Policy blog

Over 100 charities, campaign groups and civil society leaders have joined forces to launch a new Scotland Declaration on Human Rights, calling for leadership to protect rights in the face of Brexit, as new research published today shows considerable public support for human... Read more

The next 12 months will see the UK begin to shape its future relationship with the European Union and set out domestic arrangements to either replace, replicate or re-design existing EU-wide frameworks and institutions. At the moment, discussions are dominated by the technical... Read more

Scottish Social Security Committee vote not to amend Bill to include ‘due regard’ duty This morning (Thursday 8 February 2018), the Scottish Social Security Committee continued to consider the many amendments (over 200 at my last count) lodged at Stage 2 of the Social Security... Read more

With the UK's talks with the EU reaching crunch point, the Prime Minister has 'categorically' ruled out staying in the Custom's Union - a decision caused by the chaos and politics in her own party and her failure of leadership, rather than the result of any thought to the... Read more

A joint statement issued today* by the national third sector bodies of devolved nations Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales details various measures they feel are essential to avoid or minimise the potential harmful impacts of Brexit. The key recommendation from Northern Ireland... Read more

When the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) came into being, they marked a tectonic shift in how the UN considered global problems – that they are just that – global – and affect all of us. This has the potential to revolutionise how different actors and sectors across the... Read more

Research published by the IPPR Scotland today (31 January 2018) has found that the proposed income tax cuts on lower earnings, through a new Starter Rate, will not be effective at supporting the poorest households in Scotland, and will not help the Scottish Government to meet its... Read more

A national network co-ordinated by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) has issued an open letter to government bodies asking them to evidence their commitment to delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals in Scotland. Scotland’s Sustainable Development... Read more

The Prime Minister has guaranteed that the UK will participate in Erasmus+ until 2020, but what happens next is far from certain. Theresa May has recently guaranteed that the UK will retain access to the Erasmus+ programme until 2020. This was largely touted as good news but... Read more

The Scottish Government are creating plans to tackle our nation’s obesity problem and create a healthier future for Scots. They are seeking views on their ambitions on diet, activity and healthy weight strategy which includes increasing opportunities for people to be more active... Read more

In 2015, the First Minister confirmed that the Scottish Government would be one of the first anywhere in the world to commit to meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, both at home and overseas. Since then, all 193 UN member states have signed up to the 17 goals that seek to... Read more

As charities and CASCs, we do not need to worry about recent changes to income tax bands – and nor, in the main, do our donors. Unless you were otherwise engaged with, oh, I don’t know, Christmas shopping last week, you may have noticed the draft Scottish budget being announced... Read more

John Downie, Director of Public Affairs for the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) said: “Today’s Scottish Government Budget was a landmark one, with the Scottish Government quite radically overhauling the tax system. We welcome the introduction of a more... Read more

Responding to the announcement that facilities run by council arm’s-length bodies will continue to benefit from charity relief from non-domestic rates, John Downie, Director of Public Affairs for the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), said: “This decision flies... Read more

A further twenty three organisations from across Scotland have been granted funding for innovative projects which aim to reduce the impact of welfare cuts and poverty in Scotland. Earlier this year, Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities, Angela... Read more

In response to today’s (Wednesday 22 November 2017) Budget announcement by the Chancellor Philip Hammond, John Downie, Director of Public Affairs at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) said: “Predictably, The Chancellor’s budget statement today did nothing to... Read more

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) are asking Scottish and Welsh MPs to back the cross-party amendments to the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill drafted jointly by the Scottish and Welsh Governments. While both... Read more

In response to today’s (Thursday 2 November 2017) publication of the Scottish Government’s ‘The Role of Income Tax in Scotland’s Budget’ discussion paper, John Downie, Director of Public Affairs at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) said: “SCVO welcomes the... Read more

A few weeks ago, SCVO asked us to write a short blog about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Specifically, the SDG concerning gender equality and its link to the rest of the goals. For those unfamiliar, the fifth of the 17 SDGs commits member states to achieving gender... Read more

In recent weeks, Theresa May has resembled the dismembered Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Despite receiving seemingly fatal blows, she somehow survives and carries on regardless. Think what you may of the Prime Minister, her determination is something to behold... Read more

Speak to anyone who has been to a child’s birthday party, to a pipe band competition or a demonstration, and they’ll tell you that more ‘voices’ make you sit up and take notice. This is something that the Scottish voluntary sector knows well. Collective campaigning is our norm... Read more

Most of us have goals that we seek to achieve, either set by ourselves, by who we work for, or both. Common, shared goals are important in delivering real change and none more so, in my opinion, than the global ones for sustainable development set by the United Nations in... Read more

It’s hard to argue with the idea that we all want to live in a more peaceful, fairer world. But is that achievable? The answer is yes, and we have a road map to get there too. The internationally agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 overarching goals which can lead... Read more

Saved from the chopping block by May’s post-election weakness, Phillip Hammond was yesterday able to jump to the dispatch box to deliver another budget and, alas, another u-turn. This time, the roll-out of Universal Credit got a face lift of sorts. The changes include: • The... Read more

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) apply to every country in the world; they recognise that we only have one earth, there is no umbilical cord to provide us with extra resources, there is no extraterrestrial land fill site where we can dispose of our waste. Today, the... Read more

At the weekend I picked up on the story of the Grimsby Seafood Trade having a meeting at Westminster demanding the area receieves Free Trade status after Brexit. It caught my eye because Grimsby was a town that overwhelmingly voted to leave the EU. Grimsby voted 70% to leave... Read more

Policy makers must provide support to the sector to underpin tough legislation on alcohol “This is not a silver bullet.” That’s likely the line we’ll hear most from MSPs and health professionals in the coming months, as minimum unit pricing for alcohol is introduced in Scotland... Read more

With Big Ben currently out of action, the assembled masses of the House of Commons are set to put on a ding-dong of their own. Later today, we will see the beginning of the committee stage of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill. And it looks like it might be a show worth... Read more

Would you be surprised to hear that Scottish grant-making trusts and foundations gave £300million to Scottish charities last year? Or that the amount donated by grant-making trusts has doubled in the last decade, up from £128m in 2007? Or that it now accounts for 6% of the sector... Read more

Scotland’s Third Sector Governance Forum was set up in 2009 after a roundtable meeting to discuss findings from study into leadership and governance that showed that boards consistently rated their organisational effectiveness higher that the CEO and staff of the organisation. At... Read more

The release of the Paradise Papers during Living Wage week is something of a stark reminder of the inequality that still exists in the UK. While the wealthiest in society are able to stash money overseas, many are still fighting to receive a fair wage for a day’s work. Living... Read more

In the run up to the UK Parliamentary general election in June, a number of voluntary organisations got in touch with us worried about the rules for non-party campaigning at the election, and how they might apply retrospectively. But in many cases the organisations were not... Read more

Scotland’s levels of obesity are the worst in the UK and we are among the heaviest nations in Europe. As an adult, it is now more normal to be overweight or obese in Scotland than it is to be a healthy weight. While if you look around any primary school playground in Scotland... Read more

Happy #LivingWageWeek! This week sees the announcement of the updated real Living Wage, calculated according to the cost of living. The Living Wage increase will mean a payrise for hundreds of thousands of people. There are now 3,600 accredited Living Wage Employers that have... Read more

Until now the political appetite to use the Scottish Government’s tax powers could best be described as limited. Ministers were naturally cautious around the new tax powers – tax is complicated – and alongside the tribal political dynamics we have in Scotland any debate on tax is... Read more

In September 2015, Scotland joined 192 other countries and adopted a set of 17 ‘sustainable goals’ which then came into force in January 2016. The vision – and commitment – is that over the next 15 years “countries will mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight... Read more

Feel you don’t have a say in important decisions? Do you despair at Trump, or flinch at the oncoming car-crash of Brexit, but don’t know what to do? Well why not join a local meet-up group and get involved in Open Government? If you haven't heard of it, Open Government is a... Read more

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is calling for third sector organisations across the country to put supports in place to encourage EU nationals on their staff to remain in Scotland. According to the Office for National Statistics, 117,000 EU nationals left... Read more

When a cross-party group of MEPs warned Home Secretary Amber Rudd that the UK Government's plans to force EU nationals to add their names to a register in the transition period immediately after Brexit would be illegal, you do continue to wonder at the UK Government's appalling... Read more

I recently attended the Corra Foundation’s conference on funding (Corra being the relaunched Lloyds TSB Foundation and a large funder here in Scotland). The day – entitled ‘Change convention: a space to explore how to create positive change in uncertain times’ – kicked off with... Read more

Yesterday saw the start of Challenge Poverty Week, an annual campaign designed to raise awareness of anti-poverty work in Scotland. Bringing together a whole host of campaigners, community activists and people with lived experience, Challenge Poverty Week 2017 is not to be missed... Read more

On September 25th 2015, Scotland, along with 192 other countries, adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Upon looking at the set of goals, two that struck me the most were the goals... Read more

Following the publication of the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) first annual report on generosity earlier today, SCVO Chief Executive Martin Sime said: "The people of Scotland make an enormous contribution to our communities through supporting and working for good causes which... Read more

You could be forgiven listening to today’s Ministerial statement on the award of contracts to deliver Fair Start Scotland – the new devolved employment support service which will commence from April 2018 – that the third sector had won the bulk of the contracts. Take it from me... Read more

The campaign to devolve employability services to Scotland lasted more than a decade. It was based on the simple proposition that local control would be better, complementary work could be aligned to deliver a better service and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which... Read more

On this day in 2015, 193 UN member states gathered in New York to sign up to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It’s the closest the world has come to a global strategy for tackling poverty, inequalities and climate change, and the SDGs have quickly become one of the world... Read more

Scotland’s third sector have made clear the grave concerns we hold around the potential loss of human rights protections we all enjoy as part of the EU, the rights of EU citizens living here and the future of EU funding – which so many charities rely on to undertake the great... Read more

Do you seek to influence or lobby MSPs, Scottish Ministers, Scottish Special Advisers or the Permanent Secretary? If so, then by early next year you will need to register any ‘regulated lobbying’ with the Scottish Parliament’s lobbing register. If you are coming to this new, read... Read more

I think it’s fair to say that this is one of the most interesting times I have lived through in terms of an ever changing political landscape. It feels to me that, since the independence referendum, we haven’t known from one week to the next how policy might suddenly shift and... Read more

Earlier today (7 September 2017), the Scottish Government announced details of the £10m Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF), one of the activities funded by the apprenticeship levy. The fund will be open for applications from 11 September 2017 and access will be on a first... Read more

Do the First Minister’s announcements mark a truly radical change in approach and will actions match the warm rhetoric? With MSPs back from the summer recess, the First Minister outlined her Programme for Government for the year ahead. The programme was trailed as the Scottish... Read more

Speaking after the launch of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund today, Martin Sime, Chief Executive of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations said: “This is a totally inadequate response to the UK Apprenticeship Levy which will have barely any impact in the third... Read more

First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon outlined her programme for government for the forthcoming year today (5 Sept 2017). Commenting on the announcement, Deputy Chief Executive of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Lucy McTernan said: “After a decade in office, the First... Read more

Like many colleagues across the sector, last week I finalised SCVO’s response to the Social Security Committee on the Social Security (Scotland) Bill (hurray!). In our response, as is echoed across the third sector, SCVO welcomed the Scottish Government’s aspirations to foster a... Read more

With Brexit negotiations between the UK Government and Europe leaders now underway, Scotland’s charities and voluntary organisations now face the daunting task of ensuring Brexit has the least negative impact possible on Scotland’s communities. Our sector has expressed grave... Read more

My role consists of promoting not just one but two multilateral agendas here in Scotland – the Sustainable Development Goals and the Open Government Partnership. It’s some test, but one of the most exciting challenges I’ve faced. In being a member of the Open Government... Read more

Scottish Government to review scheme and want to hear your views The Scottish Government is in the process of reviewing the new water rates exemption scheme for charities. The Government are keen to hear how the system has been working for charities in Scotland since its... Read more

Report out today calls for changes to non-domestic rates. Earlier today, the Barclay Review of Business Rates released the report of their findings and recommendations. This concludes the long process of evidence sessions, written submissions and Parliamentary scrutiny as the... Read more

In the Barclay Review of Business Rates published today (22 August 2017) two key recommendations affecting the third sector in Scotland were put forward. First, the Group have recommended that arms-length external organisations (ALEOs) lose charitable rate tax relief (and sports... Read more

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” – Winston Churchill After 14 months of wearying speculation and intrigue, Brexit is about to get very real. Soon, the phony war will end and we will begin to see a... Read more

Whilst our MSPs have been enjoying their recess, it’s been a typically busy Summer for our sector. Top of the agenda for many will have been the draft Scottish Social Security Bill – and so it should be. This bill covers a wide range of benefits and, with the proposed new agency... Read more

It’s only as the Guidance is being drafted that the full horror of what has been passed into law is being revealed. The Scottish Lobbying Act is a pretty toxic mix of thoughtless good intention and bungling incompetence. It will undermine participation in our democracy. The Act... Read more

Last week many of our political leaders made the most of recess and set off on their Summer holidays after an apparently gruelling political session so far...you can almost feel the sympathy up and down the country. With the sure footed Theresa May hillwalking in the Alps... Read more

Members of a new network dedicated to open government have written to the Scottish Parliament to call for an urgent review of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. Members of the Open Government Scotland Network - which comprises over 200 charities, academics, trade... Read more

As you may have noticed, Liam Fox - the UK Secretary of State for International Trade - is in Washington DC. Poor Liam, you have to feel for him. Despite his best efforts to focus our attention on a "new and exciting chapter" in UK-US trade relations, the start of his visit has... Read more

With UK Government or Tory party policy – take your pick, depending on your perspective – disarray on Brexit negotiations on display once again last week, it's almost easy to look upon it as a great political spectator sport. If it only wasn't so serious. Liam Fox, the... Read more

Recommendations fail to guarantee the human rights of the workforce in the UK The Taylor Report on the modern workforce was published earlier this week to mixed reviews. There was some criticism for a report that many feel is too cautious to enact real change for workers in... Read more

We’re all busy. Busy working on projects, policies and campaigns in the hope that they’ll make a big impact to our organisations. I’m no different, busy promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to third sector organisations across Scotland. The question you’re probably... Read more

For the first time since her humbling General Election result, Theresa May has broken cover to deliver a major address – billed by some as a re-launch (another?) of her leadership and government. Accepting that she had to face up to a ‘new reality,' the Prime Minister appeared to... Read more

Reducing inequality, ending poverty and providing good quality education - no one argued that these weren’t the correct goals to aim for, but translating the Sustainable Development Goals (or SDGs) into a Scottish context with clear actions and outcomes which are inclusive and... Read more

Lucy McTernan, Deputy Chief Executive for the Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), today responded to the publication of the Budget Process Review Group's Final Report: “SCVO welcomes the publication of today’s report by the Budget Review Group which – if adhered... Read more

John Downie, Director of Public Affairs at SCVO, responded today to the publication of the Social Security (Scotland) Bill: "The publication of the Social Security Bill is a landmark moment for the Scottish Parliament and we are pleased that the forthright views of Scotland's... Read more

SCVO’s Director of Public Affairs John Downie said: “We welcome the publication of today’s report and are encouraged to see many of the concerns raised by the third sector taken on in the Commission’s recommendations. “Scotland’s voluntary organisations put in a great deal of... Read more

A day of solidarity and unity with refugees around the world The charity sector loves awareness days. We attach so much significance to them it’s easy to lose perspective and imagine everyone outside our bubble is as enthusiastic about our work as we are. So I asked some friends... Read more

As Brexit negotiations get underway, the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and the Scottish Government’s EU Office are hosting an evening reception in Brussels tomorrow (Tuesday 20 June) to ensure that the voice of civil society is heard throughout the process... Read more

Brexit is a big deal for all of us. Right from the start it’s been a hugely complex issue - and that was before the General Election. Whether we look at it as private citizens or through the prisms of our professional interests there is no doubt that it will be one of the biggest... Read more

In 2015, Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that the Scottish Government would be one of the first anywhere in the world to commit to meeting the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development, both at home and overseas. Since then, all 193 UN member states have signed up to the 17 goals that... Read more

As we progress further and further with the Lobbying (Scotland) Act, I thought now would be a good time to tell you when you can give your notepad / laptop / other memory aid a rest, knowing that you do not need to record the names of who you spoke to and what you said. There are... Read more

It’s Carers Week time again, and there have been plenty of events and activities taking place all across Scotland raising awareness of what carers do and how they can be supported. The theme of Carers Week is 'carer-friendly communities' - highlighting that it’s everyone’s... Read more

When the unthinkable happens, we need a blog… don’t we? There’s no doubt that “Jez We Can” resonated. As a result, we find ourselves in the murky waters of the fabled ‘hung Parliament’. Far from establishing strength or stability, we are now aboard a rudderless ship, entering yet... Read more

As the dust settles on another extraordinary election result there are more questions than answers about what happens next. Will the PM hang on? Is an accord with the Ulster Unionists viable? Just what are the implications of this result for the kind of Brexit and the kind of... Read more

Martin Sime, Chief Executive of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, has today issued a statement following the 2017 UK Election results: There has been some interesting analysis around the election results this morning, and while there have been a few surprises... Read more

Volunteers: we all love them, we all want them, but are there enough to go round? In our recent Sector Forecast, 61% of respondents told us they were planning to recruit more volunteers in 2017. One in three small charities and two in three larger charities hoped to see their... Read more

Children’s organisations in Scotland, and across the UK, are seriously concerned that Brexit may adversely affect the rights and wellbeing of children and young people. Child protection has been strengthened by binding European legislation, including laws against trafficking of... Read more

Thousands of charities and voluntary organisations are gearing up to celebrate the vital contribution made by volunteers across the length and breadth of Scotland. From 1-7 June 2017, Volunteers’ Week Scotland will see a huge range of events take place in communities all over the... Read more

Official guidance for the Lobbying (Scotland) Act is currently being created - what do you need to see in it? Read more

Is it any wonder people don’t engage in politics? Being on Twitter on Monday night, you’d be forgiven for thinking the whole world was tuned in to ‘The Battle for Number 10’. Quick wit, shrewd analysis, mild rage and casual observations filled my timeline as university friends... Read more

From October to December 2016, SCVO ran a series of three workshops and an online survey to get a better understanding of when and how trustees access information and support, and what they feel could be done to improve the information and support currently available to them. The... Read more

Like many working in public affairs, I’m guilty of trotting out lots of statistics to support my organisation’s policy objectives and calls to action. There are 759,000 unpaid carers in Scotland, and on top of that there are the hidden carers that we can’t measure through the... Read more

Organisations believe Scottish Government approach to employability won’t help those in need, or get the best out of the third sector. At the Joined Up For Jobs (Ju4J’s) partnership forum meeting in Edinburgh today (Friday 26 May) SCVO will state their opposition to the approach... Read more

Views are being sought from the third sector in Scotland on the future of social care, following the launch of a discussion paper outlining financial concerns. A key focus for the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the sustainability of the third sector in... Read more

On the radio last week a group of 'Remainers' were asked if they would vote in the General Election for parties promising a second EU referendum. It was interesting. Most said "no" - their line being: the vote has been decided, we need to proceed and exit. This must give those... Read more

The UK is leaving the EU. UK citizens and organisations risk losing access to all of the progressive policy initiatives and social advances that have been hard-won over decades of EU membership. What can we do mitigate the risk? That was the question at the forefront of our minds... Read more

Scotland’s social care sector: The financial evidence that is driving change Report by Jo Armstrong, May 2017 Summary A key focus for the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the sustainability of the third sector in Scotland. Social care amounts to over a... Read more

How to solve a problem like social care? You will no doubt have noticed that the ‘social care crisis’ in England and Wales is playing out across our print and TV media. This coverage focuses primarily on declining finances and staff shortages. However, we must remember that it is... Read more

Having learned most of my French from ‘Allo ‘Allo, I’m afraid the title above will be the beginning and the end of the use of the language in this blog piece – which details a recent third sector delegation to Brussels. Led by SCVO, a diverse delegation of Scottish third sector... Read more

In our latest Intermediaries Report, we discuss the role of intermediaries and the reach and impact they have, with case study examples. Also included is a directory of intermediaries operating in Scotland right now. View the May 2017 Intermediaries Report Read more

HIV Scotland is often described as a “health charity” - one which can sit neatly within one specific policy portfolio. However as a policy issue, HIV spans across many topics – education, stigma, discrimination to name a few – and it must be first and foremost viewed as a human... Read more

Well, as is customary following an election (or any contest for that matter), let's chew over the results. Firstly (due to continued heightened interest in politics post-indyref and greater media coverage of General Election 2017) turnout increased to 46.9% from 39.6% in 201... Read more

As the unedifying spectacle that is UK general election continues to depress us with its stage managed press conferences and lack of genuine debate, you have to question the state of our democracy. It's even more depressing if you start thinking of it in the context of Brexit... Read more