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Sarah Hill introduces a new, regular section from the National Social Inclusion Programme (NSIP) on policy developments and best practice in social inclusion and mental health.

The paper aims to improve understanding of the UK policy context for the social economy and thereby increase policy effectiveness in promoting the sector.

First the term “social economy” is discussed and defined. Then the range of policy responses to the social economy is reviewed. The interface between the social economy and policy is examined in detail using a case study initiative: time banks, a type of community currency which uses time as money.

UK government policy responds very positively to the social economy, viewing it as a potential provider of social cohesion, public service delivery, and sustainable development. However, the time bank case study reveals that existing social policy on work and employment is a barrier to realising the potential of the sector.

Proposals to overcome these policy barriers are suggested: they share the approach of redefining “work” and valuing and rewarding unpaid community efforts in the social economy.

The social economy is attracting increasing policy attention, but there is little empirical research in this area. This paper presents a review of existing policy and examines the impacts of policy in the social economy.

This paper seeks to suggest that social housing can and should be the local hub for cost‐effective, human‐scale health and wellbeing. It aims to explore the way that community‐based housing providers can help health and social care services to deliver long‐term wellbeing.

The argument is illustrated with examples of constructive practice drawn from membership of the PlaceShapers Group of housing associations, across different parts of England.

Localism and promotion of public health lie at the roots of social housing, dating back more than 150 years. Because of their physical stake and presence in communities, social landlords are able to offer combined homes and support in a way and on a scale that few private operators can match. So social housing providers are in a prime position to add value and recast the relationship between health, wellbeing, social care and housing. But social housing organisations and their leaders will need to be highly inventive, enterprising and determined to reap the full rewards for service users and neighbourhoods.

Changes to the health, wellbeing and social care landscape, coming into effect in England and Wales from April 2013, present a unique opportunity to bridge the “parallel worlds” of housing and health. Local housing providers now have the chance to bond their long‐term presence, commitment and investment in communities to the new outcomes required for health and social care.

The lead author is chair of a grouping of community‐based housing associations working throughout England and is especially well placed to identify examples of innovative practice, such as those described in the paper.

This paper argues the case for more mentoring and befriending projects to be set up to support older people with various levels of needs. From reducing social isolation to helping with form filling, the benefits of mentoring and befriending are numerous. An introduction to mentoring and befriending is given, along with some case study examples of projects in action. A look at some of the ways befriending can be used to support older people from a new report by the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation is followed by a look at some recent research, concluding with some implications for practice.

The purpose of this paper is to describe a voluntary sector organisation's work in transforming day services, based on peer support, in the face of major cuts in Local Authority funding and the requirement to provide “low-cost, high-impact services”.

A description of the challenges facing the organisation and the ways in which services were configured based on peer support.

The number of people for whom support was provided increased from 60 to 180 using the rich pool of talent present among peers/volunteers. Friendships developed to reduce isolation and across the provision a sense of hope and optimism was created.

Many services are facing substantial cuts. This paper offers a positive approach to addressing these based on peer support and use of community resources that may be of value to others facing similar challenges.

Our paper is centred on exploring the experiences of opening up closed doors to strangers in the context of home exchange.

This paper is based on a year-long research project which has drawn on multiple qualitative methods of data collection. A bricolage approach was adopted to enable the authors to gather data which is sensitive to multivocality and conscious of difference within the consumer experience.

Our findings demonstrate that home exchangers treat their home as an asset to be capitalised, to allow them to travel to places and communities otherwise unreachable. Home exchangers simultaneously engage in the symbolic creation of home in a temporary environment and utilise the kinship and community networks of their home exchange partner.

Our paper adds depth and an insight to the increasing media coverage of the home exchange phenomenon.

As a consumption practice that is witnessing widespread appeal, home exchange uncovers evidence of trust amongst strangers. While it is common practice to open the home in order to build friendship, it is less common for this invitation to be extended to strangers.

We extend the extensive theorisation of the home as a symbolic environment and reveal that the home can also be used in an enterprising fashion.

In recent times the government has emerged as an enabling and empowering facilitator promoting the adoption of corporate social responsibility (CSR) by businesses to leverage economic competitiveness and growth. India provides a unique context to explore the mandated role of government in relation to CSR specifically within the context of understanding its effective use to resolve grand challenges which the country is facing at present. Grand challenges are complex social, economic and environmental problems which require innovative and collaborative solutions. In this chapter we explore extant secondary data, related to CSR and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to examine whether mandatory CSR implementation which has been unfolding in India over the last few years has been effective in addressing India's grand challenges. Specifically, it focuses on the role of the Indian government, at the national and state levels, in directing CSR activities towards the SDGs.