The Policy and Parliamentary service offers a wealth of policy information and parliamentary advice relevant to the voluntary sector.  SCVO staff working in policy development, policy co-ordination and parliamentary information actively consult with the sector on key policy issues to ensure that the policy positions adopted by SCVO reflect the concerns of the sector.  As well as engaging with current policy issues, SCVO also promote debates and discussions on the future policy direction of the voluntary sector and our new policy journal VIEW can be found in this section.  Policy and Parliamentary staff also provide key information on how the sector can engage with the political process and effectively present their views to decision makers. 

Through Policy Issues, you are able to search through all policy documents produced by SCVO.  This includes consultation responses, Policy Committee papers, and briefings prepared for Parliament.  SCVO’s responses to consultations are posted here as quickly as possible, allowing organisations to view SCVO’s response before the consultation closing date.  In this section, policy documents are date referenced, enabling users to gain a fuller picture of the progress made on each policy issue over time.  Spotlights directs you to current key issues and Latest Updates highlights new additions to the Policy and Parliamentary pages.

The section Policy Committee provides details of SCVO members elected to SCVO’s Policy Committee which supports the formal policy making process.  Policy and Parliamentary staff support the Policy Officers Network, a network open to all voluntary sector staff working with the Scottish Parliament.