Policy blog

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