Scottish Government are seeking views from local third sector organisations into the evaluation of Third Sector Infrastructure in Scotland. Scottish Government and Voluntary Action Scotland have agreed that it is crucially important that local third sector organisations have an opportunity to input their views into the evaluation process.

Scottish Government wants the local third sector to have an opportunity to examine how the local third sector is structured and organised, and invites views on possible changes to strengthen the support and increase the influence of the third sector to shape and deliver public services for local citizens and local communities in their local area.

Therefore, we ask you to complete this short survey to understand Falkirk’s view of the evaluation of how the third sector is structured and organised. Your input is seen as crucially important to this process. Scottish Government believes that, “The Third Sector has a crucial role to play in delivering the change we need, and we need your help to do it.”

The deadline for responses is Wednesday 31^st May. The survey is anonymous; all that we ask is that you identify which organisation type or sector you represent.

Background

The local third sector infrastructure in Scotland is an important part of the picture and Scottish Government is focusing on how to improve and strengthen it. As a first step, Scottish Government commissioned an independent evaluation of the Third Sector Interface (TSI) model and Voluntary Action Scotland, which has been operating since 2011 to support four key functions: volunteering, social enterprises, local third sector organisations and participation in the community planning process.

The independent evaluation provides robust evidence to be used as part of a broader engagement process about improvements necessary in the short, medium and longer term.

The full evaluation report can be found on Scottish Government website.

Third Sector Interfaces and Intermediaries

TSIs provide a single point of access for support and advice for the third sector within each local authority area. CVS Falkirk is recognised as the TSI for Falkirk and District; neighbouring TSIs in the Forth Valley area are: Stirling Voluntary Enterprise (SVE) and Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface (CTSI). TSIs provide a strong coherent and cohesive representation of the third sector, with clear links to Community Planning Partnerships and Single Outcome Agreements.

Voluntary Action Scotland are an intermediary body representing the 32 Third Sector Interfaces. Their role is to develop, support and represent the Third Sector Interfaces network. There are several other intermediary bodies that provide both local and national support. Some examples of intermediaries are: the Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), ACOSVO, Volunteer Scotland, Development Trusts Association Scotland (DTAS), The Alliance, and Social Enterprise Scotland.

Moving Forward

Scottish Ministers have made very clear that they want to increase the scale and pace of change. Public, third sector and private organisations must work much more effectively together to design and deliver services that meet individual need. The Third Sector – to a large degree already operating in this way – has the potential to be a real catalyst for change.

Over the next 3 months, Scottish Government officials are holding a series of conversations and events throughout Scotland to examine how the third sector infrastructure is organised and how it can be improved in the medium to longer term. Scottish Government wants to ensure that as many people as possible to put forward their views on how the local third sector should be organised to support individuals and communities across Scotland.

Following this wider engagement, Scottish Government officials, in dialogue with the wider interests, will draw together recommendations for consideration by Scottish Ministers by Autumn 2017, for implementation from 2018/19.

For further information, please visit the Scottish Government website.