ESRC Society Today - ESRC/SCVO/SG Seminar Series - The third sector and public policy in Scotland

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ESRC/SCVO/SG Seminar Series - The third sector and public policy in Scotland

ESRC in collaboration with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and with support from the Scottish Government are organising a series of seminars on third sector. The aim of the seminars is to explore greater understanding and insight into key public policy issues affecting the Third Sector of interest to both Third Sector practitioners and academics with an interest in the Third Sector.

Download 'The third sector - discussions around key policy issues' (PDF, 1Mb)

Innovation by the Third Sector

20 March 2009, Edinburgh

There is a notion that Third Sector organisations can often be more responsive than the State to meeting local needs as well as more innovative in the way they find solutions to difficult local problems. Government in both England and Scotland has placed a great deal of faith in the ability of the Third Sector to innovate, particularly in delivering services to hard to reach groups.

But is this faith always justified? At a time when voluntary organisations are increasingly being challenged to compete in the market place for service delivery contracts, is there any evidence emerging in the UK that the Third Sector is winning contracts on its ability to innovate better than other sectors? Or, are new funding arrangements in an increasingly tighter procurement and regulatory framework causing the Third Sector to experience "mission drift" and loss of innovation?

The aim of the seminar will be to understand of what innovation is, where it can be found and how it can be identified within the third sector. The seminar will look at the greater clarity as to whether there may be considered to be significant levels of innovation of third sector, and understanding of potential reasons for this. Initial suggestions for ways in which innovation may be recognised, promoted, supported and inspired, both within the sector and on the part of funders and policy makers.

Download Seminar Agenda and Presentations:

Recession and the Third Sector

13 February 2009, Edinburgh

It is widely acknowledged that the UK is being hit hard by the economic slow-down. The effects of this are now being felt in Scotland, starting with the strain now being placed on household budgets, the uncertain futures of financial institutions and the housing sector as well as growing pressures on employment and the ability of the UK to compete in the global market place. What are the implications for the third sector, and what is its role in this context?

Is the Third Sector likely to see the voluntary sources of its income such as general public donations contract? Should the sector expect to see the costs of maintaining assets such as community centres and village halls soar? And will there be an increasing reliance on income from and therefore dependence on public sector funding?

The ESRC in collaboration with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), and with support from the Scottish Government will organise the seminar to gain a greater understanding of the wider ramifications on the third sector of an economic slow-down, and awareness among third sector organisations of the ways they might address these.

Download Seminar Agenda and Presentations:

Co-Planning and co-production and the Role of the Third Sector

5 December 2008, Edinburgh

Co-planning and co-production are economic terms for the mechanism by which users, neighbourhoods and communities, in many cases through Third Sector organisations, are involved in the design and delivery of their own public services.

Co-planning and co-production have currently gained a higher profile since the 2007 Scottish election in Scotland with respect to the role of Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) in making decisions about the delivery of local priorities. Key drivers for this include the shift towards outcome-based delivery (Single Outcome Agreements) encapsulated in the Concordat (2007/8) between the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA) the establishment of formal Community Planning Partnerships since 2003, and a renewed 'localism' or enhanced devolution of power to local authorities in Scottish politics. The Scottish Government supports an outcome-based approach involves co-planning of outcomes with community partners, including the third sector.

At a strategic level, through its intermediary networks, the third sector has responded to this in a number of ways. Most significant amongst these is the CoSLA-SCVO-SOLACE-Scottish Government Joint Task Group, designed to enhance the sector’s meaningful role in co-planning (and delivering) local public services. Other actions include analysis by local and national intermediaries about the inclusion of the third sector in the Single Outcome Agreements, produced by all 32 Scotland councils.