Volunteer Scotland logo

Volunteering in Scottish Policy

Volunteering is regularly referenced in Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament meetings and publications. We have collated a snapshot, but please get in touch if you want to find out more.

June 2026 Policy Mentions

  • Scottish Government Debate: Partnership with the Third Sector: It was promising to see Cabinet Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville bringing forward a debate on the Scottish Government’s relationship with the third sector so early in this session of Parliament, hopefully indicating that this will be a priority. While the Cabinet Secretary did not rule out a statutory footing for the Partnership Agreement, she highlighted the time and resources required and appeared to favour a non-statutory agreement.  Volunteer Scotland supports the introduction of a statutory relationship between Scottish Government and the third sector, and shared a briefing with MSPs before the debate which reflected this. Many thanks to Holly Bruce MSP for her contribution which cited our briefing and was supportive of a statutory relationship. 

  • Scottish Government Debate: Summer of Sport: Good to see so many mentions of volunteers in this Scottish Government debate on the role of sport in our society, with a topical focus on the World Cup and upcoming Commonwealth Games. 

MSP motions

A number of MSPs have submitted motions celebrating volunteers and voluntary organisations in their areas. Some examples include: 

  • Daniel Johnson has lodged a motion commending the work of Gilmerton resident, Izzy Pickard, who volunteers at the Stroke Association’s hub at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. 
  • Ariane Burgess had lodged a motion celebrating the vital contribution of community rail partnerships (CRPs) to the Highlands and Islands during Community Rail Week, which is taking place from 1 to 7 June 2026. 
  • Murdo Fraser has lodged a motion congratulating the Strathmore Centre for Youth Development (SCYD) on its 21st birthday.  
  • Clare Adamson has lodged a motion congratulating volunteer Davie Wilson, of Newmains, on being named Newmains Citizen of the Year 2026 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the local community. 
  • Mark Simpson has lodged a motion congratulates Karen Trail, of Edzell Woods, on her outstanding contribution as a community champion. 
  • Liam McArthur has lodged a motion congratulating all the athletes, officials, volunteers and supporters involved in the 76th North Isles Sports event, which took place in Stronsay on 20 June 2026. 
 

2026

  • Meghan Gallacher has lodged a motion welcoming the donation of £4,000 from Persimmon Homes to the West-Lothian based charity, RiverKids, through its Community Champions Programme.  
  • Stephen Bonnar has lodged a motion recognising the achievements and dedication of Girls’ Brigade Scotland members from the Uddingston and Bellshill constituency who were recently honoured at the Motherwell and Wishaw Division AGM. 
  • Murdo Fraser has lodged a motion congratulating the Pitlochry Station Bookshop on its incredible efforts to raise over £500,000 for charity since its opening in 2006. 
  • Alex Cole-Hamilton has lodged a motion recognising the work undertaken by The Rawthey Project in supporting individuals experiencing social or economic disadvantage, particularly those from backgrounds in the armed forces, emergency services and the NHS. 
  • Paul McLennan has lodged a motion commending the efforts of volunteers and local residents in supporting Dunbar RNLI. 
  • Environment strategy: behaviour changes needed to achieve Scotland’s goals for biodiversity – James Hutton Institute 
    Great to see the importance of conservation and environmental volunteers so prominently discussed in this report written by the James Hutton Institute and published by the Scottish Government. The report discusses what the key behaviours are that are needed in Scotland to reserve the decline in our biodiversity, in support of the Scottish Government’s 2045 Biodiversity Strategy.

    The report recognises how important volunteers are in practical environmental conservation, with tree planting, habitat management/restoration, and litter picking all frequently carried out by volunteers, and shows that volunteering time in biodiversity monitoring is “worth 20 times the organisational investment”. 

    Crucially in a policy context, the report recommends that “there is potential for further policy support around the provision of services that provide opportunities for volunteering and in delivering a framework for opportunities for partnership and capacity building around volunteering opportunities.” This is a point that we should all look to highlight in discussions with legislators going forward. The full report can be read here. 

  • Education, Children & Young People Committee: Community Sporting Initiatives for Children & Young People 
    It was pleasing to see prominent discussion of volunteering during this session of the Children & Young People’s Committee. Among a number of mentions, the most notable was from Mark Williams of the Denis Law Legacy Trust who discussed how frequently they see service users returning to the organisations as volunteers, which can read on page 10 of the transcript. The full transcript of the meeting can be read here.  
  • Scottish Parliament Debate on Sport & Activity as a Force for Good 
    Thanks to Brian Whittle MSP for bringing forward a debate about the importance of sport to our society, and also for highlighting the role that volunteering plays in enabling sport in Scotland, with cross-party recognition of volunteering’s importance to both grassroots and professional sport.  ​​​​​​​The debate can be read here.

  • Equalities, Human Rights, & Civil Justice Committee – Report on Human rights, equalities and access to services in rural areas of Scotland: Although it is always encouraging to see volunteers being given recognition in the Scottish Parliament, it is unfortunate that so much of the content of this report describes the rising challenges facing volunteers in rural areas and the continued degradation of community resources. Numerous TSIs have given feedback in this report, much of which is focused on community transport initiatives in rural areas which are dependent on the “goodwill of volunteers and the provision of adequate funding.” The full report can be read here. 

  • Scottish Parliament Debate on Nature Champions: The crucial role that volunteers play in protecting and restoring Scotland’s natural environment was recognised by several MSPs during a recent debate on Nature Champions. This seems timely, given Volunteer Scotland’s recent publication of our response to the Scottish Government’s Draft Climate Change Bill. The debate can be read here. 

2025

  • Volunteering was a major theme in the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee meeting on 24th June 2025, which explored volunteer organisations in sport and physical activity be further supported to try end the decline in volunteer participation.  

  • Volunteers are mentioned in the Scottish Rural Communities Policy review – Stage 1: Theories of Change. This includes a concern about the sustainability of relying heavily on volunteers in programme delivery and recognising the important work being done by volunteers in rural and island communities, especially in areas such as climate change adaptation.  

  • The important role of volunteers came through in a report on the interim findings from the evaluation of the Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund (CPAF), which provides targeted funding for local authorities and health boards to reduce child poverty through innovation and evidence-based practice. 

  • The important role of volunteers was also emphasised in the interim evaluation of the Scottish Government’s Cash-First Programme, which aims to end the need for food banks.

  • As the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill is at Stage 1, the Economy and Fair Work Committee ran a call for views (closed 26th May), in which a number MSPs submitted letters with examples of community volunteering in their constituencies. SCDC submitted a comprehensive response, which can be found here. 

  • The Scottish Government has published a report which presents findings from a review of support needs of families of people in custody. The important role of volunteers is emphasised throughout. 

  • The Scottish Government published an impact report of the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults (Year 2). The report draws out the role of small, grassroots community groups and Third Sector Interfaces, and the contribution of volunteers is clear throughout. 

  • The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee met on 13th May to discuss the Right to Addiction Recovery (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1. The official report shows that the vital role of volunteering and third sector organisations was discussed and how it sits alongside paid services. 

  • The Scottish Government has published main findings from the Scottish Climate Survey, which aims to gauge adults’ awareness, understanding and experience of climate change-related issues. 7% of respondents reported that they had ‘worked with others to better protect their community from severe weather impacts’. 
  • Volunteers and volunteering were mentioned in the Members’ Business Debate: Global Intergenerational Week 2025 on Wednesday 23 April.
  • The government has published an update report on progress to mainstream the equality duty, which includes a great summary of the Volunteer Support Fund.