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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.scot.
Email the title, author, date published, web link or attachment, and a short description to research@scvo.scot.
This review aims to better understand of the role of Third Sector Interfaces (TSIs) during the Covid-19 pandemic. It identifies the types of activities undertaken by TSIs during Covid-19, the effectiveness of different approaches and lessons for the future. Based on the fin… hits Read more
OSCR's November 2020 COVID-19 survey included a two part open question which was completed by 1,583 charities. 8a) Earlier you told us about how COVID-19 and the restrictions were affecting your charity. OSCR is very keen to provide the charity sector with an opportunity to s… hits Read more
This paper presents the findings from SCVO’s survey on the use of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (furlough) by third sector organisations in Scotland. The survey had 69 complete responses, while this response rate may not be large enough to draw any definitive or repres… hits Read more
In a year with unprecedented challenges, the Scottish Citizens Advice network has had to transform and adapt like never before. This report provides a summary of the network's activity over the past year. Despite the challenging circumstances the network has continued to provi… hits Read more
This report summarises key findings from a longitudinal research project undertaken by Jacki Gordon on behalf of SAMH. Over 1,000 people took part in the research, through three surveys which ran in August, October and November 2020, and a series of 15 interviews which took place… hits Read more
This report highlights the challenges faced – and, importantly, recognises the contribution made by Glasgow's social enterprise community in addressing these challenges – both over the last twelve months – and also as we look ahead. The report was put together with the full parti… hits Read more
Talk/together is the largest ever survey on what unites us and divides us. Over 150,000 people took part, returning 78,790 surveys, with 68,534 engagements through partner organizations, and 499 in-depth discussions and expert submissions. The report finds that the pandemic ha… hits Read more
The final report for Together We Help is now available and shines a light on the power of communities to mobilise and initiate social action in response to the issues that matter to them. Key findings 60% of participants got involved in social action because they felt compell… hits Read more
This paper, the third in the series, presents a summary of the existing literature on the impact coronavirus is having on voluntary sector organisations in Scotland. It includes research published primarily by Scottish voluntary sector organisations and infrastructure bodies betw… hits Read more
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
