Policy Blogs

Volunteer Scotland is pleased to have partnered with Voluntary Health Scotland, Scottish Community Development Centre (including CHEX), Edinburgh Community Health Forum, and the ALLIANCE to contribute to a joint statement on prevention.

SCVO have launched the next iteration of their Fair Funding campaign, calling for a long-term, flexible, sustainable, and accessible approach to voluntary sector funding. Through a series of spotlights, this new campaign demonstrates the impact on different areas of work that the Scottish voluntary sector is involved in. Research and Policy Manager Bethany Sikes, reflects on why we need Fair Funding for volunteering.

We’re delighted to share that our Research and Policy Manager, Bethany Sikes, is featured in the latest CLD Talks x IACD World Community Development Conference 2026 podcast series.

Volunteer Scotland’s Chief Executive, Alan Stevenson, shares his reflections on our recently published ‘Bridging the Participation Gap’ roundtable report.

On Thursday 19th of February colleagues from across Scotland voluntary sector gathered at the Scottish Parliament for an evening of celebration and challenge at Volunteer Scotland and the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) joint parliamentary reception. Our Research and Policy Manager, Bethany Sikes, shares her reflections on the evening

Tuesday’s Scottish Government Budget brought with it mixed news for volunteers and for the wider third sector. Cabinet Secretary for Finance & Local Government Shona Robison announced a number of specific budget allocations for third sector partners which are welcome, however the bigger picture of third sector funding remains largely unchanged ahead of the 2026 election.

The Volunteer Scotland team were in the Scottish Parliament this week to launch our brand new policy campaign: No Volunteers, No Community. Over three days we spoke to 59 Members of Scottish Parliament about the important role that volunteers play in Scottish communities.

Wednesday’s UK Government Autumn Statement brought mixed news for Scottish volunteers and the broader third sector. Although most policies directly relating to volunteering are devolved to the Scottish Government, the decisions announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves will have significant implications for Scottish funding.

Volunteer Scotland is delighted to publish our 2026 Scottish Parliament Manifesto: Creating a Nation of Volunteers.

The time gifted by volunteers is vital for the resilience and strength of Scotland’s communities. Last year, 48% of Scottish adults volunteered in some capacity. Volunteers support a range of vital activities across Scotland every single day – without them, Scotland’s communities would struggle to thrive.

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.

We share the concerns voiced by many third sector organisations regarding the Chancellor’s Spring Statement on Wednesday. The significant cuts to health-related benefits have the potential to push more people into financial difficulty. This would create significant additional demand for third sector services and the volunteers that support them.

In a time of considerable pressure on local authority finances, how do we ensure that ‘community empowerment’ activity is truly empowering, and not seen as an easy option to cut services?

Following yesterday’s announcement from the Scottish Government that many of the proposals detailed in the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill will not progress, we share the frustrations of those who have invested time in plans so far but cautiously welcome commitment to proceed with several important plans including breaks for unpaid carers and Anne’s Law. Read more in our statement.

On the 3rd January, the Scottish Government published it’s report analysing responses to the PVG fees and discounting consultation undertaken in the first half of 2024. This report reinforces our belief that the decision to replace the current fee waiver for volunteers in QVOs with a fee discount is completely untenable. We again urge the government not to proceed down this path.

On Wednesday 4th December, the Finance Secretary Shona Robison presented her budget to the Scottish Parliament. Last week, we sent all Scottish MSPs this briefing to inform their scrutiny of the budget. Whilst there were some glimmers of hope in the budget at first glance, several urgent questions remain to be answered.

This powerful guest blog from Amy at People Know How provides a stark insight into the impact of funding cuts and service closures on both volunteers and the staff who support them.

The Social Justice and Social Security Committee published their report regarding 3rd sector funding principles on the 13th November.