Letter to Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Reform
Dear Cabinet Secretary
I am writing following the publication of SCVO’s latest Scottish Third Sector Tracker Pulse report, which explored, through focus groups, voluntary organisations’ experience of public service delivery and their hopes for the reform process that you are leading. I hope this of interest to you.
The research underlines the essential role the voluntary sector plays not only in the delivery of public services, but also the crucial work that is done in communities across Scotland that can be missed when looking at the contribution through a public service delivery lens. This includes key preventative interventions, deep connections in communities, as well as providing essential social infrastructure.
Our findings also underline what we know isn’t working – short-term public sector funding that doesn’t meet the cost of delivery, as well as the damage caused by poor partnership practice on the part of public authorities, defined by bureaucracy, risk aversion and siloed decision-making.
Participants also set out what successful public service reform must deliver. Voluntary organisations warned that the sector cannot be expected to take on more responsibility without addressing the funding landscape – and the workforce and capacity challenges that stem from it. Contributors outlined the need for a place-based approach that recognises the unique challenges faced by different communities across Scotland. Reform must give communities and frontline organisations meaningful influence, with success judged by outcomes and the tangible difference made to people’s lives.
I welcome the Scottish Government’s recognition of the role of the voluntary sector in public service delivery and reform. This is a commitment I know you take seriously and is reflected in the commitments in Scotland’s Public Service Reform Strategy. Regrettably, however, the voluntary sector is currently largely absent from the conversations that are taking place, and the governance structures that sit behind the reform process. That needs to change.
The voluntary sector must be involved in shaping, designing, delivering and evaluating reform. Organisations want to see greater clarity about how this involvement will be achieved in practice, including clear timelines, measures of progress, and transparent reporting arrangements.
Scotland’s voluntary organisations bring significant expertise, insight and community reach. There remains an opportunity to embed the sector meaningfully in the reform process, but that opportunity may be lost unless the right structures are established.
I would welcome another discussion with you and your officials about how the voluntary sector can be meaningfully involved in the governance and delivery of the reform programme.
Yours sincerely,
Anna Fowlie
Chief Executive
