who represent island communities to ensure the strategy reflects the needs of those communities, and will consult further with appropriate stakeholders and local authorities as we move forward with developing the first action plan to ensure that there is no detrimental impact on our island communities.