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CSR - Corporate Social Responsibilty With the onset of a recession in the UK, for many companies the prospect of looking at their CSR fills them with dread. Some forward thinking companies though, are pushing forward with their CSR commitments and are making a real difference in their community. Through this article we see it from the charity perspective as well as from the SMEHarsher economic conditions are forcing us all to take stock
viewpoint.
T
his can be irksome, but it can also be a fresh and exciting opportunity.
Comfortable old habits come under the micro-scope and we suddenly realise there may be a better, more effective way of getting things done.
Charities are affected by recession just as much as business and individuals, some of the challenges charities may face include, raising fuel and energy costs; falling donations from cash strapped supporters; faltering returns on their investments; all coupled with a greater need for their work.
There is no easy answer to all this, but there is a clear strategy; all our activities must be more effective than they used to be. In order to survive and grow in a recession, charities have to be more pro-active, more creative and better advised.
Now is the time to be brave. In a recession donors with tightening belts are going to be asking more and more searchingly, ‘Yes I know the cause is right, but are you the right charity with the most effective solution’.
What is needed is brutal and complete honesty.
All fundraising cost money-here is how we spend it. All fundraising is a long -term investment and ultimately, it’s about service delivery.
Mencap is the UK’s leading authority on campaigning for people with a Learning Disability.
A learning disability is caused by the way the brain develops. There are many different types, and most develop before a baby is born, during birth or because of a serious illness in early childhood. A learning disability is lifelong and usually has a significant impact on a person’s life.
Learning disability is not a mental illness or dyslexia.
People with a learning disability find it harder than others to learn, understand and communicate. People with profound and multiple learning disabilities need full-time help with every aspect of their lives- including eating, drinking, washing, dressing and toileting.
Day in, day out, Mencap hears from people who are fighting to lead an ordinary live. It is unacceptable that in the 21st century our society is still such a long way from valuing people with a learning disability equally.
There are 1.5 million children and adults with a learning disability in the UK – 2 in every 100 people. Including their parents, siblings, carers and supporters, the lives of around 6 million people are affected by the failure to give people with a learning disability the chance to run their own lives in the same way that others do. The number of people with a learning disability is expected to increase by 14% by 2021. This is because more small, premature babies are surviving and because people with a learning disability are living longer. The number of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, whose needs are complex, is increasing.
Historically, many people with a learning disability were placed in institutions, like the old long-stay hospitals. They weren’t allowed to go to school.
They were kept out of sight and out of mind. Now, people with a learning disability often live in the community or with their families. However, they still aren’t included in every day life. They go to school, but there is noting for them to do when they leave school or college. This means that many end up wasting their days in poorly run day centres or stuck at home, staring at the TV.
They could contribute so much more.
There has been significant progress over the past 60 years. It is now illegal to discriminate against people with a learning disability and there are laws to protect basic human rights. But the biggest barrier to inclusion still exists – the barrier of people’s attitudes. It includes the attitudes of those making decisions about public funding to pay for services. It includes the attitudes of those making business decisions about commercial funding, such as whether to provide Changing Places toilets in a shopping centre.
Mencap will not rest until we have achieved our vision of fair treatment for people with a learning disability and their family carers. We will not settle for anything less. The government has said it wants equal citizenship for all disabled people by 2025, which is a goal we wholeheartedly agree with. There is an unacceptable gap between the government’s stated aim and the reality of day-to-day life for people with a learning disability and their families.
Cuts in services mean that the gap is getting bigger.
And it is harder to get services because the rules about qualifying for them are getting tougher.
We do not underestimate the scale of the challenge.
We need greater recognition of people with a learning disability, and the funding necessary for them to live equal lives. Not one carer should be left at breaking point. Not one person with a learning disability should be denied their right to lead a healthy, independent and fulfilling life. Not one person should be excluded from everyday life. We will ensure that all our services conform to our values and principles. We will operate services that put the individual in control, and are designed to enable people to do what they want to do with their lives.
But we will not lose sight of the biggest challenge: we must challenge society. We will confront prejudice, preconceptions and discrimination wherever we find them – so that people with a learning disability can live life as they wish, and experience a future full of possibilities that others enjoy.
We will do our part to create a society where people with a learning disability are free of the fear of violence, free of the fear of the services they depend on being withdrawn, free of the fear of becoming a victim of discrimination.
The mood of 2009 is one of endurance than enjoy, change is the child of crisis, so let Mencap Cymru show you and your business how to nurture and grow with your Corporate Social Responsibility profile.
