Intermediaries Impact
From Open Government Pioneer Project
This is a developing picture of activity by third sector intermediaries organisations in Scotland.
It is a resource aimed to facilitate collaboration and understanding of the impact of independent third sector support bodies, so called 'intermediaries' in Scotland.
It is not an accurate list of everything these organisations are doing. For that, you must get in touch with the organisation directly.
| Name | Web | Volunteering | Brexit | Workforce development, training, CPD | Inclusion, rights, discrimination, equalities, widening access | Quality, efficiency, effectiveness | Funding
(inc new types, sustainability) |
Community capacity building, asset building | Governance | Health, care, wellbeing | Environment (inc green, sustainability, historic,
access to) |
Policy, legislative change
(activity, tactics) |
Membership representation, collective voice | Network,
events, information |
Digital tech |
| Connect (formerly Scottish Parent Teacher Council) | connect.scot | Our members are voluntary groups in school/early years settings | Offer training to parent groups on their functions and also to education professionals on effective parental engagement | Core to all our work with parents and those working in education sector
Advocate for schools as an accessible, inclusive community resource |
Principally from membership, small amount of grant funding and training income. Focus on self funding | Advocate for schools as a community resource, build capacity within school community | Advice, information and training or parent groups | Key component of Curriculum and area for parental engagement | Present a parental perspective to policy makers, developed through direct parent surveys as well as knowledge gained from work with parents | Programme of taining and information events for members, extensive social media usage to support network | Support parents and member groups to use digital communications effectively, including advice on data protection | ||||
| Scottish Environment LINK |
www.scotlink.org www.savescottishseas.org |
Members (38 organisations) are all environmental voluntary organisations. | Through a grouping of members with support from the Advocacy Manager we are working at several levels to ensure that environmental regulation, governance and funding are at least as good in Scotland after Brexit. | Annual bespoke advocacy training day provided for members. | across the range of work (from air quality to wildlife protection) we speak up for the public interest in the environment. At 2018 we are working to establish an environmental law centre so that communities can hold authorities to account, and campaigning for equal right of appeal for communities in the planning system. | advocacy work includes critique of how environmental legislation is being implemented and pushing for better scrutiny of same by Parliament. | Funding comes from membership subscriptions, public sector (for intermediary role) and charitable trusts for core and projects. A member led forum on funding seeks to increase the amount of funding for environmental work from various sources. | Network events for member bodies, including the member-led topic Groups and Subgroups where expertise is shared and agreed work taken forward by members supported by LINK staff, help build capacity particularly for the smaller members without professional staff. | Trustees, staff and members are all involved in LINK's governance, being a member led network it is important that all understand and apply them. LINK's Operating Principles on the public website have been shared with newer networks. | We connect with other organisations as far as capacity allows,on the interconnections between environment and human health and wellbeing. | All of our work is focussed on helping Scotland to become environmmentally sustainable Stragetically outcomes sought are that Scottish public policy and its implementation are improved by expertise and evidence from the LINK network; that the voluntary voluntary environmental community's contributions to public policy and direction are stronger; and that operational capacity and processes meet network needs and goals. | Much of LINK's effort is focussed on public policy change, implementation and delivery. Strategic groups work on Economic,(environmental) Governance, Land, Marine and Planning. There is close engagement with Scottish Government and agency officials, MSPs of all parties, researchers and relevant committees of the Scottish Parliament. Consultations, written and oral evidence, sometimes public facing campaigns. | There are 38 member organisations at 2018. They work together in the aformentioned Groups and further Subgroups to agree common positions to advocate outwards. Collective positions are actively signed up to by member bodies. LINK is represented on over 40 different stakeholder groups by member bodies reps or staff, taking forward the agreed positions. | A key function is information sharing and provision of a weekly advocacy monitoring. There are regular network events, for discussion and integration between work areas. Most meetings are for member bodies only. Several network events such as the annual Members Congress, receptions and conferences have wider attendance. All outputs are put on the LINK website and disseminated via email and social media. | All internal comms and most external comms are electronic. Staff maintain the main website and a marine website. We are investing in better teleconferencing facilities in Perth and Edinburgh offices. |
| Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care | www.palliativecarescotland.org.uk | We have a small number of vols working directly with us. Many of our member orgs have large numbers of vols. We promote volunteering. | Chief concern is workforce impact in health & care sector, but also access to drugs and research funding. Have written to David Davis MP. | Don't deliver training directly. Organise events with CPD for health and care staff. | We exist to improve the experiences of ALL people in Scotland in relation to declining health, death, dying, and bereavement, including through the improvement of the quality and provision of palliative care. | We do a lot of work to support improvement of formal services and most of that would fit under these themes. | Grant from SG, but most income is from member organisations. Occasionally run small grants scheme. | We established and lead www.goodlifedeathgrief.org.uk which is largely about community and individual capacity building. | We try to make sure our own governance is good, but we don't support members on this, generally. | We are all about maximising wellbeing in the context of inevitably declining health and eventual death. Tricky to measure! | Do a lot of this - horizon scanning and surveillance or our members, responding to formal consultations, working closely with Scottish Government on some issues, secretariat to CPG. | 50+ members, spanning public, private and third sectors. | Annual conference. Regular fora. Monthly eBulletin. Web and social media.
www.deathonthefringe.org.uk www.toabsentfriends.org.uk |
Website(s) and social media stuff. Supporting eHealth work in formal sector. | |
| CTA | www.ctauk.org | Promote volunteering.
Most drivers are volunteers. |
Significant for the sector. EU rules have a bearing on what can and can't be done. | Training is key part of our business - particularly driver training. | Particular focus on social exclusion.
Rights based approach to transport |
Promote quality standards. | For self and members. | Support for asset development and | Guidance provided | Provide access to health services. Tackle loneliness and isolation | Mostly reserved to Wesminster | 170 members
Quarterly Journal Country Committee |
Regular briefings
Blogs Conference social media |
Specific focus on digital | |
| Inclusion Scotland | www.inclusionscotland.org | For self & in light of Brexit | Reactive & proactive | ||||||||||||
| SCVO | www.scvo.org.uk | More people enabled to volunteer and be active in communities
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Access to decent work, valuing staff, support to develop
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For sector & future
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Support for
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Good governance and board diversity
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Convey the important role 3rd sector plays in health and wider well-being
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Ensure that policy makers recognise the important role of the third sector and sector has space to collaborate
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| ACOSVO | www.acosvo.org.uk | Pool of mentors who volunteer their time to support ACOSVO members | Brexit is a real issue for many of our members. We deliver events to help address Brexit as well as many other member issues / challenges. | ACOSVO offers personal & organisational member development toolkit, incl.
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Membership open to all Scotland based, male and female:
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Networking opportunities & confidential space offers leaders chance to share best practice, support each other & develop collaborative working relationships. | Funding:
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Support members with personal & organisational development benefits better equiping them in their roles & supporting their organisations with growth & sustainability. | Governance is key issue for many ACOSVO members - various events, workshops, etc delivered on Governance, supporting both CEOs & Board members. | ACOSVO services ensure better informed, so inspired to excel & develop, improving health & wellbeing. Active Leadership Events delivered - walking, cycling, etc. | Reactive & proactive, dissemination of legislative information e.g. Brexit, GDPR, changes in charity law, employment terms & conditions, etc | Regular member surveys & feedback evaluations ensure ACOSVO can best represent member needs. Collective networking identifies key themes & strong support groups. |
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| Scottish Mentoring Network | www.scottishmentoringnetwork.co.uk | Our members support over 8,000 volunteer mentors | Impact unknown though we are founder members of the European Centre for Evidenced Based Mentoring based in the Netherlands | Staff development is ongoing. We offer 4 training courses for Coordinators and Mentors 3 of which are accredited. | Inclusion is at the heart of what we and our members do by using mentoring to enable people to realise their potential--many of whom are disadvantaged or vulnerable. | SMN has a nationally recognised Quality Award for member projects. recently formed a forum with Scottish Govenment, funders, researchers and practitioners to look at measuring impact of mentoring. | We advocate on behalf of members for funding + for ourselves) and collaborate strategically with the Scottish Government and other funders on national mentoring initiatives. | One of our main roles is to help build capacity of our member projects through advice & guidance, replication of proven projects, provision of support services such as training, Quality Award and evaluation + enabling members to share good practice and experience at networking events and our annual conference. | Good governance is essential both for SMN and for members to achieve our Quality Award. | For many of our members this is a key objective of their projects especially those working with vulnerable young people. This includes physical and learning disabilities as well as mental health. | Addressing lack of policy, pushing for mainstream influence & recognition. Promoting the proven value of mentoring as a long term cost saving intervention. | We have around 200 member projects operating in various parts of Scotland. We use surveys, network meetings and our annual conference as well as face to face meetings to gain constructive feedback.
We robustly promote the effectiveness of mentoring to policy makers and funders. |
Regional and Thematic network meetings.
Accredited Training courses. Project Quality Award. Evaluation Framework General Advice and guidance. Joint events with national partners |
Active SMN website
Project Quality Award application and assessment all online. | |
| Volunteer Scotland | www.volunteerscotland.net | Promoting public value (Scotland Performs) & participative society | |||||||||||||
| Scotland's International Development Alliance | www.intdevalliance.scot | About 133 organisation members, mostly international NGOs with volunteer boards | Brexit is an important issue for many of our members, especially those who have been implementing grants from ECHO and EC. We monitor developments on behalf of members | We deliver training, mentoring programmes and other services for members to help them improve their effectiveness | We convene special interest working groups on themes such as ''Leave No-One Behind" for organisations seeking to improve inclusion of marginalised groups, as well as online discussion forums | Services to help member organisations improve their effectiveness and deepen their understanding of monitoring, evaluation and learning. | Scottish Government grant; membership subscription income; sponsorship and fees | We are an intermediary body for international development organisations. Many of our members work with their local NGO partners in developing countries, in local community capacity building | We promote good governance as an essential building block for organisational strengthening | Health, care and wellbeing feature strongly among members' international programmes | Many environmental organisaitons with membershp. Environmental issues especially addressing impact of climate change increasingly a component of international programmes | Devolved & reserved, beyond Scotland, promoting public interest & value | 133 organisational members, all engaged in international development work from Scotland | Year round programme of events, networking opportunities, skills sharing forums, collaboration and partnership opportunities | online resources; online training and webinars; online communities of interest/communities of practice; social media |
| Museums Galleries Scot | www.museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk | Volunteers make up nearly 50% of sector workforce - nearly 5,000 at last count. Key issues is around skills development, succession planning and widening access to the sector towards a more diverse workforce | Raising awareness of key concerns and risks of Brexit, specifically with regard to freedom of movement for the EU nationals working in the sector, potential impact on sharing collections across borders, impacts on visitor numbers in terms of tourism and access to EU grant funding. | Skills development is a core area of work undertaken by MGS to support the sector to develop new skills and keep abreast of best practice. Through funding and delivery of training to support succession planning, partnerships, funding, and developing a diverse workforce | Equality, diversity and inclusion sits at the heart of our work both in terms of empowering a diverse workforce, leaving a legacy of a more inclusive culture in our sector’s workforce, as well as supporting the sector to engage with a wider audience that better reflects our society | Driving greater standards and resilience for the museums sector by promoting and celebrating best practice, developing training. Accreditation and Recognition schemes for Scotland's museums are principle vehicle for this but also working across all sector to drive up standards, sustainability and good governance. | Providing grant funding to sector as well as supporting and encouraging diversified income to support sustainability; encouraging awareness of model of social enterprise. | Raising awareness of models for enhanced community empowerment and capacity building through partnership with local communities and visitors to develop collections and interpretations that better reflect understandings of Scottish culture in the context of an increasingly diverse society.
Ensuring local museums are resilient and capable of adapting to challenges of income and competing demands on audience time |
Develop and deliver programmes of Board & governance development and leadership | Supporting through grants activity initiatives that enhance community engagement around social impact on wider policy agendas including health and wellbeing, such as memories projects |
Sector wide engagement via Resourcing Scotland’s Heritage (RSH), a 3-year programme to upskill Scotland’s heritage sector . Delivering events and training courses networking opportunities and wide-ranging online forums. |
Raising awareness of sector's contribution towards public policy outcomes including education, health and wellbeing and other areas, though direct advocacy and upskilling the sector to champion themselves with local and national government and funders. | Represent over 400 museums and galleries across the whole of Scotland as the national development body for the sector. Our Stakeholder Group is our key advisory liaison alongside our regular engagements with the sector through visits, events and other informal meetings. | Annual conference, seminars and training sessions, meetings and visits, communication through email bulletins, social media and active campaigns. | Strong engagement through social media both with audience and developing awareness and understanding of the value of digital participation for the sector in terms of growing audiences; exploring new routes to market for training including online webinars to support participation for remote and rural venues. |
| Built Env Forum Scot | www.befs.org.uk | Sector funding | Influencing gov agencies, increasing members ability to advocate & make ‘public interest’ connection | ||||||||||||
| Scottish Sport Assoc | www.thessa.org.uk | Championing and recognising the contribution of volunteers to Scottish sport and the contribution of sports to volunteering; 195,000 adults volunteering sport - that’s one sixth of all adult volunteers and half of all young people who want to volunteer, want to volunteer in sport.
- We work with SG to recognise the contribution of sports volunteers, including through our partnership to support the UK Honours system - We support and represent our members on a range of specific volunteering groups, including: the Scottish Government’s Volunteering External Reference Group and the Scottish Volunteering Forum (SVF) and as the main connection between sport and the voluntary sector through our connections with SCVO, SVF and ACOSVO. - In partnership with SG we work to support and help to diversify sports boards |
With support from SG, we run a programme called On Board for Sport which helps to connect independent, skill-based and more diverse individuals to sports boards (link to SSA web page), helping to make it more accessible for people from all backgrounds to find out about and get involved in sports boards.
We support the sharing of best practice and learning amongst our members. |
A key strand of our On Board for Sport programme (link to) in partnership with SG is in helping to increase the diversity of sports boards. | We support increased effectiveness through supporting governance across our members, including via our Chief Executives’ Group and Chairs’ Forum, and in facilitating the sharing of best practice and learning amongst our members through networking and specifically tailored events.
We support increased efficiency through our Shared Administration Service (web link to) and Preferred Partners (web link to) making best use of limited resources and optimising economies of scale. |
For self, particularly diversification, accent on funding landscape | Making case for sector, increasing members ability to advocate | ||||||||
| Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance | www.siaa.org.uk | Many of our members use volunteers.
We occasionally have opportunities for volunteers |
our main concern is the impact of staffing levels in health & social care settings and the knock on effect this will have on people who use services | We deliver some training for members on a range of relevant issues.
We deliver training on advocacy to stakeholders on request |
Human rights are core to all our work and that of our members | We have produced a wide range of good practice guidance for our members to ensure the quality of independent advocacy in Scotland | our main source of funding is the Scottish Government although we also regularly approach other funders. We advocate for advocacy organisations to be properly funded. | A significant part of our work is to build the capacity of our members. This happens through;
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Good governance is essential to us and our members.
We provide an induction, handbook and training for our Board |
This is a key component of the work of our members | Access to the built environment is a significant issue for our members and the people they support | This is a huge part of our work and we encourage our members to get more involved in influencing policy at a local and national level | We are a membership organisation providing a collective voice for independent advocacy. We have 60+ members | We have;
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Website and social media engagement.
We provide details of all advocacy organisations on our "Find an Advocate" page. we are working with our members to help them better use digital technologies to measure their impact, record data |
| YouthLink Scotland | www.youthlinkscotland.org | Support our Members to support 70,000 adult volunteers in youth work sector.
Strategic partner in the iwill campaign to promote social action |
Facilitate the EU Engagement Working Group for the youth work sector.
Lead for KeepErasmusPlus campaign in Scotland. Policy influencing work regarding EU funding and its impact on the youth work sector. |
Workforce Development team support and deliver capacity to new and emerging practice in the youth work sector. Training officer delivers contract specific outputs.
Facilitate Youth Work Training Forum. Representatives from YLS on CLD Standards Council. |
YLS is in an Investors in Diversity organisation.
Scotland lead agency for the All-IN inclusive Youth work programme (funded by Erasmus+). Publication of magazines and materials which promote inclusive practice. SG contract to deliver Action on Prejudice online portal. SG contract to deliver Action on Sectarianism online portal. Facilitate YW Equalities and Diversity Network. |
Development of the Youth Work Outcomes model as a tool for quality improvement, self-reflection and evaluation.
Strategic partner in the national youth work strategy which commits to measure the impact of our work. Lead the Youth Work Research steering group. |
Seek to influence funders to ensure sustainability for youth work services.
Administer Cashback for Communities funds through local panels. Support the sector to access Erasmus+ funds through the Unlocking Erasmus+ project. |
Support member organisations through regular network events; fortnightly e-bulletins; daily social media output. | - | Priority area for YLS - particularly regarding Mental Health and Wellbeing. HWB is a responsibility for all in CfE which includes youth work practitioners. Provision of training (health young lives, healthy respect etc.) publications (Link Magazine), daily content on our websites News | - | Campaigns (esp. social media) on specific issues. Manifesto published for national elections. Policy consultation responses and discussion sessions for members. Submission of evidence to parliamentary sessions. Translating policy to practice through member briefings. Facilitate Policy focused events/conferences. | YLS is a membership organisation providing a collective voice for the youth work sector in Scotland (in both the voluntary and public sector). We have a number of network/forum events to engage and listen to our members. We provide a range of members services and benefits. Our members are represented on our Board of directors. | Members Network (4xyear); Equalities; Digital; Communications & PR; Local Authority Youth Work Managers; National Voluntary Youth Orgs are all supported in their own networks (minimum of 3 events per network per year).
National Youth Work Conference. Policy Seminars. National Youth Work Awards. well maintained website, fortnightly e-mail briefing, daily social media content |
Digital Youth Work. Represent UK on EU Digital Youth network. Scottish partner in Erasmus+ funded Digitally Agile Youth Work programme. Contributor to the delivery of the STEM Strategy for CLD aspects. Identifying new and promising practice. |
| COSCA | www.cosca.org.uk | For self, & sector, & public (training accounts) | As above & preserving confidential safe space (in face of threats like named person) | ||||||||||||
| Voluntary Health Scotland | www.vhscotland.org.uk | Guidance and collaboration to support safe, effective and patient centred third sector volunteering in NHS settings.
Represent third sector interests on NHS Scotland Volunteering Programme National Group |
Maintaining a watching brief on implications for health in Scotland, reporting relevant developments to voluntary health organisations. Signatory to proposed amendment NC44 to EU Withdrawal
Bill |
Promoting learning, knowledge exchange and co-creation through workshops, seminars, conferences, Health Policy Officers Network, round tables and 'sounding boards' .
Steering group member of NHS Health Scotland Inequalities Learning Collaborative |
Strong focus on preventing, mitigating and reducing health inequalities throughout all of our work (policy, learning/knowledge exchange/evidence gathering/influencing.
Secretariat to Cross Party Group on Health Inequalities. Representing voluntary health sector interests on relevant working groups and boards, including the Public Health Oversight Board, Drink Wise Age Well Scotland Impact Board, Making It Easier Implementation Group |
Supporting voluntary health organisations to have the knowledge, intelligence, connections and influence to enable them to maximise their effectiveness | Signposting voluntary health organisations to funding sources, via monthly e-bulletin. Gathering evidence about funding issues. | Capacity building voluntary health organisations through the development of knowle, understanding, relationships, networks, resources, influence etc | Signposting voluntary health organisations to other intermediaries with a strong remit on governance, e.g. ACSOVO, SCVO, TSIs |
Our overarching mission is to promote greater recognition of the voluntary health sector contribution to Scotland's health and wellbeing. |
We are involved in policy work related to planning, the built environment and the green environment, as underlying determinants of health.
Member of the Our Natural Health Service Advisory Group. Partner organisation with Paths for All. |
Proactive/reactive, promoting third sector expertise, experience and views, particularly re health inequalities, public health, health and social care services, prevention. Current policy work includes loneliness and social isolation, obesity and diet, public health reform. | VHS is a membership body for third sector organisations with an active interest and involvement in health. Additionally, individuals and non-third sector organisations that support our work may be associate members. Beyond membership we reach and collaborate with a large and diverse network of third sector organisations. Our member benefits are set out under Get Involved on our website. | Face to face engagement through events is the mainstay of our work: workshops, conferences, seminars, round tables, policy 'sounding boards', Health Policy Officers Network meetings, Cross Party Group on Health Inequalities meetings, one to one engagement with organisations etc | We previously ran a project: Digital Inclusion for Health, supporting small voluntary health organisations to improve their online presence in order to improve visibility and credibility with funders, NHS boards and potential service users |
| Voluntary Action Scotland | www.vascotland.org | We host a Volunteering practice forum and Youth Volunteering practice forum for our members. These are national groups that bring together local practitioners to develop their knowledge and skills in key areas of volunteering practice.
We also provide the central administration of the Saltire youth volunteering recognition scheme – website, certificates and promotion of the scheme - over 100,000 Saltire certificates have been given to young people in recognition of their volunteering. Many in our network provide the Volunteer Friendly award at local level – an approach developed by one of our members. We connect to and represent the TSI network on key national volunteering groups – the Scottish Volunteering Forum, the Cross Party Group on Volunteering and the Awards Network. We also contribute to national volunteering projects such as Clear Pathway which is developing approaches to volunteering in NHS settings. |
There is currently no significant push on Brexit issues from our members. | VAS offers training to TSI staff on key areas such as charity law, governance, fundraising, evaluation, leadership, inclusive communication, quality and impact measurement and supporting social enterprise.
We also offer informal learning through our various forums, networks and national conference. We support Fair Work and are active supporters of the Living Wage campaign. |
VAS has an underpinning principle of inclusion and we take a human rights approach to our work. We have made submissions to national consultations based on the human rights approach and we offer TSI staff training on inclusive communications and on understanding and implementing the human rights based approach. | We operate Making Quality Count, a national programme in conjunction with Quality Scotland which supports all TSI organisations to achieve the Committed to Excellence level of EFQM. A majority of TSI organisations have achieved this and are working their way towards a second round of Committed to Excellence. VAS itself has also achieved this level of recognition.
We operate a Quality and Impact forum for TSI staff who work in this area to provide peer support across the TSI network for the effective implementation of quality and impact work. We also provide training and support to TSIs on logic modelling and theories of change to assist in structuring approaches to work. We have a Standards, Quality & Impact committee to oversee this strand of work. |
We offer TSI staff training on fundraising and provide information to the TSI network on changes to fundraising standards and regulation. We operate a Funding Officers Forum for the TSI staff who work locally on providing funding support to local organisations. This forum explores good and emerging practice in fundraising and shares knowledge and experience on supporting organisations to build their capacity in fundraising.
We represent the TSI network on the Scottish Funders Forum. |
We support TSIs to explore and develop approaches to community and organisational capacity building and on using the asset based community development approach. This feeds through into work on community empowerment, coproduction and on participatory budgeting.
We have worked with SCDC to define how TSIs can make the most of community development approaches in their work and a report on this is available. We are a national partner in the National Third Sector Girfec Project which supports the capacity of local children and young people’s organisations to engage in local Children’s Services planning. |
VAS provides a Governance Self-Assessment and Action Planning toolkit for TSIs. This is a continuous improvement tool which was developed by governance experts within our network in conjunction with OSCR.
We support TSI staff who support local organisations with their governance through a Governance Forum. This takes a peer learning approach to sharing good practice and updates in information and resources on various aspects of governance. |
We work with the TSI network and key stakeholders – including NHS Health Scotland, Voluntary Health Scotland, NHS Our Voice – on key aspects of health and social care integration. We also support the ALLIANCE third sector support programme.
Our focus is on supporting the engagement of local third sector organisations in the work of Integrated Joint Boards and their locality planning; and on the contributions of the third sector to reducing health inequalities. |
VAS supports place-based approaches to planning and empowerment
As part of our community development approaches we support TSIs in their work on empowering local communities to take place-based approaches, including the use of a variety of tools and techniques to develop community level plans and strategies to increase the availability of and access to both facilities and green spaces.. |
We have not sought specific policy or legislative change in the past. We are developing our network approach to influencing specific pieces of legislation, guidance and policy. | VAS is a membership organisation, with 32 TSIs being our members. TSIs in turn have a membership base of local voluntary, community and social economy organisations – a reach of around 20,000 third sector organisations.
VAS is the national network of TSIs and we undertake a national representation and collective voice role in several national groupings across various policy areas including volunteering, social enterprise, governance, research, health and social care, children and young people, and tackling poverty and inequality. |
We provide a number of TSI forums that are focused on particular topics. We also organise events to connect TSIs with other stakeholders working on shared agendas and policy topics. We have a national conference.
We provide information to TSIs on developments in our areas of work. We support the Community Toolkit (used by over half of the TSI network), an online source of information on the key aspects of establishing and running a local third sector organisation. |
We’ve undertaken some small pieces of work to improve the digital capacity of our members. Most recently we have established a GDPR working group to share practice and approaches from across our members on implementing GDPR within their organisation. |
| TSIs - local third sector infrastructure operating at local authority level. Each operates in response to their local circumstances, capacity, and community needs. | www.vascotland.org | TSIs support, develop and promote volunteering locally through a variety of approaches. This includes some volunteer centres; adult and young people recognition schemes; supporting volunteer management through networks and training. Each TSI matches volunteers with volunteering opportunities or volunteer involving organisations.
Some TSIs have specific volunteering projects. These can be focused on improving employability, or reducing social isolation, or increasing social action in specific local communities. TSIs also support Volunteer Week, Trustees Week and other campaigns to raise awareness of volunteering opportunities. |
There is currently no significant push on Brexit issues reported at local level. | Each TSI offers a mix of learning and training depending on local need. These are often focused on core aspects of running a third sector organisation – basics of trusteeship, good governance, charity law, fundraising, social enterprise, etc. | TSIs support equalities, inclusion and human rights in their area and there are a mixture of approaches. Some TSI areas have specific equalities based local forums.
The inclusion of marginalised and equalities groups is often at the heart of local work – such as local forums to ensure that local voices are included in local decision making. TSIs support access to and development of community facilities and can support asset transfer and community ownership in its various forms. |
TSIs offer a range of support to local organisations to improve their quality, efficiency and effectiveness. This can be one to one support, or local groups and networks focused on specific aspects of running a third sector organisation. | TSIs offer funding support to local third sector organisations. This varies in approach depending on the resources available, but can include information on sources of funding; fundraising training; tools for developing fundraising applications. TSIs generally take a capacity building approach to funding and do not complete funding applications on behalf of local organisations. | Community capacity building is a cornerstone of the TSI approach. Supporting the development of capacity at community level is delivered in multiple ways across most communities in Scotland. This can include supporting and enabling local participatory budgeting exercises; coproduction and co-design of local public services; projects in specific communities; projects on particular aspects of community capacity. Each local area will have a different set of priorities and the approaches developed will depend on these and the available resources at local level. | TSIs support local third sector organisation son governance through training and occasional one to one support where an organisation may have a specific problem. A variety of Good Governance tools, guides and health-checks are available locally. | TSIs have a place on each Integrated Joint Board and act as a voice for the local third sector on these boards. TSIs also work through a variety of mechanisms to build capacity in local representation across health and wellbeing structures and decision making.
TSIs are also involved in various local projects and support local organisations to tackle and reduce health inequalities. |
As part of community capacity building and local empowerment work TSIs may support local community organisations to engage in place-based planning, the transfer of ownership of buildings and other local assets and in developing approaches to community ownership. | TSIs operate locally and work to influence the implementation of national policy at local level. TSIs are members of Community Planning Partnerships and provide a strategic third sector perspective at local level.
TSIs are involved in a variety of local strategic partnerships implementing local outcomes – as identified in Local Outcome Improvement Plans. |
Most TSIs have a membership base of local voluntary, community and social economy organisations. They take a range of approaches to representing a collective voice of the sector in local and regional decision making.
TSIs operate across the spectrum of policy agendas, with local prioritising determining which local networks and forums they focus on. |
TSIs provide a variety of local networks and events.
TSIs also act as the conduit of information to local third sector organisations through newsletter and websites. The information is typically on developments in volunteering, organisational capacity building, social enterprise, health & wellbeing, tackling inequality, children & young people and other issues important locally. |
Many TSIs support the local implementation of the One Digital project. |
| Criminal Justice Voluntary Sector Forum (CJVSF) | www.ccpscotland.org/cjvsf |
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Particular focus on inclusion/ rights/ discrimination/ equalities issues affecting individuals and families affected by the criminal justice system | Involved in developing a range of resources to support third sector organisations and the partners they work with to improve the quality, efficiency and effectiveness. Promote national standards and other relevant guidance to members. Run events which offer a safe space for members and partners to share practice. | Gather evidence about funding and commissioning issues. Signpost members to relevant sources of funding. | Capacity building through events and resources which aim to increase knowledge, skills and networks. Supporting capacity building in the new community justice model through the Strengthening Engagement Project. | Signposting criminal justice voluntary sector organisations to guidance and support around good governance | Promote the role of the third sector organisations working within criminal justice in contributing to health and wellbeing outcomes. Also participate in relevant working groups (e.g. the Health and Social Care Prisons Programme Board, the Health Inequalities Cross-Party Group and the National Prisoner Healthcare Network) | Focus on justice policy issues - contributing through the provision of evidence, responses to consultations, participation in relevant working groups, running roundtable discussion events etc. Supporting engagement of the third sector in the new community justice model through the Strengthening Engagement Project. | A membership organisation for voluntary organisations with an interest in criminal/community justice issues. The Forum meets quarterly, with additional events/meetings organised throughout the year around specific issues of interest to members. |
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| Scottish Fair Trade Forum | www.scottishfairtradeforum.org.uk | We support a national network of volunteer campaigners | We have a policy interest in trade issues | We have an ongoing commitment to staff training and development. We also provide some training for our network of local groups and campaigners | We have an interest ourselves and offer signposting to local groups to funding sources when approached | We provide information, education, support, capacity building etc for member organisations and the wider network of campaigners | We provide governance advice as requested from local groups | We promote our policy agenda regarding trade justice and global trade | We are a membership organisation and as such act as a collective voice for our members on issues of trade justice and international trade. | We hold regular events for members and supporters across Scotland and produce a regular e-newsletter and communications through social media | |||||
| Community Resources Network Scotland | www.crns.org.uk | Our members (community reuse and recycling organisations) support over 6000 volunteers | Watching brief on impact of Brexit on recycling rates and wider resource management implications. We are a member of RREUSE – a European NGO and umbrella organisation of social enterprises with activities in the reuse, repair and recycling sector. | Y | Yes, supporting our members to deliver local resource management services accessible to all | Promotion of Revolve – Scotland’s quality standard for reuse organisations | For self and to support funding opportunities for our members | Y | Involved in devolved policies of Circular Economy, Resource Management & Recycling | 120 community reuse and recycling organisations across Scotland plus the CRNS Reuse Consortium of 17 members delivering reuse services to local authorities via Scotland Excel Framework. | Regional forums, thematic seminars and national conferences. PR & coms support. Informal business planning support. Active website and social media activities | ||||
| Relationships Scotland | www.relationships-scotland.org.uk | Over 200 volunteers Scotland wide working with clients, or as Trustees | Brexit blocked our ability to apply for a particular funding prospect | We train family mediators, relationship counsellors fully accredited by Napier University. Also train sex therapists, the course in awaiting acreditation. Also run a comprehensive CPD programme for practitioners
Can provide external training e.g. for local Sheriffs |
We have the LGBT chartermark and promote our services to all whatever their circumstances as long as it is appropriate and safe to do so.
We ensure member Services are effectively able to provide a Service to all in their community who need it. |
All member Services undergo a Quality Assurance audit every 3 years.
National Policies ensure consistent standards and practice. Regular network meetings ensure sharing of good practice and effectiveness |
The National Office collaborates with the Scottish Government for sustained funding for the network and is responsible for distributing the funds to member Services. Also provide support if required to assist members in accessing other funding streams | Support members with regular newsletters, meetings, etc and provide support if required with social and traditional media in their local area | Ensure that governance of member Services is effective through the Quality Assurance process and include Trustees in All Service events and meetings | Work with charities promoting health and well being, for example prostate cancer, civil service, army welfare. Also work with the NHS, Social Work and the justice system.
Frequent spot on radio and in the newspaper discussing areas of health and wellbeing |
Engage in regular contact with Scottish Government in looking at the role of family mediation in the justice system, the role and regulation of child contact centres. Raising awareness of the cost / benefit of family mediation, relationship counselling and child contact | Members are represented on the National Board, on the spread of National Committees and fully consulted on all areas of interest and concern to the network. An annual All Services day provides focus for strategy, effectiveness and networking | National website member section, newsletters and email updates, Committee structure with regular consultations. Annual All Services day. | Starting to look at e learning possibilities | |
| Befriending Networks | www.befriending.co.uk | Uk wide but supporting over 170 Scottish Befriending organisations. offer training and support around all aspects of volunteer recruitment and management. | We offer a wide range of training for staff supporting/managing volunteer befrienders delivered through face to face sessions or via blended learning combining online and video conference input.
Vital Skills is SQA accredited. In addition we offer training/learning for project managers. Free online volunteer training open to our member organisations. Networking events were organisations can share learning. |
Befriending Networks administers and runs a Quality in Befriending Standard and offer two levels of award; Quality in Befriending and Excellence in Befriending. Both awards have a 3 year re accreditation process.
Regional Networking meetings delivered free to members also enable the sharing of good practice and shared learning opportunities. |
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| Early Years Scotland | www.earlyyearsscotland.org | Majority of members are voluntary run Early Learning and Childcare Settings and Parent and Toddler groups. | Our Professional Learning Academy was launched Autumn 2017. As the size of the ELC workforce is set to almost double by 2020, we have invested in establishing an expert dedicated professional learning team who design, develop and deliver affordable, accessible, relevant high quality professional learning opportunities across the country. | Our Stay Play and Learn services in community settings, primary schools and prisons are focused on tackling the attainment gap, social exclusion and childhood disadvantage. | We are committed to delivering high quality Early Learning and Childcare services, and to support members to do so also. | Funding from a variety of sources including the Scottish Government, local authorities, Big Lottery and the Pupil Equity Fund. | Membership benefits include a helpline, curriculum, inspection and business support, professional learning opportunities, regular magazines and bulletins, a members’ area on our website, specialist insurance and legal advice, policy templates and much more. We also offer membership to students, practitioners, colleges and universities. | ||||||||
| Disability Equality Scotland | www.disabilityequality.scot | We support Access Panels across Scotland who are volunteer disabled groups improving access and inclusion in local communities | We survey our members (disabled people) to understand what the potential implications could be and to also understand if information is reaching out to everyone about Brexit | We offer training to Access Panels (Access Audits) | Core to our work, disability as a protected characteristic, which means that disabled people cannot be discriminated against because of their disability. We work with our partners and other organisations to promote equality and inclusion | committed to delivery quality, effective information and service to members and Access Panels | Scottish Government Funded | Support Access Panels to grow and become sustainable | We ensure good governance is in place for our own board and across Access Panels | actively respond to policy consultations seeking feedback from members | currently over 600 members (disabled people and organisations) | roadshow events across Scotland, magazine, newsletters, online information hubs, website, social media | |||
| Development Trusts Association Scotland | www.dtascot.org.uk
www.dtascommunityownership.org.uk www.communitysharesscotland.org.uk |
Support volunteer boards of our 255 members | We offer training and develop opportunities to both DT staff and board members alike | Encourage DT members to be as inclusive in their practice as possible | Measuring impact of DT activity is a priority for DTAS / the network. Most recent development was collaboration with Education Scotland - How Good Is Your Development Trust | There area a number of funding opportunities which DT members can access via DTAS (Strengthening Communities Programme, Resilience Fund) | Building the organisational capacity of our members is also a priority for DTAS - to enable DTs take on assets and run services, businesses and other activities. | Provide guidance and support around development of appropriate governance frameworks and training to board members | DTs are multi activity organisations, so will work across a number of SG agendas, including health and social care | See answer to previous question. Over-arching function is regeneration or place-making. Activities will often include environmental, heritage, etc | DTAS represents interests of DTs and has strong engagement with Scottish Government. DTAS was very active around Land Reform Act, Com Empowerment Act and other related policy and legislative development. Currently serve on CARES panel, CCF Panel and Local Democracy Bill Enabling Group | A key function of DTAS is to represent the interests of our DT members.
DTAS is a member-led organisation |
A key function of DTAS is to facilitate the DT network which we do in a range of ways including an annual conference (220+people).
DTAS also works with closely with other community-led networks, mainly through the Scottish Community Alliance. We also have close links with our sister organisations in other parts of the UK. |
No specific focus on this, but support DT members use social media, and give them access to our web-site to promote themselves | |
| Children in Scotland | www.childreninscotland.org.uk | Members' survey has issued
Calling for vote for 16 and 17 year olds in an future EU referendum. UK influencing role in partnership with sister UK organisation and Scotland's Children's Commissioner and others |
Significant programme of training and development for the children's sector workforce - 111 events in 2017-18 | Working towards LGBT charter mark (aiming for achievement in May 2018) | Awarded EFQM in May 2017. | Generating income from our membership activities (learning and events); policy, participation and engagement projects, range of funders, incl Scot. Govt, EU, Corra Foundation, Big Lottery. | Capacity building is a key goal of our workforce development programme and a range of our projects working in partnership to improve services for children, such as summer holiday activities within school buildings and early learning and childcare support within communities. | Free members' events on a range of governance issues provided by our corporate partner, Gillespie MacAndrew | Our vision is that all children have the chance to flourish. This means all the work, set out in our strategic plan, aims to have an impact on improving children's health and wellbeing and also their family's. | Around 550 members. We respond to around 25 consultations a year; produce around 35 parliamentary updates; co-secretariat of the Cross-party Group on children and young people. We both lead and support campaigns to improve children's lives, such as End Child Poverty Coalition, manifesto calls, the impact of Brexit etc. Run the Children's Sector Strategic Forum for senior members of the children's sector to discuss areas of key strategic importance. | |||||
| The Poverty Alliance | www.povertyalliance.org | We have 16 community activist volunteers on our Community Activist Advisory Group. Other volunteers include people experiencing poverty who provide evidence to policy makers local and national. | We are part of the European Anti-Poverty Network UK, and have sought to feed into the continuing discussions regarding the impact of Brexit on action to address poverty. We have organised event in Glasgow and London to discuss the implications. Much of this discussion has focused on the potential impact on rights. We have also raised concerns about the impact on funding for the 3rd sector, in particular the impact on funding that will help tackle poverty. In the future we are looking at how we can best maintain contact with anti-poverty organisations across Europe | We deliver a programme of Poverty Awareness Training across Scotland. This is designed for both frontline staff delivering services to people on low incomes and to those responsible for the development of services. | We believe that the existence of poverty represents a breach of fundamental human rights. We place our concerns within the wider framework of human rights, equality of opportunity and of social, economic and environmental justice. | Core funding comes from Scottish Government, earned income and membership fees.
We receive project funding from various sources such as BIG, JRF, EU and local authorities |
Our community capacity building/Asset building is mainly aimed at community activists and people experiencing poverty to enable them to get their voices heard in local and national policy and service development.
Core to our research approach is the development of community researchers. We have an active Community Activists Advisory Group to help us respond to Govt. consultations and input into our organisational development |
We ensure that our board of directors is fully compliant with the highest standards in governance. | The Poverty Alliance's key aim is to change policy and practice around poverty in Scotland. In this respect we have well developed relationships with Scottish Government and Scottish local authorities. We have been particualrly active around issues related to social security, fair work (especially the Living Wage), food insecurity, child maintenance, stigma and attitudes to poverty. As well as working with politicians and policy makers at all levels, we are also involved in a range of campaign activities: we coordinate the Scottish Living Wage Campaign, the anti-stigma Stick Your Labels campaign and the Challenge Poverty Week campaign. | The Poverty Alliance is a membership organisation with c230 members throughout Scotland.
We try to involve our members in all our work. We are currently in the process of producing a new membership strategy to increase the size (and diversity) of our membership and the ways in which we engage them in our work. |
We organise a wide ranging programme of events and activities during the year. This includes Regional Networking Meetings, conferences, policy seminars and roundtables. We produce the Scottish Anti-Poverty Review three times a year, regular briefing papers on various poverty issues. We publish regular research reports into a variety of aspects of poverty. We also produce a wide range of materials related to the Living Wage - guides, fact sheets, etc. | Website and ENews, Twitter and facebook pages.
EventBrite registration for events. Use SurveyMonkey for surveys and event evaluations. Looking at increasing our online presence and use of new tech and social media | |||
| Learning Link Scotland | www.learninglinkscotland.org.uk | Our support to adult learning organisations offers representation, professional development and support to measure impact. All opportunities we offer our member organisations are available to volunteers in the organisations as well as paid staff. | We have run events to explore the potential effects of Brexit on our member organisations. The main concerns are around a reduction in funding, potential reduction in working conditions and a general inward looking and narrowing of opportunities to share practice across the EU. | We share information on professional learning opportunities across Scotland as well as run professional learning around issues of importance to our members, for example, on digital skills or measuring impact.
We also represent our members on strategic groups with an influence on the development of professional learning for adult educators, for example, the Strategic Forum on Adult Learning or CLD Standards Council. |
At the heart of our vision is that adult learning in Scotland will be recognised by all as a central element of personal and community empowerment. In our vision, people will have access and equal opportunity to strong, independent and vibrant Third Sector adult education, and that organisations work in partnership with others to fulfil lifelong learning, social inclusion, and democratic aspirations. | We use and promote the Logic Model and a Planning for Impact Model for adult learning projects | We distribute information on funding that we think might be relevant to our members. We consult with our members and feed issues around funding into the strategic groups Learning Link Scotland sit on. | Support members with professional learning opportunities that will extend their capacity. | Support members with professional learning opportunities that will improve their governance. | We support our members to tell the story of adult learning and its impact on health and wellbeing. | We support our members to engage in new policy and funding initiatives that relate to environmental issues. | We sit on strategic group that have relevance to adult education such and represent our membership at meetings and in working groups. We distribute information and analysis of policy that is relevant to adult learning organisations and encourage member to engage with new policy initiatives. | We have 140 member organisations and represent our members on strategic and working groups that have relevance to adult learning. | Monthly e-bulletins
4 National network meetings per year Professional learning opportunities developed from Learning Link Scotland resources Project work to deliver professional learning |
We are a key partner alongside YouthLink Scotland and Scottish Community Development Centre in developing and promoting Digitally Agile CLD National principles and have just concluded a series of digital skills workshops.
We ran a Cyber Resilience project and will provide information and support for members based on our experiences during this project. |
| Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens | www.farmgarden.org.uk | Promotion of access to all for community growing activities and highlighting community growing sites as forums for a wide range of people and groups to meet and build relationships | Core funding from SG with additional trust fund support and a small amount of income generation from events, conferences and contracts | advice information and training on a range of topics that are relevant to ur members, from volunteer development to business planning and composting... | advice information and training to community groups on good governance | Community growing links strongly to many environmental agendas including local environmental improvement and regeneration, climate change, biodiversity, organics etc. | Policy responses to formal consultations where relevant (eg Obesity Strategy, Community Empowerment Act, Planning Review), and more informal policy work in presenting information and research on the impact of community growing | Membership scheme free of charge to community managed greenspaces, offering policy representation, support and discounts. | |||||||
| Senscot | www.senscot.net | The majority of social enterprises in the Social Enterprise Networks (SENs) will work with volunteers. | Senscot aims to identify, connect, encourage and raise the profile of social enterprises. We aim to build an effective and inclusive network by ensuring the fullest and broadest participation of those who are tackling imaginatively and effectively the social problems in our communities. | Our subsidiary Senscot Legal has recently developed a 'Governance Guiding Principles' document and website for SE and third sector organisations. This work was funded via the Scottish Govt - 10 Year Social Enterprise Strategy. | Senscot facilitates and supports a Health SEN - focussing on sharing information, collaborative working and informing policy. | ||||||||||
| Scottish Federation of Housing Associations | www.sfha.co.uk | Many of our members offer volunteering roles. | |||||||||||||