Transcript Public Attitudes to Co-ops in BC

Co-ops and
Social Care
Why and what are the opportunities for cooperative change?
Social Care – so what’s the
problem?
a story…
Presentation themes
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What’s changing?
What’s the nature of social care?
Form & Function
Implications for social service delivery
Social Care – so what’s the
problem?
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Changing role of the state
Changing nature of people’s expectations
Changing nature of our society
Changing nature of our view of government
Reciprocity and The Decent
Society
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From Welfare State to Decent Society
The role of reciprocity
The role of democracy
Renewing social care
Social Co-ops & Social Care
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The emergence of social co-ops raises key
questions about the nature of social care, the
role of the state, the private market, & civil
society.
From a social & economics perspective, social
care revolves around the notion of “relational
goods” and the types of organizations that are
best suited to provide such goods.
Relational goods
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Relational goods are are those goods such as
care giving, which are services to persons and
which are characterized by the exchange of
human relations.
In relational goods the quality of the personal
relationship is at the core of what is exchanged
between the provider and the recipient and can
be optimally produced only by the provider and
the recipient together.
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Social co-ops are uniquely suited to the provision
of social care because they can transform people
from being merely the passive recipients of care,
to being protagonists in the design and delivery
of their care.
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Reciprocity is the basis of the model.
Democratic control is how it’s implemented.
Social co-ops are social enterprises with a
democratic structure.
Social co-ops are a classic example of how the co-op
form was adapted by everyday people to meet
basic social needs and to respond to a market
failure.
History
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Social co-ops were a response to the demand for
new, and better, social services
Grew against a backdrop of an authoritarian,
bureaucratic and inefficient state, and a freeze on
public sector hiring.
In the UK, as elsewhere, changes in the role of
government vis a vis public services, citizen
dissatisfaction in quality of care & cutbacks in funding
have led to a rising interest in co-op models of
service delivery.
Size of social co-op sector
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7,000 social co-ops in Italy employ 280,000
employees of which 30,000 are disadvantaged
workers.
23% of paid labour in non-profits; 2% of non-profits
In Bologna, 87% of social services provided by
social co-ops.
Quebec: 6,000 jobs, 81,000 members, 6 million
hours of homecare by 101 social enterprises, 41
are social co-ops
Legislation
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The purpose of a social co-operative is to
“pursue the general interest of the community in
the human promotion and social integration of
citizens”.
Legislation stipulates that social co-ops have a
special mandate to provide for the integration of
disadvantaged persons into society.
Legislation refers to commonality of interest
between social co-ops and local authorities for
the provision of public goods.
Disadvantaged persons are identified as
consisting of the following groups:
physically or mentally disabled; ex patients
of psychiatric institutes; ex inmates; drug
addicts; alcoholics; homeless, minors at
risk.
Multi-stakeholder Co-ops
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A new model which makes possible the collaboration
of different stakeholder groups to co-produce the
service being provided.
Typically include: users, workers/carers, community
stakeholders
Benefits:
• Eliminate information inequalities
• Allow for blended funding
• Give all key stakeholders control rights
• Promote innovation & problem solving
• Allow for volunteer contribution
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Social care services provided by social co-ops
are not seen as a replacement of public services;
they are seen as a complement to public
services.
Social co-ops receive public funding & employer
benefits for the services they provide.
CoPaps
Diffusing Reciprocity
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Transformation of institutional culture
At both regional and national levels, social co-op
federations negotiate directly with governments
and municipalities on
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Funding levels
Quality standards
Evaluation of services
Regulatory systems
State oversight
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The future role of social co-ops is seen not
only as a source of social care, but also as
a means to hold government accountable
for the provision of public services.
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Co-op models can help address the following
issues:
• A means of mobilizing civil society around issues
of social care
• An alternative to state delivery on the one hand,
and privatization on the other
• A model for democratizing care
• A model for containing costs while improving the
quality and responsiveness of social care
• A means for building a decent society through
reciprocity
What’s needed?
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A coherent alternative vision of social care
A political & social alliance to advocate for this
vision
A new social contract among service providers
and between the social economy and the state
Deliberate government investment in the model
• Specific policy identifying the role of social co-ops
as a distinct service delivery form with a distinct
function
What’s needed?
State support for the model on the basis that it
meets important social policy objectives. This means
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employer supports,
promotion of contracting & partnerships by local
authorities,
funding for co-op development,
funding for the creation of user mediating
organizations
Civilizing the Economy
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztOUbi25is&feature=youtu.be
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHjB0Hw0ZVw
&feature=youtu.be
Thank You
For further information visit:
[email protected]
www.bcca.coop
[email protected]