Closing Date: 28 March 2025
Action 51 of Trading for Impact National Social Enterprise Policy 2024-2027 commits to “Undertake a ‘Social Enterprise Census’ to expand the baseline data collection exercise, to be undertaken periodically”.
Background
In 2022, the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD), following a competitive procurement process that included a social clause, commissioned a consortium including Amárach Research, Social Enterprise Republic of Ireland (SERI) and the Irish Local Development Network (ILDN) to conduct the Baseline Data Gathering Exercise of Social Enterprise in Ireland. The resultant report Social Enterprises in Ireland: A Baseline Data Collection Exercise published in May 2023 provided concrete evidence concerning social enterprise in Ireland, including the numbers of social enterprises and the areas they operate in. The report clearly demonstrated how significant this sector is for Irish society and the economy.
The questionnaire which formed the basis of the 2023 report included a list of eighteen [18] short and focused questions. The questionnaire was designed with a view to making its completion as straightforward as possible (e.g. closed questions). No question other than the name and location of the responding organisation was compulsory
The questionnaire was developed in partnership with a Technical Expert Quality Assurance Panel, DRCD and the Technical Advisory Group (TAG). The questionnaire was subsequently pilot tested during September 2022 with a sample of twenty [20] social enterprises drawn from different sectors. The purpose of the pilot was to test the usability of the questionnaire and to identify any unforeseen barriers to their engagement.
Action Required
It is now proposed to build on the work of this 2023 report and undertake a social enterprise census in 2025 to expand the baseline data collection exercise. Similar to the approach adopted in the development of the previous report, it is proposed to undertake this census in collaboration with social enterprise stakeholders including representative bodies, academics and policymakers.
As a first step in this process, the department is seeking the view of the sector in relation to the questions to be included in the new census. While it is not intended at this stage to omit any of the questions included in the 2023 report (unless there are compelling reasons to do so), there may now be additional questions to be included, or amendments to existing questions, in light of the publication of the new Trading for Impact policy in 2024, and subsequent developments.
We are now requesting you to review the content of the 2023 Baseline report and advise of any additional questions or amendments to existing questions which should be included in the proposed 2025 Census. Given that questionnaires should be capable of being answered within a reasonable timeline in order to keep the interest and attention of the participants and avoid undue workload, it is not envisaged that a significant number of additional questions will be included. Accordingly, in the event that you consider that additional questions are required, these should focus on issues of significant relevance to the majority of social enterprises nationally.
A link to the questionnaire used for the Baseline Data Collection can be found on page 57 of the 2023 report HERE.
The department will review all responses in the context of the requirements for the 2025 Census.
Please respond by 28 March 2025 to sesi@drcd.cov.ie
Following this exercise, it is intended to proceed to tender to procure a service provider for the rollout of the census.