Policy reports

When the Scottish Government announced in November 2019 that the budget would be postponed, due to the general election, SCVO recognised that the delay would impact on funding decisions for the voluntary sector. The delay and uncertainty will likely cause significant challenges... Read more

SCVO and SES briefing to the Scottish Parliament 18 November 2019 Download a copy of this briefingDownload Summary The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations and Social Enterprise Scotland support this bill and welcome the development of a Scottish National Investment Bank... Read more

Introduction The current settled status scheme places the human rights of EU citizens at fundamental risk – their right to their private and family life, to work, to health and to social security are undermined. EU citizens have been living here as a right, but will now be... Read more

SCVO and SES briefing to the Scottish Parliament September 2019 Summary This briefing sets out both the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisation’s (SCVO) and Social Enterprise Scotland’s (SES) support for the Scottish National Investment Bank Bill – on the condition that this... Read more

22 May 2019 SCVO-Submission-to-UN-Special-Rapporteur-on-extreme-poverty-and-human-rights-Final-21-May2019Download The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), our members, and the wider third sector welcome the exploration by the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme... Read more

SCVO submission to the Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee on the Scottish National Investment Bank 03 May 2019 SCVO submission on the SNIB to the Economy Energy and Fair Work CommitteeDownload Our position SCVO welcome the proposals for a Scottish National Investment Bank... Read more

12 March 2019 PDF: SCVO Briefing - Fair Work Action Plan - March 2019Download Our position SCVO is supportive of the Scottish Government’s commitment to Fair Work agenda and welcomes the Fair Work Action Plan. However SCVO believes that the current procurement and commissioning... Read more

Download PDF Third Sector Forecast 2019Download The sector continues to face the twin challenges of increasing demand against a backdrop of funding challenges, particularly shrinking public sector budgets and the direct and knock-on effect of local authority cuts on voluntary... Read more

SCVO Briefing to Scottish Parliament 21 January 2019 Download a PDF version of this document Summary Reduced funding is resulting in high levels of uncertainty for the people and communities who rely on personalised services delivered by Scotland’s third sector and the staff and... Read more

Thursday 20 December 2018 Download the PDF version of this document Our Position There are currently an estimated 3,500 EU nationals directly employed in the Scottish third sector, based on 2016 and 2017 data. EU nationals make an invaluable to Scotland’s third sector – as well... Read more

13 December 2018 Download PDF version of this document Introduction The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work has announced the Scottish Government’s Autumn Budget only months before the UK’s scheduled exit from the European Union. It comes amidst the uncertainties... Read more

Thursday 13 December 2018 Download a PDF version of this document. Our position Seventy years ago the Universal Declaration on Human Rights was accepted by the United Nations General Assembly. Since then, despite many setbacks, great strides have been made both at home and abroad... Read more

Protecting Our Interests: Scotland’s Response to the UK Government and EU’s Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration Wednesday 05 December 2018 Download the PDF version of this document. Our position The Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration put on offer by UK... Read more

SCVO - Scottish Government Core Contribution Framework 20 November 2018 View the Core Grant Plan 2018-20. The Core Contribution - Context SCVO works with the Scottish Government to support, promote and develop the third sector in Scotland. The Third Sector Unit in the Equalities... Read more

SCVO Brief on UK Budget 2018: The unknown - Brexit and Spending Review 30 October 2018 The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced the UK Government’s Autumn Budget only months before the UK exits the European Union and amidst the uncertainties of what a UK economy will look... Read more

SCVO Brief for the House of Commons Opposition Day Debate on 17 October 2018: The Rollout of Universal Credit 15 October 2018 Download a PDF version of this briefing Our position The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), our members, and the wider third sector... Read more

13 September 2018 Download the PDF - SCVO response to UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Our position The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), our members, and the wider third sector welcome the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and... Read more

Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scotland SCVO response to Scottish Government - 19 July 2018 Download PDF version of this document: Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scotland - July 2018 Our position Volunteer checks should always be free for volunteers Clarity about the role of trustees... Read more

Debate on Draft National Outcomes – SCVO Briefing SCVO briefing to Scottish Parliament 23 May 2018 Download the PDF version of this briefing Our position We strongly welcome all the revised National Outcomes. And the Sustainable Development Goals being used to frame them. On the... Read more

6 February 2018 Our position In December 2017, the Scottish Government announced plans to invest £600 million to meet its commitment to delivering 100% superfast broadband coverage by 2021. This will reduce the rural inequality of access to high speed internet connections... Read more

Briefing Paper: Stage 3 Reading of Social Security (Scotland) Bill 25 April 2018 View the PDF version of this document Our position SCVO, our members, and the wider third sector welcome the significant progress that has been made to strengthen the Bill at Stage 2. However, as we... Read more

EU Nationals living and working in Scotland SVO Briefing April 2018 Print PDF version here The following briefing is based on SCVO analysis of data from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and Labour Force Survey (LFS), between 2015 and 2017. General figures on EU nationals living... Read more

Engender’s call for evidence on CEDAW - SCVO response 3 April 2018 Read the Word version of this document Introduction This is SCVO’s response to Engender’s call for evidence on CEDAW. We have been encouraging our members to also respond – through a blog that Engender’s Jill Wood... Read more

Opposition Debate on Procurement (S5M-10962) SCVO briefing 13 March 2018 Summary • Procurement can be a force for good, improving social, health and income inequalities. Action on this will ensure that procurement is used to tackle poverty and inequality. • The use of the Living... Read more

SCVO briefing ahead of Scottish Government Debate: International Women’s Day 8th March 2018 Summary As just last week, more statistics highlight more issues we’re yet to address in terms of gender equality[1], we look to International Women’s Day as a reminder of how far we still... Read more

Briefing Paper: Stage 2 Reading of Social Security (Scotland) Bill – Part 3 21 February 2018 View the full document here: SCVO Social Security Bill Briefing Stage 2 Part 3 Our position The Scottish Government’s aspiration to take a rights-based approach to social security has... Read more

SCVO Briefing, February 2018 This briefing presents and analyses the findings from a survey of the general public in Scotland on trust, confidence and support of charities. The key findings are based on a telephone survey of 1,088 respondents (adults aged 16+) commissioned by... Read more

Briefing Paper: Stage 2 Reading of Social Security (Scotland) Bill – Part 2 07 February 2018 Download as PDF - SCVO Social Security Bill Briefing Stage 2 Part 2 Our position The Scottish Government’s aspirations to take a rights based approach to social security has been welcomed... Read more

SCVO briefing to Scottish Parliament 31 January 2018 Our position Income tax cuts for the low paid will not significantly reduce poverty in Scotland, given that large numbers of those in poverty in Scotland do not pay income tax. The Scottish Government must use the benefits... Read more

Briefing Paper: Social Security (Scotland) Bill 6 December 2017 Our position The Scottish Government’s aspirations to take a rights based approach to social security has been welcomed by SCVO, our members, and the wider third sector who recognise that a rights-based approach can... Read more

September 2017 Summary Introduction Here at SCVO we have been engaging our members in a wide-ranging conversation on tax and spending options, in order to find out what are the suggestions the third sector would like to bring to the table ahead of this year’s budget. We have... Read more

Affordable Internet Campaign 04 December 2017 Our position The Scottish Government will shortly make an investment of £400-£600 million to meet its commitment to delivering 100% superfast broadband coverage by 2021. This will reduce the rural inequality of access to high speed... Read more

Summary SCVO briefing 04 October 2017 The contracts awarded today sees the vast majority of contracts – 80 per cent – being awarded to the private sector, with only a small percentage of contracts being won by the third sector. This does not meet the Scottish Government’s... Read more

Final Report: Commission on Parliamentary Reform 20 June 2017 View PDF version here - Final Report Commission on Parliamentary Reform Introduction The Commission for Parliamentary Reform opened established in October 2016 by the Scottish Parliament’s Presiding Officer, Ken... Read more

Insights for 2017: Volunteers and Boards This briefing explores issues around volunteering and boards. View the PDF version of this briefing. SCVO Sector Forecast for 2017 Scottish Household Survey Volunteer Scotland Key facts 27% of Scottish adults volunteer Over 1.2million... Read more

Devolved Employability Programmes: A third sector critique SCVO briefing | 25 May 2017 View the report as a PDF - SCVO - Employability Landscape Critique May 2017 Our position The decision to adopt a single contract with each CPA has minimised the involvement of small and medium... Read more

The Future of Social Care in Scotland View this document as a PDF May 2017 This paper is presented as an accompanying discussion paper to Jo Armstrong’s analysis ‘Scotland’s social care sector: The financial evidence that is driving change.' Introduction Scotland’s vibrant third... Read more

Our position SCVO has always advocated the position that devolution remains a work in progress and that there is always a discussion to be had about where power should ideally rest. As Scotland enters another period of constitutional contemplation, we believe the ensuing debate... Read more

Introduction In 2016 the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) produced the Right Approach campaign to promote and encourage human rights-based approaches in the Scottish third sector. Following on from SCVO’s interim report produced in June 2016, this document sets... Read more

Briefing The importance of our communities - particularly those whose voices are least heard - must be remembered during this budget debate. As all MSPs recognise, the decisions they make during the debate will have a very real impact on the lives of individuals, and we hope that... Read more

SCVO briefing Health and Social Care Standards Our response The Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation on the new National Health and Social Care Standards. Social care amounts to over a quarter of the third... Read more

Scottish Government Budget Proposals Living Wage Social Care Sector Additional investment of £107 million from NHS Boards to Integration Authorities to support delivery of the Living Wage for social care workers. Employment/Employability Deliver a Scottish employment service from... Read more

Engagement Having sought the view of our members regarding the forthcoming Social Security Bill, we are aware there exists a plethora of ideas, opinions and suggestions to make this legislation as effective as possible. By utilising the expertise of Scotland’s third sector, the... Read more

New Powers In her opening remarks, the First Minister placed emphasis on the fact that her statement coincided with a new parliament with new powers at its disposal. Four new Bills in the legislative programme will see these powers used for the first time those are: Railway... Read more

Context for the Third Sector For the 2014-2020 programming period, Scotland secured a total investment of €941m (approximately £800 million) split across the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Fund (ESF). This will be split in to an ERDF allocation of... Read more

Background Following the EU Referendum on 23 June 2016, the UK electorate voted by a margin of 52% to 48% that the UK should leave the European Union. The result prompted a number of outcomes, with the Prime Minister immediately resigning, turmoil within major political parties... Read more

Introduction The announcement of a Labour Market Strategy is highly welcomed as a means of centralising the drive for better jobs, not just more jobs, in Scotland. We recognise that sustainable, meaningful paid employment is the most powerful way in which people can empower... Read more

Introduction In January 2016, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published the most comprehensive review to date of Scotland’s equality and human rights progress. Is Scotland Fairer? sets out key equality and human rights challenges in Scotland, and measures progress... Read more

Debate Briefing 1 June 2016 Introduction SCVO welcomes the opportunity to submit a briefing in advance of this debate. SCVO considers that ensuring the well-being and human rights of people across Scotland should be the guiding principle behind any vision for Scotland. This... Read more

From the ‘Valuing third sector’ section We have made significant investment in and promoted the role of the third sector, social enterprises and volunteers. The sector plays an important role and we want to increase and encourage it to grow its influence. We will take steps to... Read more

Policy briefing 8 April 2016 Taking action together SCVO briefing: issues for the third sector beyond 2016 Our vision A fairer Scotland is our vision for the future. We want to see a Scotland that is transparent, well balanced and socially just, which empowers people from all... Read more

This papers offers a comparison of the OSCR and Charity Commission guidance for charities on how to approach campaigning around the EU referendum. Read more

Why new social security powers provide an opportunity to create policies that are truly person-centred. Read more

11 February 2016 The clause The UK Cabinet Office has issued guidelines to prohibit organisations in receipt of grant funding from all UK departments from influencing government or parliament. The wording of the clause is: “The following costs are not Eligible Expenditure... Read more

Lobbying (Scotland) Bill – Stage 2 SCVO Briefing 2 February 2016 Key points: To ensure diverse views are still encouraged at Parliament and the voice of smaller third sector organisations is not lost, we continue to urge MSPs to ensure that the Lobbying Bill remains light touch... Read more

Introduction SCVO is working with Scottish Government to support third sector organisations operating both nationally and on the frontline as they help people and communities affected by welfare policy changes. This briefing shares some of the intelligence and insights we are... Read more

The third sector in Scotland employs an estimated 138,000 people (headcount) or 83,350 Full Time Equivalent workers. This equates to 5.6% of the Scottish workforce. 27% of regulated third sector organisations employ staff. Number of regulated voluntary organisations with... Read more

Lobbying (Scotland) Bill – Stage 1 SCVO Briefing 5 January 2016 Key points: To ensure diverse views are still encouraged at Parliament and the voice of smaller third sector organisations is not lost, we urge MSPs to ensure that the Lobbying Bill remains light touch If the... Read more

2 January 2016 'The pressure on budgets is intense and public spending is not expected to return to 2010 levels in real terms for 16 years.' Christie Commission Key findings Cuts to public sector budgets have started to have a real impact on third sector finances, with public... Read more

Introduction As it stands the Scotland Bill is not a coherent piece of legislation and, along with many in our sector, SCVO questions its effectiveness. We consider that this Bill ought to give the Scottish Parliament full policy autonomy over devolved areas, allowing for the... Read more

Taxation With the prospect of new powers over income tax through the Scotland Act 2012 and Scotland Bill 2015-16, SCVO has been reflecting on what a future Scottish tax system may look like. For SCVO there are two key questions to be answered before we began to consider what we... Read more

Introduction Our starting point is that our economy needs to change. In our discussion paper ‘An Economy for All’ we suggest four guiding principles which should underpin an urgently needed rethinking of our economy: The well-being and collective prosperity of people across... Read more

The effectiveness of the self-regulation of fundraising in Scotland: an informal review August 2015 Contents Foreword 1.0 Executive summary 2.0 Introduction 3.0 Fundraising in Scotland 3.1 Who fundraises? 3.2 How is money raised? 3.3 How much are charities raising in Scotland?... Read more

SCVO fundraising review, August 2015: report on survey findings This report forms a part of the wider review report The effectiveness of the self-regulation of fundraising in Scotland: an informal review 1 Context This report presents an analysis of a survey carried out by SCVO... Read more

SCVO is delighted to support this motion and the work of Amnesty International in its campaign. As we watch the plight of many thousands of refugees across Europe, never has the debate about maintaining the Human Rights Act been so current or so important. Scotland has once again... Read more

Our response Introduction SCVO has maintained a clear position on extension of FOI to the third sector. We support the extension of Freedom of Information to include the provision of all public services, irrespective of whether those services are provided by public, private or... Read more

Introduction SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to this timely and important inquiry by the Welfare Reform Committee. The Committee has been one of the most effective in the Scottish Parliament, scrutinizing and challenging both UK and Scottish policy. Such tenacity is... Read more

Introduction SCVO welcomes the Committee’s call for views on its future work programme and how the Committee itself should undertake its work. At a time when there is a strong public, press and policy focus on Scotland, largely following the substantial engagement in the... Read more

Our response SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation and would like to contribute the following, based on conversations with our elected policy committee, and with others across our sector and wider civil society. Introduction With new tax powers coming to... Read more

Our response SCVO has, over the past few years, been having a conversation with the third sector about how we can better ‘do’ our economy. SCVO therefore welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation and would like to contribute the following points which have come out... Read more

One year on from the referendum on Scottish independence, Kate Wane reflects on where we are at in terms of third sector policy Read more

Introduction SCVO welcomes the Scottish Government’s commitment to land reform and increased community ownership of land. It is encouraging to see the Policy Objectives[i] of the Bill referencing empowering people and increased public benefit as key goals of the Bill. The... Read more

Introduction Sadly, SCVO and other third sector organisations find themselves having to brief MPs on further, devastating changes to tax and benefits which will serve to push more people into poverty. Rather than achieving the goal of making work pay, the reforms outlined by the... Read more

Welfare cuts Cuts and changes to tax credits will have a huge impact on families. There are over 290,000 households in Scotland with children who currently receive tax credits, much of which goes to working families on low wages. Benefits for people of working-age will be frozen... Read more

Context and principles The third sector has a clear view about the principles and purpose of social security policy and delivery – these include dignity, holistic support and income adequacy. Yet, the reality is very far from the vision. Charities are already dealing with recent... Read more

Income tax and Gift Aid Gift Aid is a relief on income tax that benefits charities and community amateur sports clubs (CASCs). Last year Gift Aid provided over £1 billion to the third sector in the UK. Given the sums involved SCVO calls for a specific commitment for Gift Aid to... Read more

Introduction The Community Empowerment Bill has been in development for a number of years and has been subject to a considerable level of consultation and consideration. During this time the Scottish Government, the Local Government and Regeneration Committee and the Rural... Read more

Introduction Tax reform is a complex issue and not one that we are experts in. However, given that a large number of our member organisations support those on low incomes and/or benefits, that others campaign for changes in land distribution and ownership, and that yet others are... Read more

Introduction SCVO, as the umbrella body for charities and voluntary organisations in Scotland, takes a strong interest in policies and legislation concerning Scotland’s future, primarily as these often have an impact - positive and/or negative - on the people and communities our... Read more

Employer Debt in Non-Associated Multi-Employer Schemes Question 3.1 – if we were to make any changes, should we exclude associated multi-employer schemes / limit the provisions to multi-employer schemes? Changes should be made purely in relation to non-associated multi-employer... Read more

Welfare SCVO and the wider third sector will welcome the fact that the Committee has raised concerns about the welfare powers promised as a result of the Smith Commission. It is not secret that many within the sector wanted to see more welfare powers being devolved to Scotland... Read more

Introduction First, SCVO once again calls for immediate devolution of powers over supporting people into jobs agreed by the Smith Commission to Holyrood and the commencement of a wider debate about how employment and employability support should be shaped in Scotland. As outlined... Read more

Introduction SCVO welcomes the opportunity to submit this briefing on the Carers (Scotland) Bill. At a time when carers and their families face a “double whammy” of service and welfare cuts, there are too many people facing crisis situations. Recognising the wider context We... Read more

Scene Setting Health inequalities are both created and exacerbated when policies, legislation, services and our economy impact on our lives in very real and sometimes devastating ways; consider the impact of welfare reform on poverty and isolation[i], and the increased... Read more

Our response SCVO welcomes this Independent and Scottish Green Debate ‘An End to In-work Poverty’, and would like to contribute the following: Well-being through the economy Creating material wealth for its own sake cannot be the driving force behind our economy. After a certain... Read more

Land Reform Review Group We strongly welcomed the publication of the Land Reform Review Group (LRRG) Report: ‘The Land of Scotland and the Common Good’ as a thoughtful, comprehensive and coherent report, providing the rationale and agenda for action to achieve greater fairness... Read more

Dignity and Choice; Action not Rhetoric We welcome the addition of a dignity clause at Stage 2 but remain disappointed that the third sector’s more detailed amendment was rejected. Whilst political rhetoric in Scotland calls for a more compassionate and empowering approach to... Read more

Beyond legislation The Community Empowerment Bill is one small part of the change needed to enable more empowered communities. It is vital that this Bill is considered in those terms and not seen as the totality of the approach that is required. It is our view that the impact of... Read more

20th January 2015 The third sector in Scotland has long thought that ensuring the well-being of people across Scotland should be the guiding principle behind any vision for Scotland. Inequality is not just about the money in people’s pockets. It’s about a range of other issues... Read more

Income, Regional and Social Inequality SCVO considers that any future Scottish Government economic strategies should focus on using the economy, and the wealth it creates, to tackle Scotland’s endemic social, health and income inequalities. Scotland suffers from economic... Read more

Responding to Stage 1 report We welcome the depth and detail in the Welfare Reform Committee’s consideration of the Bill. In this section we respond to some of the points made in the Stage 1 report. Fraud/Trust We are supportive of the Committee’s recommendation that the ethos... Read more

On Wednesday 3 December, the Chancellor George Osborne announce his Autumn Statement – outlining the latest spending and tax decisions of the UK Government. Read full statement and report What does the statement mean for the third sector? Here we list the main announced changes... Read more

Why do we want to rethink our democracy? On the face of it, Scottish democracy works. People exercise their right to vote in a number of different elections and are then governed and represented by those who the majority voted for. Yet this is a very simplistic assessment of the... Read more

The human costs of welfare reform The sector has been at the forefront of dealing with the fall out of a range of cuts and changes to benefits and tax credits.[i] Working with our members and partners and a whole range of voluntary organisations, the picture we are building is... Read more

A Rights Deficit? Along with our members and third sector/civic society partners, SCVO has been vocal about the impact of austerity measures and welfare cuts and the resultant effect on people’s ability to fulfil basic human rights. Responses to, for example, the Oakley review on... Read more

Briefing Since the inception of the Scottish Parliament, the third sector’s role in the creation of public policy has had a positive effect. By developing strong links with parliamentarians and government officials the third sector has formed productive relationships which ensure... Read more

Land and Buildings Transaction Tax Bands and Rates: Call for Evidence This paper presents SCVO’s position on the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax bands and rates presented in the draft Budget 2015-16. It is offered in response to the Scottish Parliament’s Finance Committee’s... Read more

Context Across Scotland, the third sector has been dealing with the impact of welfare cuts and wider austerity policies head on. The picture we have is now well developed with increasing evidence of people being left in extreme need, and in some cases, with nowhere to turn: A... Read more

The Building Healthier and Happier Communities project now has tailored support available for third sector organisations in East Dunbartonshire who want to take forward ideas and make changes to the health and well-being of their communities. Before completing this Expression of... Read more

This briefing has been prepared by the Scottish Community Alliance, Community Woodlands Association, Development Trusts Association Scotland, Community Land Scotland, and Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. We have an interest in supporting communities across Scotland... Read more