Coronavirus policy & research
During 2020/21, the impact of coronavirus on the voluntary sector in Scotland will be a key focus for our research and policy work.
We will use this page to collate our latest blogs, briefings, and position papers, and to update on opportunities for you to help shape our work in this area.
Over the last few months we have ensured the sector’s voice is heard in national conversations including the Framework for Decision Making, the Social Renewal Advisory Board, the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery, several Scottish Parliament Committee enquiries and in the House of Lords. We gathered evidence to inform our work directly from the sector through online events, from #NeverMoreNeeded and from SCVO’s Policy Forum Manifesto for the Future.
One of the key points we have raised in these forums is that while emergency support is much needed and very welcome, we must also recognise that the operating environment for voluntary organisations before the pandemic was far from perfect. This was recognised in the recommendations of the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery and accepted by the Scottish Government, and we are now beginning to discuss with Scottish Government and COSLA how we can engage the sector in a conversation about increasing collaboration with national and local government to achieve better outcomes for the sector and the people we work with/causes we champion.
Alongside our collaborative work with a range of funders on their emergency responses to Covid, we have also been involved in shorter term lobbying on Gift Aid, and were successful in widening access to business support grants to the sector in the early days of the pandemic.
We have collated and summarised the research available on the impact of Coronavirus on the voluntary sector in Scotland, and our statistics have been used in parliamentary debates and on conference platforms.
The #NeverMoreNeeded campaign is sharing stories of how individuals and organisations are responding.
Latest intelligence briefings & blogs See more
Coronavirus evidence library
About
The Evidence Library is a resource for anyone interested in the voluntary sector in Scotland. Managed by SCVO, the library signposts to research and evidence produced by, or on, the voluntary sector. For further information email: research@scvo.org.uk.
Submit your own research
Email the title, author, date published, web link or attachment, and a short description to research@scvo.org.uk.
Left Out and Locked Down: impacts of covid-19 lockdown for marginalised groups in Scotland. (December 2020)
This research project is focussing on four groups that may already have been isolated, excluded or marginalised prior to Covid-19. The research is organised into work streams for each of these populations. The groups include: Disabilities and long-term health conditions… hits Read more
COVID-19 Impact on Charities. (December 2020)
This report details the findings from a survey with over 2,500 charities to help provide a snapshot of the impact of the pandemic on a large and representative cross section of Scottish charities. Carried out in November 2020, it builds on the comprehensive data gathered from OSC… hits Read more
Meaningful connections: How peer support in Scotland adapted to a digital world during Covid-19 (December 2020)
This research explores how peer support in Scotland has adapted to a digital world with creativity and flexibility during Covid-19 restrictions. The Meaningful connections research report is based on engagement with 170 different peer support services and 110 participants from… hits Read more
Supporting Scottish Communities During Covid-19. (December 2020)
CRNS have published their impact report on supporting Scottish communities during Covid-19. The report covers: Beyond Covid-19 – 2020 has been a tremendously difficult year for the community resources sector. Many organisations stopped trading overnight at the start of lo… hits Read more
Edinburgh Covid-19 Food Programme: Lessons Learned. (November 2020)
This report reflects the shared experience of voluntary and statutory partners delivering a city-wide programme. It provides an overview of this partnership work and takes into account the views of representatives from City of Edinburgh Council, third sector food providers and co… hits Read more
Lonely and left behind: Tackling loneliness at a time of crisis. (October 2020)
This report, Lonely and left behind: tackling loneliness at a time of crisis provides rich insight into how some of the people most affected by the pandemic are coping, and how they’re not. Its findings make the case for more action to tackle loneliness as we head into new restri… hits Read more
Report #1 Lessons from lockdown. (November 2020)
This is the first of three reports from phase one of the MoVE (mobilising volunteers effectively) project, exploring key lessons from the national lockdown. This report presents the first set of findings from 49 semi-structured interviews with a range of stakeholders from Engl… hits Read more
Inspiring Scotland Insights: October 2020.
Covid-19 Reflections: Covid has supercharged inequalities, underlining and increasing pre-existing areas of disadvantage. Organisations are resourceful, robust, adaptable and are striving to maintain quality services The voluntary sector is incredibly innovative and re… hits Read more
Learning from Lockdown: 12 Steps to Eliminate Digital Exclusion. (October 2020)
Since the outbreak of Covid-19 the scale of digital exclusion in the UK has been exposed and exacerbated beyond previous understanding. While new initiatives have been rapidly and successfully delivered, substantially accelerating progress, there is still much more to be done to… hits Read more
Beyond the Covid Crisis – Lessons from Lockdown. (September 2020)
Glasgow TSI Network have been carrying out research into the third sector’s response to lockdown in Glasgow. Back in March when the country was placed under lockdown the third sector were quick to act in providing essential services to their communities. The response was incredib… hits Read more