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.
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.
Email the title, author, date published, web link or attachment, and a short description to research@scvo.org.uk.
Research hub showcasing some leading examples of research, think-pieces and policy analysis across the full spectrum of the social sciences which contribute to understanding and tackling the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on society and economy. Academic focus and UK-wide… hits Read more
List of successful applicants for Chief Scientist Office rapid research funding. Applications are from academia, but some relate to third sector and involve third sector partners. These include projects looking at the impact of COVID-19 on the health and wellbeing of individua… hits Read more
Note: Research covers England & Wales only. Summary Charities have had to rapidly adjust how they operate, turning services and support that were all about social contact into something online and remote. At the same time more people are seeking their help and their needs are… hits Read more
This briefing from the Poverty Alliance highlights the experiences and perspectives from community organisations and community activists from across the Poverty Alliance network, on the impact that Covid-19 is having on them and the communities in which they live and work. Com… hits Read more
This report from SenScot captures the outcomes from events that took place during SE Reset Week (w/c May 11th). Senscot hosted a series of conversations with community-based social enterprises to determine their support and resource requirements over the medium to longer-term.… hits Read more
On 23rd April 2020 VHS held an online Zoom discussion with ten voluntary health organisations to share the findings of their research into the immediate impact COVID-19 on the voluntary health sector: https://vhscotland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/VHS-Briefing-impact-of-COV… hits Read more
On 05 May 2020, OSCR emailed the principal contacts of all Scottish charities to ask for their help with completing a short survey. The survey asked questions on the impact to the charity of coronavirus (COVID-19) and the subsequent lockdown measures. The research was conducted u… hits Read more
Last updated June 2020 Legacy Foresight have updated their five-year UK market forecasts to take into account the very latest information on deaths, economic projections and administrative delays due to COVID-19. All of these factors have deteriorated since scenarios were p… hits Read more
Webpage highlighting the latest Ipsos research data exploring public opinion and insights related to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Research includes an infographic snapshot of Ipsos MORI’s research into the UK's perception of coronavirus. https://www.ipsos.com/sites/def… hits Read more
This briefing gives a summary of some of the key issues that Coronavirus is having on voluntary organisations, from the start of the crisis up until 20th May. The paper pulls together data from a range of surveys and intelligence gathered by third sector organisations and infrast… hits Read more