The Social Enterprise Disability Employment Mark
Prove your credentials as a social enterprise committed to promoting equality and diversity
Evidence your credentials as an exemplar employer of disabled people.
The Social Enterprise Disability Employment Mark (SEDEM) has been designed specifically for social enterprises that have a focus on providing employment for disabled people. It was developed with the aim of providing assurance for commissioners and disabled people on the specialist supportive environment available to your employees.
It builds on the experience and evidence of Disability Confident, the Social Enterprise Mark and Gold Mark accreditations, as well as customs and practices of the Supported Business community as exemplar employers and businesses.
Register your interest today
Complete the short registration form and a member of our friendly team will be in touch within 2 days to answer your questions.
It aims to provide assurance on the quality of employment outcomes for disabled people.
What are the benefits?
Prove your credibility
Prove your social enterprise credentials, by submitting to the scrutiny of a rigorous external assessment process. With annual checks against criteria, you can assure customers/partners that you are operating ethically, commercially and upholding sector-agreed standards, with a focus on providing employment opportunities for disabled people.
Provide assurance to commissioners
The Social Enterprise Disabity Employment Mark was developed in partnership with the Supported Business Steering Group. It aims to provide assurance to commissioners/funding bodies on the quality of employment outcomes that are created for disabled people.
Get recognised as an exemplar employer
Demonstrate your good practice as an exemplar employer in promoting equality and diversity, by providing valuable support to those people that encounter the greatest barriers to work, enabling them to find and maintain meaningful employment.
You will be featured in a unique directory that lists only accredited social enterprises and shows their social impact, which is viewed by over 500 visitors per month.
Differentiate from competitors
Stand out from competitors, by demonstrating you have been externally scrutinised against robust accreditation criteria, and have proven that your organisation puts people and planet before the interests of shareholders.
Demonstrate your social impact
Prove how you are delivering social value through the employment of people with disabilities or long-term health conditions.
Our social impact questions are designed to help you think about the social impact you create, and to communicate this clearly and succinctly. We also create a Social Impact Declaration for all Mark holders, to summarise how you are striving to make a difference and standing up to scrutiny of purpose as a social enterprise. We also publish full statements of how you commit to make a difference by supporting disabled people into employment.
Access a unique social enterprise network
We facilitate collaboration amongst our international network of social enterprises, and encourage our Mark holders to work in partnership to create combined social value.
Mark holders have access to networking and peer learning opportunities at our annual conference, with a varied and interactive programme to stimulate debate and learning, as well as sharing knowledge and good practice.
Does my business qualify?
To qualify for the Social Enterprise Disability Employment Mark, you should meet the following criteria*:
Must provide a supportive environment for people with disabilities or long-term health conditions
Applicants should be able to provide evidence of a particularly supportive environment for employees with disabilities, which is not available to people working in a typical work place.
Must have clear social objectives, which include facilitating the employment of people with disabilities or long-term health conditions
The social aim of facilitating the employment of people with disabilities or long-term health conditions must be clearly articulated within the legal objects of the organisation, e.g. Articles of Association.
Must demonstrate an effective business model
Applicants must have effective policies and procedures to attract, recruit and retain board members and employees with disabilities or long-term health conditions, to reinforce their ethical positioning. Effective business planning should drive social aims through all strategies and policies as well as setting, monitoring, reporting and actioning social and commercial KPIs.
Must earn at least 50% of income from trading*
Applicants will need to prove that at least 50% of income comes from trading. Trading income is defined as income from sales, fees, contracts, service level agreements but NOT pure grant awards, investment income, donations and loans. This information can be found in company annual accounts.
*In response to the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have agreed a temporary relaxation of the trading income criterion – provided the trading criterion requirement was being met before the outset of the pandemic , any failure to meet it following this will not count against an organisation’s eligibility to hold the Social Enterprise Mark.
A principal proportion of any profit made by the business must be dedicated to facilitating employment for people with disabilities or long-term health conditions
There should be clauses in governing documents confirming an organisation’s commitment to how profits are distributed. It must be clear that at least 51% of any annual profits generated are distributed to facilitate the employment of people with disabilities or long-term health conditions.
Minimum of 50% of employees have disabilities or long-term health conditions
SEDEM holders will act as exemplar employers, evidencing the value of employing people with disabilities or long-term health conditions. Applicants will need to show that at least 50% of employees have disabilities or long-term health conditions, and are employed at all levels and in all aspects of the business.
* Please note if you don’t meet all the criteria at the outset, we will support you to achieve this over an agreed time period. Where an organisation doesn’t meet all the criteria, they may still be awarded a ‘Committed’ status, whereby they may be granted a period of up to 3 years to work towards achieving the full ‘Approved’ status (subject to an agreed plan and timeframes).
Please contact us with any questions about this.
How do I apply?
How much does it cost?
There is an annual licence fee for the Social Enterprise Disability Employment Mark, which is calculated based on the turnover* of your business. Staged payment plans are available to spread the cost of the licence.
The annual fee entitles you to:
- an independent assessment against robust sector agreed criteria
- support and guidance in articulating your social impact
- tailored feedback to provide benchmarks for future development
With the Social Enterprise Disability Employment Mark, you can:
- provide assurance to commissioners and funding bodies of the quality of employment outcomes
- differentiate from competitors
- demonstrate your good practice as an exemplar employer
- get noticed as an approved social enterprise creating social impact
*The turnover of the business as stated in the most recent set of company accounts.
Applicants are invoiced up front for the licence fee. In the unlikely event that an application is unsuccessful, the licence fee will be refunded, minus an assessment fee.
Please note – all fees are subject to regular review.
The fee tier will be assessed each year at the point of renewal, so if turnover has increased or decreased, the licence fee payable will adjust accordingly.
| Annual income* | Annual licence fee (+ VAT) |
|---|---|
| less than £100k | £300 |
| £100k – £199k | £420 |
| £200k – £499k | £540 |
| £500k – £999k | £660 |
| £1m – £2.99m | £828 |
| £3m – £5.99m | £912 |
| £6m – £9.99m | £1,800 |
| £10m – £14.99m | £2,640 |
| £15m – £29.99m | £3,960 |
| £30m – £49.99m | £6,000 |
| £50m – £99.99m | £7,200 |
| £100m and above | £9,000 |
Register your interest
Complete this short form to register your interest in applying for accreditation. We will then be in touch within 2 working days to provide more information and answer any questions you may have.
