Letter to the First Minister: A Third Sector Partnership for Scotland

Monday 29th June 2026

Dear First Minister,

We welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to a Third Sector
Partnership, and the impetus shown in progressing this agenda so soon after the
Scottish Parliament election. I welcome the urgency that has been shown by the
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Housing , who I have copied to this letter,
and her officials in the Third Sector Unit.

In the spirit of supporting this process, I am writing to share SCVO’s paper, A
Third Sector Partnership for Scotland, which sets out our proposals for developing
a new relationship between the Scottish Government and the voluntary sector.
The paper draws on the evidence base on effective partnership working, including
our own engagement with the voluntary sector as well as drawing on insights
from partnership frameworks in place elsewhere in the UK.

Voluntary organisations are at the heart of Scotland’s response to the biggest
challenges we face —challenges that require effective partnership between the
public and voluntary sectors.

The paper sets out five core principles that we believe to be essential for
successful partnership, all of which have been informed by engagement with the
voluntary sector. These are: being underpinned in statute; accountability for
delivery across public bodies; a focus on shared outcomes; protection of the
voluntary sector’s independence; and alignment with Fair Funding principles.
Alongside these principles, we believe there are a number of important early
steps the Scottish Government should take to establish a strong foundation for
partnership. These include clear leadership from the centre of government;
meaningful engagement with the voluntary sector on the design of the
partnership; a roadmap for delivery; appropriate resourcing; and robust
mechanisms for accountability and review.

As the paper argues, leadership from the centre of government will be essential.
A partnership of this significance cannot be delivered by any one team or
portfolio alone . It must be understood, supported and implemented consistently
across all government departments and agencies. For that reason, we believe that
your leadership and support will be critical to ensuring that the Third Sector
Partnership delivers lasting change , across the whole of government.
We welcome the commitment you have already made and look forward to
working constructively with you , the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, your
ministers and officials to develop a partnership that delivers for the voluntary
sector, for your government and, most important of all, for people and
communities across Scotland.

I look forward to hearing from you in due course.

Yours sincerely,

Anna Fowlie
Chief Executive
Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations