Policy blog

Introduction I would first like to say thank you to Sally, who is here tonight with Jamie and Luke, and to Martin Sime for asking me to give this lecture. I am truly honoured. I deeply respected Stephen Maxwell. He had such integrity and a real and serious concern about... Read more

Channel 4's latest documentary adds to the dangerous anti-benefits rhetoric. Read more

In 2011, over 4000 charities in Scotland were focused on the prevention and relief of poverty and 17% of all charities included this in their list of charitable purposes. Read more

As we move into the festive period, many of us will be reflecting on what this year has meant for us. We may also be looking ahead, planning our resolutions, joining the local gym (again), digging out that diet plan (again) - you know the drill. For many of us in the third sector... Read more

Throughout the rushed passage of the UK Government’s Lobbying Bill (that wonderful piece of legislation that, if enacted in its current form, will stop nearly all campaigning of any kind by anyone within 12 months of any election – so basically all year, every year here in... Read more

In the newly released SCVO report into the future health and confidence of the sector, it’s clear that our sector is viewing 2014 with some pretty mixed feelings. Read more

Zero hours contracts are bad for workers and bad for customers Read more

41% of charities and third sector organisations grew in size in 2013 despite the difficult economic environment – an improvement on 2012 when just 31% of organisations increased in size Over three quarters (77%) of charities and third sector organisations expect demand to... Read more

Commentary The third sector is clearly making a real difference to the lives of people in Scotland and is heading in the right direction again despite a challenging economic environment. This isn’t just good news for the staff and volunteers who work within the sector, it also... Read more

These data tables accompany the State of the Sector 2013 report. Figure 1 The increase/decrease in organisation size reported by respondents between 2007 and 2013. Over the last 12 months has your organisation: 2007 2008 2009 (estimate) 2010 (estimate) 2011 2012 2013 Grown in... Read more

Progressing Scotland’s National Action Plan for Human Rights will be no easy task, but if there was ever a sector that knows how to change lives for the better, it’s ours. Read more

Ironically passing on the night of the launch of his biopic, many more will now take the time and space to reflect on his life and unrivalled legacy. Read more

Aim of the fund The Community Transport Vehicle Fund is a one-off Scottish Government initiative with £1m available for 2013/14. It aims to help community transport operators buy new vehicles either to replace older vehicles or to expand services. This initiative has arisen... Read more

John Downie blogs on the failings of the Procurement Bill to include the Living Wage and to help people and communities. Read more

Carole Patrick writes in a personal capacity on why our conduct within the referendum debate matters, as it reflects how we express our humanity and respect for others. Read more

Following the launch of the Scottish Government’s White Paper on independence today, Martin Sime, Chief Executive, SCVO said: “More than one million people are living in poverty in Scotland and 30% of our population don’t vote and will never set eyes on this weighty document. How... Read more

If Scotland’s future is based on a done deal made behind closed doors away from people and communities, then what’s the point? Read more

SCVO has published the first in a series of papers which lay out the third sector’s vision and ambitions for a Scotland of the future in the run-up to next year’s referendum. The report brings together thinking and ideas from across the third sector and will help to spark more... Read more

The bigger picture A new economy – less dependency Examining the future of welfare in Scotland without understanding why people are dependent on a myriad of benefits and allowances is a mistake. Within the third sector, and more widely, there is a growing call for our economy to... Read more

The survey This survey was undertaken to discover what the third sector currently feels about the debate; whether it is having any impact on organisations; and what they hope to see come out of the debate in the coming year. As SCVO will be holding an event on referendum issues... Read more

Economic strategy shouldn’t be an experiment just about growing the economy. We need a solution that considers people, their happiness and their jobs. Read more

The need for change in public service delivery is obvious Read more

The latest consultation on the Community Empowerment Bill reveals the chasm that exists between good policy rhetoric and poor implementation, says Felix. Read more

Jo Armstrong argues that the third and public sectors should be doing things differently to ensure a living wage for all low-paid staff. Read more

Do most people really know how their salary compares to the rest of the UK workforce? Probably not, says Jenny Bloomfield. Read more

It needs to focus on the big issues that matter to people More than half of charities think the debate is uninspiring and predictable. It’s missing the big issues that matter to them and people in Scotland – poverty, welfare, jobs, health and social care 40% of charities and... Read more

James Maxwell discusses what’s plaguing the referendum debate and shows that more clarity could help. Read more

Challenge Poverty Week is a great opportunity to put poverty in the spotlight, banish stigma and share ideas taking on welfare reform challenges, says Lynn. Read more

The House of Lords is our last chance to avoid the disastrous implications of the gagging bill, says Felix. Read more

In the third sector it can be difficult to take time away from the coalface to sit down with others and debate, but we should make the effort when it comes to the referendum, says SCVO board member Carole Patrick. Read more

Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is launching a new project which will invest in charities and third sector organisations in several localities across Scotland to help prepare them for the shift of health and social care services to local community level... Read more

Rising to Scotland’s health challenge means a fundamental shift in the way we approach the business of staying well, says Lucy. Read more

Following George Osborne’s speech proposing that long-term unemployed people will be forced into community service, John Downie, Director of Public Affairs, SCVO said: “The UK Government must stop this ritual humiliation of unemployed people “The so-called “Help to Work... Read more

Political decisions shape the lives of everyone, from how we are educated to where we live and how much support we get when things go wrong. And yet we have declining interest in party politics and the political system here in Scotland. We have neither a range of candidates... Read more

I wasn’t surprised by the findings of SCVO’s Scotland’s Future survey undertaken this summer – they echo my experience of the lack of inspirational debate and poor engagement with the changes our decision next year could open up. I’ve remained very much on the periphery of these... Read more

Only one in three third sector organisations is engaged with the constitutional debate? More than half are uninspired? And the dominant view is that it has been mundane, alienating, confusing, unilluminating? Can there be any surprise? To get to the bottom of why things have been... Read more

One of our policy officers mistakenly wrote down that the Finance Secretary had allocated £32.5m extra funds in his Budget announcement this week to the third sector. It was actually £2.5m, but it really got us all going for a while. What could the sector do with a cash injection... Read more

Introduction Scotland is in a privileged position as we debate our future as a nation. We have a unique opportunity to debate the kind of society we want to see, and the ways in which we might achieve this vision. The future of welfare and the possibility that Scotland could do... Read more

Could several generations sharing a home make for happier, more supportive and better connected communities? Read more

Overview The impact of welfare reform has been felt across Scotland, and, as research commissioned by the Scottish Parliament’s Welfare Reform Committee shows, the most deprived areas in Scotland will take the biggest financial hit. With the reforms taking more than £1.6bn a year... Read more

Overview This paper is written by one of Scotland’s leading social policy experts Jim McCormick. It examines the impacts of the UK Government’s welfare cuts and reforms. SCVO’s starting point is that the UK coalition Government’s welfare cuts are unmerited and unjust. They are... Read more

I thought that the chat over lunch with a friend before the Scotland/Serbia game on Saturday would be more about Craig Levin's team selection rather than a run through the latest but significant happenings in Scottish politics. But, strangely, conversation was dominated by the... Read more