Home care social enterprise celebrates successful first year

A social enterprise offering home care services has created 33 jobs in Knowsley in its first 12 months.

Care and Share Associates (CASA) Knowsley set up in Huyton last year and in that time has boosted jobs and training while providing vital care services that allow vulnerable, elderly or disabled people to remain in their homes.

It now serves 131 people, delivering 1,222 hours of support each week. The business, a social enterprise that puts profits back into improving services and training, worked with numerous partners including Knowsley Housing Trust (KHT) as well as the PCT and Knowsley Works to set up in the area with money from the Working Neighbourhoods Fund (WNF).

Louise Harris, Head of Social Responsibility at KHT, said: “Social enterprise is something we are passionate about supporting and growing in Knowsley. “It is a fantastic way of putting more control and choice over services in the hands of the local community, and creating much needed jobs and training.”

CASA Knowsley is a local franchise of CASA, an employee owned social care enterprise that operates branches throughout the UK. KHT approached CASA to set up in Knowsley and supported them in securing a grant of £75,000 from the Working Neighbourhood Fund to help get it off the ground.

They applied to Knowsley Health and Wellbeing and were passed to be included on the Knowsley approved list of providers. Knowsley Works led a successful recruitment drive and training programme for new workers, providing advice, training and CRB checks.

KHT, Knowsley PCT and Knowsley Council have supported CASA Knowsley over the past year and it is hoped it will continue to grow and create further jobs.

“We are thrilled by the growth of CASA in Knowsley over our first 12 months of operation,” said Dr Guy Turnbull, CASA’s director of business development.

“Such growth is testament to the quality and hard work of both CASA Knowsley’s management team, the commitment of the support staff and the support we have received from KHT and the PCT.”

This year CASA Knowsley is looking to grow in a number of areas, including providing personal assistants, developing services for the private market, and expanding services into neighbouring areas. Cenay Roberts, CASA Knowsley’s registered manager, added:

“This first year has been all about getting established. What’s important to us is the great feed-back we’ve received from service users and their families. “With the help of Knowsley Works & KHT, we’ve recruited a strong committed workforce which will share in the success of CASA Knowsley through our Employee Benefit Trust. We’re not going to sit on our laurels, and we’ve got exciting plans for 2012.”