Bootstrap Enterprises

Bootstrap Enterprises' main aim is to widen its role in social care and to provide social care users with support to gain and retain employment and ensure that work forms part of a positive, well supported and independent life. The organisation was previously part of Blackburn and Darwen Borough Council's supported employment team, the department became an independent voluntary organisation in 2008.

The organisation has formed partnerships with a range of health, social care and welfare agencies which means that service users can be helped to secure employment, whilst also receiving the ancillary support to address other social needs.

The organisation's approach recognises each service user as an individual and helps them in both practical and therapeutic ways to deal with a range of social, personal and pastoral issues, building long term support around people's needs. The support offered now includes helping service users with debt issues, confronting and addressing alcohol and drug misuse and addressing a wide range of health issues.

Bootstrap Enterprises has also started to deliver a range of social, welfare, personal development and vocational goals for people experiencing common mental health problems, as a complimentary service to the borough's primary mental health service.

A vigorous ongoing consultation process carried out both directly with service users and through an independently administered consultation programme ensures that Bootstrap Enterprises continues to add value to the work being done with social service users. The organisation has received uniformly positive feedback from its users.