The Supported Business Alliance is a “collective voice” of supported businesses in the UK.

This group recognises that there are other groups with such a voice – BASE and the Scottish Supported Businesses in particular – but that another point of view was required, in particular, to address some of the significant misconceptions of supported businesses in recent years. As such, several supported businesses came together in April 2014 to start the alliance and address these issues.

Our founding members are:

• Cefndy Healthcare & Manufacturing
• CLARITY
• County Print Finishers
• Industrial Services Group (ISG)
• Merthyr Tydfil Institute for the Blind (MTIB)
• Newco
• Realise Futures
• Tremorvah Industries
• Watford Workshop
• What is a Supported Business?

Supported Business Public Contract Regulations (2006) define a supported business “as a service where more than 50 per cent of the workers are disabled persons who by the nature or severity of their disability are unable to take up work in the open labour market”.

This is a definition that the Alliance feels needs refinement and modernisation. The term “supported” is unhelpful; “supportive” is perhaps more reflective of the culture of these organisations. In addition, since many supported businesses effectively operate an Intermediate Labour Market model for at least part of their provision, a more accurate statement is “….disabled persons who by the nature or severity of their disability are unable to take up work DIRECTLY in the open labour market”.

For more information on The Supported Business Alliance visit: www.discoverthepotential.org