8th May 2025
Programme for Government Response
As in previous years, we’ve had to carefully read between the lines in the 2026/27 Programme for Government to find the glimmers of hope for volunteering in Scotland. However, despite the lack of explicit actions related to volunteering, there are a number of reasons to be cautiously optimistic.
Funding and Public Service Reform
It is, of course, disappointing that yet again there are no concrete actions related to volunteering. This is particularly frustrating given the significant decline in formal volunteering participation in recent years that will, inevitably, have a considerable impact on many of the policy priorities detailed for the next year.
However, we cautiously welcome the commitment to a ‘Fairer Funding’ pilot for the third sector, with an evaluation due in May 2026. Whilst progress on this could undoubtedly have been quicker, it is good to see some tangible actions with clear timelines. As stated by our colleagues in SCVO, this is ‘a step in the right direction’. We also welcome the commitment to multi-year funding for the culture sector – a sector that is equally reliant on volunteers – and hope that this will inform approaches to fair third sector funding in the future.
The commitment to publish a strategy for Public Service Reform with explicit reference to the third sector as a ‘key delivery partner’ is also encouraging. However, it is vital that the third sector, and volunteers, are treated as equal partners in the reform process. There is considerable evidence that the third sector and volunteers are already struggling, with some worrying recent examples of community or volunteer-led options being considered in the face of public service cuts.
Community Empowerment
In his foreword, the First Minister states that this “will be a government that seeks to empower people and communities, brought together in common purpose to improve the lives of our people.” Many of the ‘people and communities’ Mr Swinney is seeking to empower are in fact volunteers. With this in mind, the announcement about progressing the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, the commitment to launch a consultation on community right to buy powers, and the delivery of £7 million through the Scottish Land Fund could help to ensure that volunteers in local communities find community empowerment processes easier to navigate and access. We are also pleased that the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill is an ongoing priority and will endeavour to engage with the scrutiny of this as it progresses through parliament.
Education and Skills
There is also a lot to be optimistic about in the announcements related to Scotland’s education and skills landscape. The commitment to establish a national Recognition of Prior Learning system is welcome news and will hopefully provide a method for recognising the skills and experience gained through volunteering. We are also hopeful that the commitments related to skills planning, careers support, and employability support for parents and disabled people could promote the value of volunteering for building important skills for employment.
In commitments regarding Scotland’s schools, Volunteer Scotland is already engaged in the Curriculum Improvement Cycle and are encouraged by the ongoing commitment to curriculum reform as an opportunity embed volunteering in the school curriculum – a recommendation detailed in our Education and Skills Briefing last year. We look forward to seeing the timeline for this in June. In addition, the decision to provide training, resources and support through Climate Action Schools will support more young people to action and volunteer in roles which address climate change.
Employer Supported Volunteering and the Volunteer Charter
There were also a few policy commitments in the programme for Government that align with actions in the Volunteering Action Plan being prioritised this year. Funding pilot projects to support employers in implementing inclusive recruitment practices, including flexible working, could support efforts to develop a national approach to Employer Supported Volunteering. This is equally true for the commitment to work with Public Health Scotland to galvanise employer action towards healthy workplaces.
In addition, the commitment to support the STUC to pilot and develop activity which promotes equality and diversity in the workplace and tackle discrimination at work should align with actions to promote fair volunteering through the Volunteer Charter. Indeed, the STUC have a vested interest in this having jointly launched the Volunteer Charter with Volunteer Scotland back in 2011.
Breaking down Barriers
Whilst the lack of commitment to progress the Human Rights Bill is disappointing, there are a number of commitments in the Programme for Government which support marginalised groups to access, and benefit from, volunteering. The £2 million national pilot to support free bus travel for people seeking asylum, along with the establishment of a new Integration Support Service for refugees, people seeking asylum and other forced migrants, will undoubtedly support more people from these groups to participate in volunteering.
In addition, the commitment to build on the offer of adult mental health early intervention and prevention support in local communities through the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults, will support more people to access volunteering and volunteer-led services as a therapeutic intervention.
National Performance Framework
Finally, we are encouraged by the commitment to work with stakeholders to reform the National Performance Framework (NPF). During the Inquiry into proposed National Outcomes undertaken by the Finance and Public Administration Committee last year, we were critical of the lack of alignment between government policy, parliamentary scrutiny and the NPF. We also highlighted that the current indicators do not adequately reflect the vital importance of volunteers for community wellbeing. As such, we look forward to engaging with this process.
In short, this Programme for Government inspires cautious optimism for the promotion of volunteering in Scotland. It is true that explicit actions to address the significant decline in volunteering would have been welcome, but there is a lot we can work with here. And we will.
Sarah Latto
Senior Policy Officer