SCVO : Voluntary Sector Research Library

03 Sep 10 - How to connect with donors: essential messages for charities

CAF : CAF

This report presents the findings of a survey conducted by CAF Research, into what the general public and CAF individual customers think charities could do differently to weather the recession. The survey was conducted during March and June 2009. The respondents had some very clear messages for...
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25 Aug 10 - Harmonising Reporting Working Group: Report to the Scotland Funders' Forum

Scotland Funders' Forum : Evaluation Support Scotland

The Scotland Funders’ Forum recognises that funders do not always get what they need from the reports they receive from funded organisations. Reporting does not always give them a clear picture of the difference their funding has made or the lessons learned. At the same time the reporting process...
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25 Aug 10 - Measuring Progress: Sustainable Development Indicators 2010

Defra : Environmental Statistics Service, Defra

This report compiles an extensive range of economic, social and environmental indicators to provide a statistical overview of the UK's progress. They cover a wide range of topics of everyday concern such as health, housing, jobs, crime, education, and our environment, all of which may affect...
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25 Aug 10 - Task Force on Sustainable Lifestyles

United Nations : United Nations Environment Programme

The findings presented here are from a four-year project to explore ways to engage, exemplify, enable and encourage people, civil society organisations and governments to further sustainability in people's everyday lives. The international Marrakech Task Force on Sustainable Lifestyles, led by the...
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23 Aug 10 - The regional geography of social enterprise in the UK: a review of recent surveys

Third Sector Research Centre : Buckingham, H.; Pinch, S.; Sunley, P.

Social enterprise has attracted increasing attention from policy makers, practitioners and academics over recent years and it has often been argued that there is a strong geographical dimension to the growth of social enterprise. However, the lack of reliable national level quantitative data about...
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20 Aug 10 - Relative poverty across Scottish Local Authorities

Scottish Government : Scottish Government

This publication presents, for the first time, official figures about the distribution of income and relative poverty across Scotland at local authority area level. These figures have been produced from the Scottish Household Survey (SHS) and are the result of work which has been carried out within...
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20 Aug 10 - Local Evaluation Plan for the Govanhill Equally Well Test Site

Glasgow Centre for Population Health : Harkins, C.; Craig, P.

This document sets out the local evaluation plan for the Govanhill Equally Well test site, specifically the work of the Govanhill Neighbourhood Management Group (GNMG). There are two overarching aims for the evaluation: 1) Assess the outcomes and effects of the work of the GNMG in terms of...
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20 Aug 10 - Compact Baseline Survey 2009/10

Commission for the Compact : Courtin, A.; Guild, M.; Madden, M.; Donaldson, R.

This research occurred during a period of change for the Compact and explicitly references the original 1998 Compact and Codes of Practice, rather than the Refreshed 2009 version. The research was conducted with public bodies and government departments operating in England, with fieldwork occurring...
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15 Aug 10 - 'The billion dollar question': embedding prevention in older people's services - 10 'high impact' changes

Health and social care services are increasingly seeking to develop a more preventative approach for older people – without necessarily having sufficient evidence to know what will really make a difference. While there is growing recognition that only a more preventative agenda will be sufficient...
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15 Aug 10 - Research on the Costs of Long-Term Care for Older People - Current and Emerging Issues

University of Stirling : Bowes, A.

This review explores debates concerning the costs of long-term care for older people, and aims to give an overview of the recent and current research agenda in this area, referring primarily to work published 2000-2006. The focus of much work is on the identiﬁcation of costs, their distribution and...
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14 Aug 10 - Understanding the needs of people with mental health conditions and/ or learning disabilities and the implications for the Pension, Disability and Carers Service

Department of Work and Pensions : Butters, A.; Webster, M.; Hill, M.

Mental health influences and is influenced by a broad and complex range of factors cutting across a range of different spheres of life – such as health (both physical and mental), employment, housing, leisure and social networks – and therefore a strong multi-agency approach is required which...
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14 Aug 10 - Scottish Government Urban / Rural Classification 2009-2010

Scottish Government : Scottish Government

The Scottish Government Urban/Rural Classification 2009-2010, which updates the 2007-2008 version, was created by combining population and accessibility information to distinguish between urban and rural areas across Scotland. Population information is sourced from the Settlements dataset provided...
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08 Aug 10 - Stimulating new markets - commissioning social enterprises

Local Government Improvement and Development : Social Enterprise Coalition

This report presents the first stage of the Social Enterprise Coalition’s contribution research into stimulating new markets and using the power of commissioning to stimulate the social enterprise sector and new social enterprise models of delivery. It is based on four in-depth case studies...
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08 Aug 10 - Understanding Personalisation: Implications for third sector infrastructure and their work with organisations on the frontline

Sheffield Hallam University / ESRC : Dayson, C.

This report provides the findings of an ESRC Third Sector Placement Fellowship which ran from February to May 2010 and explored the implications of the personalisation agenda in public services for third sector organisations. The Fellowship was a partnership between the Centre for Economic and...
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30 Jul 10 - The third sector delivering public services: an evidence review

Third Sector Research Centre : Macmillan, R.

This paper examines research evidence, argument and policy development on the third sector and public service delivery over the last five to ten years. Forty-eight separate pieces of research, published between 2004 and 2010 on the themes of public service delivery, commissioning and procurement,...
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29 Jul 10 - 2020 Welfare: Life, Work, Locality

2020 Public Services Trust : 2020 Welfare Working Group

The current welfare system is based upon a model of individual incentives, sanctions and the strict monitoring of individual compliance. This discussion paper by 2020 Welfare calls for a dynamic, integrated and more transparent approach that considers citizens within the context of their pasts,...
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29 Jul 10 - ‘Below the Radar’ Activities and Organisations in the Third Sector: A Summary Review of the Literature

Paper aiming to summarise the key findings from a more detailed review of the literature available on the Third Sector Research Centre website on 'below the radar' organisations. It addresses: * the term „below the radar‟ and its use in research as a means of defining and understanding...
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28 Jul 10 - Caring in Scotland: Analysis of Existing Data Sources on Unpaid Carers in Scotland

Scottish Government : Stewart, F.; Patterson, E.

Working in partnership with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), the Scottish Government has reviewed the National Strategy for Carers in Scotland published in 1999. This review has been informed by evaluating the progress made in meeting the 22 recommendations of the Care 21...
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26 Jul 10 - The Human Factor: How transforming healthcare to involve the public can save money and save lives

NESTA : Bunt, L.; Harris, M.

The National Health Service needs to save £15 billion to £20 billion over the next few years. This discussion paper argues that these savings could be achieved through radical patient-centred service redesign and more effective approaches to public behaviour change. However, the paper argues, these...
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25 Jul 10 - Public services and civil society working together: promising ideas for effective local partnerships between state and citizen

Every part of the public sector in the UK is now grappling with how to save money, and how to do ‘more for less’. Some of the responses will be driven top down. But experience shows that many of the most creative answers come from involving people on the front line, both the providers working in...
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24 Jul 10 - Practitioner Research in Social Services

This is a summary of a literature review conducted around practitioner research in social services. The objective of the review was to establish the context for practitioner research and its impact on practice through identifying practitioner research undertaken in a social services context. The...
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24 Jul 10 - Guidance on Research Governance and Ethical Research Practice

Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS) : McCrae, R.

This document offers guidance to help social service organisations develop systems and processes to ensure good research governance and shared ethical principles for conducting social services research in Scotland.

24 Jul 10 - Towards a Research and Development Strategy for Social Services in Scotland

Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS) : Skinner, K.

This document sets out the rationale and evidence for an R&D Strategy and was produced by the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS) in partnership with the Scottish Government. It arises from the Changing Lives report which recommended that such an R&D Strategy should be...
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22 Jul 10 - Beyond 'flat-earth' maps of the third sector: enhancing our understanding of the contribution of 'below the radar' organisations

Northern Rock Foundation : Mohan, J.; Kane, D.; Branson, J.; Owles, F.

This paper explores some of the issues around producing reliable estimates of the numbers, scale and scope of third sector organisations in a region. The bulk of the paper presents a discussion of work that the authors have been conducting on the distribution of what are often termed ‘below the...
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22 Jul 10 - Shumpeter comes to Whitehall - a discussion paper

NESTA : Blunt, L.; Harris, M.; Westlake, S.

The UK’s public services face a long and difficult period of austerity. To address the perilous state of our public finances, the UK Government has begun the task of significantly reducing public spending. This will have serious implications both for those who work in public services and the...
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21 Jul 10 - Public trust and confidence in charities

Charity Commission : Ipsos MORI

This report presents the findings of the 2010 Charity Commission study into public trust and confidence in charities in England and Wales. The study was first conducted in 2005 in response to the Draft Charities Bill (now the Charities Act 2006) which proposed a new statutory objective for the...
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20 Jul 10 - Right Here, Right Now - taking co-production into the mainstream

NESTA / nef : Boyle, D.; Coote, A.; Sherwood, C.; Slay, J.

This discussion paper is the last of three reports from nef and NESTA. The first report, The Challenge of Co-production, published in December 2009, explained what co-production is and why it offers the possibility of more effective and efficient public services. The second report, Public Services...
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19 Jul 10 - Measuring Social Value - the gap between policy and practice

DEMOS : Wood, C.; Leighton, D.

This report provides a snapshot of the third sector's ability to measure and communicate the social value of the services it provides. It also investigates the range of frameworks available for measuring social value and assesses progress made towards using these frameworks, particularly the Social...
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19 Jul 10 - Report on the Impact of 15 Years of The National Lottery in the UK

The National Lottery : ECOTEC Research / Consulting Limited

To mark the 15th anniversary of the National Lottery, this report was commissioned to evaluate the impact that Lottery Good Causes funding has had across the UK. The report provides a snapshot of the UK after 15 years of the Lottery - the sort of projects that have been supported, and how Lottery...
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19 Jul 10 - Fully Charged - Scottish CAB evidence on overdraft charges

Citizens Advice Scotland : Dryburgh, K.

This research report looks at the continuing effects of unfair and disproportionate overdraft charges on vulnerable and low income clients. The main findings of the report include: • Bank charges occur for various reasons other than irresponsible spending – including low income, job loss,...
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16 Jul 10 - The Innovation Imperative - why radical innovation is needed to reinvent public services for the recession and beyond

NESTA : Harris, M.; Albury, D.

In the wake of the recession, public services will be asked to do more for less. But at the same time we need to tackle challenges such as an ageing society and a rise in long-term health conditions. This research argues that we need a new way of innovating in our public services to deal with...
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16 Jul 10 - Radical Efficiency - different, better, lower cost public services

NESTA : Gillinson, S.; Horne, M.; Baeck, P.

'Radical efficiency’ is about different, better and lower cost public services. It is about innovation that delivers much better public outcomes for much lower cost. Radical efficiency is not about tweaking existing services. Rather, it is about generating new perspectives on old problems to...
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14 Jul 10 - Community and mutual ownership - a historical review

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : Woodin, T.; Crook, D.; Carpentier, V.

This report explores the history of ‘community and mutual ownership’ and draws out five historic models of ownership which are examined in turn. The concept of community and mutual ownership is used as an eclectic and exploratory device to uncover a range of different material over previous...
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13 Jul 10 - Using participatory mapping to explore participation in three communities

This report discusses the uses of community mapping to explore participation. It illustrates the history of participatory mapping as a versatile research tool, demonstrating its potential use in a variety of scenarios. The report explains the authors' approach to mapping within the Pathways through...
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13 Jul 10 - Tayforth Workforce Planning Project 2008 - 2009

Scottish Social Services Learning Network : Miller, J.; Snowball, A.

The Tayforth Learning Network Workforce Planning Project 2008-9 was established to improve the Network’s knowledge of the workforce, workforce planning and learning provision in social services and learning provider organisations in Tayforth. It is the first large-scale study of this kind to focus...
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08 Jul 10 - What do we know about the voluntary sector social services workforce? A guide for voluntary sector social service organisations

Examines the current composition of the voluntary sector social services workforce, which makes up just under one third of all social services workers in Scotland. Presents a profile of the workforce, looking at: the definition of voluntary sector social services; numbers of services; small and...
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07 Jul 10 - Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2009: Sustainable Places and Greenspace

Scottish Government : Reid, S.; Curtice, J. / ScotCen

This report presents findings from the 2009 Scottish Social Attitudes survey on three key questions: • What are the key factors that people in Scotland think makes somewhere a good place to live? • What is the role of greenspace in particular in making somewhere a place people want to live? •...
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06 Jul 10 - A minimum income standard for the UK in 2010

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : Davis, A.; Hirsch, D.; Smith, N.

This report presents the 2010 update of the Minimum Income Standard (MIS), originally published in 2008. The standard is based on research into what items members of the public, informed where relevant by expert knowledge, think should be covered by a household budget in order to achieve a minimum...
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06 Jul 10 - Reporting on Progress Towards Equality of Opportunity for Women and Men made by Public Authorities in Scotland: Ministerial Priorities for Gender Equality - Tackling Occupational Segregation

Scottish Government : Reid Howie Associates / Equality Plus

This report sets out the findings of research to identify progress by public authorities in one of two areas designated in Scotland as ministerial priorities under the Gender Equality Duty: tackling occupational segregation. It should be read alongside a report by the Scottish Government of an...
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06 Jul 10 - Reporting on Progress Towards Equality of Opportunity for Women and Men Made by Public Authorities in Scotland: Ministerial Priorities for Gender Equality - Tackling Occupational Segregation: A Review of Key Evidence and National Policies

Scottish Government : Scottish Government Social Research

The current Gender Equality Duty requires Scottish Ministers to set out priority areas that they have identified across the functions and activities relevant to Scottish public authorities and then provide an overview of progress in these priority areas by 1 July 2010 (and at least every three...
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06 Jul 10 - Reporting on Progress Towards Equality of Opportunity for Women and Men Made by Public Authorities in Scotland: Ministerial Priorities for Gender Equality - Tackling Violence Against Women

Scottish Government : Reid Howie Associates / Equality Plus

This report sets out the findings of research to identify the progress being made by public authorities in one of two areas designated in Scotland as ministerial priorities under the Gender Equality Duty: tackling violence against women. There is evidence that violence against women continues to be...
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06 Jul 10 - Reporting on Progress Towards Equality of Opportunity for Women and Men Made by Public Authorities in Scotland: Ministerial Priorities for Gender Equality - Tackling Violence Against Women: A Review of Key Evidence and National Policies

Scottish Government : Scottish Government Social Research

05 Jul 10 - The role of the third sector in work with offenders: the perceptions of criminal justice and third sector stakeholders

Third Sector Research Centre : Meek, R.; Gojkovic, S.; Mills, A.

This paper examines the views of national criminal justice and third sector stakeholders in England on the strategic position of the sector and its role in the resettlement of offenders. The interview data suggests that although the involvement of the third sector in the criminal justice system is...
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05 Jul 10 - 'Community-led Research' Seminar Report

Community Health Exchange : Community Health Exchange

The CHEX Seminar held on 18 May 2010 at the STUC Centre in Glasgow created a positive exchange of practice between community health projects on their use of community-led research. Community-led research is a popular and useful approach for many community organisations as they seek to develop...
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02 Jul 10 - Future Jobs, Future Communities

SCVO : Hannah Jordan

Research report demonstrating the community benefit generated through the delivery of the Future Jobs Fund (FJF) by the Third Sector Consortium in Scotland. Outputs: 20 case studies are the result of this research. Each case study focuses specifically on the community benefit generated as a...
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01 Jul 10 - SROI Project Indicator and proxy database

Scottish Government : SROI Project

Social Return On Investment (SROI) Online Database of indicators and proxies. The database is a resource to be used in association with the Guide to SROI. SROI is a framework for measuring a concept of value that is much broader than simply financial. It tells the story of how change is being...
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01 Jul 10 - Equally Well Review 2010

Scottish Government : Scottish Government

During 2008 and 2009 the Scottish Government and COSLA published jointly three linked social policy frameworks: Equally Well, the Early Years Framework and Achieving Our Potential. Each of these addresses the underlying causes of Scotland’s health and other inequalities. The Ministerial Task Force...
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01 Jul 10 - Credit and debt in low-income families

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : Dearden, C.; Goode, J.; Whitfield, G.; Cox, L.

This report examines the experiences of credit and debt for low-income families over a twelve-month period. It was conducted against the backdrop of the global ‘credit crunch’, when a sustained period of readily available credit was followed by recession, increasing unemployment and rising...
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01 Jul 10 - Assembling the evidence jigsaw: insights from a systematic review of UK studies of return to work initiatives for disabled and chronically ill people.

: Clayton, S.; Gosling, R.; Povall, S.; Misso, K.; Bambra, C.; Whitehead, M.

This research reports on the results of a systematic review of empirical studies reporting the employment effects and/or factors influencing the effectiveness of national‐level interventions aimed at helping people who were not employed and on disability‐related benefits into work. The paper...
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14 Jun 10 - Unfit for Purpose

Citizens Advice Scotland : Citizens Advice Scotland

This report is based on evidence from citizens’ advice bureaux across Scotland, depicting the gravity of the issues faced by both applicants for and claimants of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), many of whom have severe illnesses and/or disabilities. ESA is now the second highest enquiry...
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13 Jun 10 - Improving Detention?

Edinburgh Users Forum : Edinburgh Users Forum

Edinburgh Users Forum (EUF) is an independent collective advocacy group which works closely with the Consultation and Advocacy Promotion Service (CAPS). Its members are people who use, or have used mental health services. It was set up to give people who use mental health services a say in the...
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11 Jun 10 - Local Authority Gender Equality Schemes - an analysis

Scottish Women's Aid : Ozga, J.; Steffen, S.

Scottish Women's Aid published this analysis of local authority Gender Equality Schemes (GES) to identify the extent to which priority was given to addressing domestic abuse/violence against women. Public bodies have a specific duty to publish a GES which sets out their priorities and objectives...
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09 Jun 10 - Scottish Third Sector Research Conference 2010 - Call for Papers

SCVO / CPSR / CGAP : Scottish Third Sector Research Conference Advisory Group

The Scottish Third Sector Research Conference 2010 will take place on Friday 3rd December at Old College, University of Edinburgh. A call for papers has now been released and can be viewed by clicking on the 'Weblink' below. The Evidence Library will be releasing further details about the...
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07 Jun 10 - Third Sector - Recession and Resilience: Understanding the impact of the recession on the third sector in the Highlands and Islands Enterprise Area

The current recession has revealed a lack of information about the relationship of the rural third sector to economic change (de Lima 2009). This pilot study seeks to take the opportunity to make a fragile rural area the object of the first piece of research produced to fill the evidence gap around...
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04 Jun 10 - The Lonely Society?

Mental Health Foundation : Griffin, J.

This report examines how modern society has changed the way people connect. It aims to raise awareness of loneliness and its effect on our mental health, detailing steps we can take to reduce isolation. A range of research methods was used to compile the data for the report, including: • a...
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04 Jun 10 - The Big Squeeze 2010: The Recession, Londoners and the Voluntary and Community Groups who serve them (second phase report)

London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC) : van der Feen, S.

This report is the second ‘Big Squeeze’ report to be produced by London Voluntary Service Council. It is the most extensive study yet of the impact of the recession on Londoners and the capital's Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations that support them. Key findings of the 2010...
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03 Jun 10 - Evaluation of the National Mortgage to Rent Scheme

Scottish Government : Bramley, G. et al

This report describes the results of research commissioned by the Scottish Government to evaluate the national Mortgage to Rent (MTR) Scheme in Scotland. This is a form of ‘mortgage rescue’ scheme which helps people who are in danger of having their homes repossessed to stay in their home as...
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30 May 10 - State of the nation report: poverty, worklessness and welfare dependency in the UK

HM Government : Cabinet Office

This report sets out a comprehensive assessment of poverty in the UK in 2010. The UK Coalition Government will use it to inform policy decisions as it advances its aims of tackling poverty and improving life chances. The report considers progress against a broad range of poverty and deprivation...
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27 May 10 - Evidence Based Supported Employment

In December 2009 the Scottish Government & COSLA released “A Working Life for All Disabled People: The Supported Employment Framework for Scotland”. The Scottish Union of Supported Employment (SUSE) was represented on the task group for the Framework, which built on the work SUSE and others have...
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26 May 10 - Growing up in Scotland: The Circumstances of Persistently Poor Children - summary report

The Growing Up in Scotland study (GUS) is an important longitudinal research project aimed at tracking the lives of a cohort of Scottish children from the early years, through childhood and beyond. Its principal aim is to provide information to support policy-making, but it is also intended to be a...
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26 May 10 - Growing Up In Scotland: Health Inequalities in Early Years

Scottish Government : Bromley, C.; Cunningham-Burley, S. / ScotCen / CRFR

26 May 10 - Growing Up In Scotland: Maternal mental health and its impact on child behaviour and development

26 May 10 - Growing Up In Scotland: Children's social, emotional and behavioural characteristics at entry to primary school

26 May 10 - Giving Without Strings

SCVO : SCVO Policy Committee Donated Income Working Group

SCVO's Policy Committee established an external working party in 1998 to consider issues associated with donated or fundraising income for charities in Scotland. This report is the result of the party's research and deliberations. The remit of the Donated Income Working Group, as it became...
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26 May 10 - Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2009: Public Attitudes to Drugs and Drug Use in Scotland

Scottish Government : Ormston, R.; Bradshaw, P.; Anderson, S. / ScotCen

This report presents findings from the 2009 Scottish Social Attitudes survey (SSA) on public attitudes towards illegal drugs and drug misuse in Scotland. The questions were funded by the Scottish Government’s Police and Community Safety Directorate, and aimed to explore changes in public opinion...
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25 May 10 - Residential care home workforce development

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : Wild, D.; Szczepura, A.; Nelson, S.

This is a report of a three-year study of enhanced care approaches in three residential homes for older people in England, supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. It has important messages for policy-makers, regulators, educators, residential home employers and staff, commissioners, community...
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25 May 10 - Scottish Voluntary Sector Statistics 2010

This paper presents the headline results from SCVO’s Panel Survey, covering the period 2008-09. This bi-annual survey updates our knowledge of the sector’s size, composition and finances and updates Scottish Voluntary Sector Statistics 2007. The statistics are based on the systematic extraction...
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24 May 10 - Involving users in commissioning local services

Age Concern London / Joseph Rowntree Foundation : Schehrer, S.; Sexton, S.

This report is about service users’ experience and views of involvement in shaping services, and the experiences and views of commissioners when involving users. The research points to what is currently happening and what might be possible in the future shape of commissioning. It has not been...
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16 May 10 - Study of Community Health Partnerships

Scottish Government : Watt, G.; Ibe, O.; McLelland, N. / Blake Stevenson Ltd.

This research aims to consider the early progress Community Health Partnerships (CHPs) have made in relation to key areas of responsibility, identify the factors which have facilitated or possibly hindered progress and identify ways in which the CHPs capacity and capability can be improved to...
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16 May 10 - Review of the Impact of Community Engagement within Regeneration

Scottish Government : Findlay, E.

The Community Engagement Team within the Regeneration Division of the Scottish Government asked Communities Analytical Services to provide an overview of what is know about the impact of community engagement and empowerment activity within the context of regeneration and to explore how its impact...
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04 May 10 - Investing in Communities - Case Studies

Big Lottery Fund in Scotland : Blake Stevenson Ltd.

Each of the case studies in this collection has a different story to tell and collectively they demonstrate how self-evaluation enables grant holders to think about the changes their project has brought about and the impact it has had on the ground. The Big Lottery Fund in Scotland believes that...
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04 May 10 - A Short Study of Resilience in Scottish Charities

The current economic climate has created many challenges for the charitable sector. Resilience, the ability to adapt in the face of change, is considered important in supporting the Scottish Government‟s objective of creating a more successful country through sustainable economic growth and in...
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03 May 10 - Small charity accounts: a comparative study

In November 2008, OSCR published the results of a comparative study into the accounts of small charities. The study aimed to establish a benchmark for compliance with the statutory requirements set out under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charity Accounts...
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02 May 10 - Talking Mats® and involvement in decision making for people with dementia and family carers

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : Murphy, J.; Gray, C.M.; Cox, S.

The findings presented here have implications for the organisation, delivery, regulation and improvement of services for people with dementia. Recent guidance, from both the Department of Health and devolved governments, recommends that people with dementia should be involved in decisions about...
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29 Apr 10 - Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2009: Local Isues, National Concerns: Public Attitudes to Antisocial Behaviour in Scotland

Scottish Government : Ormston, R.; Anderson, S. / ScotCen

This report presents findings on public perceptions of antisocial behaviour (ASB) and attitudes to young people. It is based on data from the 2009 Scottish Social Attitudes Survey, which involved face-to-face interviews with a probability sample of 1,482 people aged 18+ across Scotland. The...
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29 Apr 10 - Rural community empowerment in the 21st century: building a 'can-do' culture

Economic and Social Research Council / Scottish Government : ESRC

This publication is intended to make a positive contribution to the debate about the role research has in reflecting and informing social and economic drivers in Scotland’s rural communities. It draws on presentations given at an ESRC / Scottish Government seminar in Perth on 25th March...
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26 Apr 10 - Rural Community Buildings in England 2009

ACRE : ACRE

This report provides early key findings from ACRE’s third comprehensive survey of the state of rural community buildings in England, updating data from surveys in 1988 and 1998. The findings only cover England but provide a useful context for Scottish village hall research, Summary of...
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23 Apr 10 - Drug Misuse Statistics Scotland 2009

NHS National Services Scotland : ISD / National Statistics

This annual publication presents the latest available information from a range of national data sources relevant to drug misuse. This report and previous publications are available on the national drugs misuse information web site at www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/dmss In this report there are...
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22 Apr 10 - Systematic Reviews and Policy Transfer for Scotland

ESRC / The Scottish Government / The Campbell Collaboration : ESRC

There has been limited use of systematic reviews to inform policy in the Scottish Government to date. Instead there has been heavy reliance on evaluating single policies – in the first two terms of devolved government over 150 separate evaluations were commissioned to inform policy learning. Over...
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22 Apr 10 - Rights and Reality: Disabled people's experiences of accessing goods and services

Leonard Cheshire Disability : Gore, E.; Parckar, G.

This report examines disabled people’s experiences of accessing goods and services, and examines the extent to which disabled people have been able to enforce their rights through the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). The report also makes recommendations as to how the new Equality Act (which...
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21 Apr 10 - The UK Civil Society Almanac 2010

The UK Civil Society Almanac 2010 is aimed at policy-makers, practitioners and academics with an interest in voluntary organisations and civil society. It reports key trends and characteristics on a range of topics, including funding and finance, spending, workforce and employment, volunteering and...
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21 Apr 10 - An Analysis of the Consultation Responses to the Energy Efficiency Action Plan

The Scottish Government : Geoff Peart Consulting / Tibbles, C.; Hartley, J.

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act commits the Scottish Government to prepare and publish a plan for promoting energy efficiency; and improving the energy efficiency of living accommodation. The draft Energy Efficiency Action Plan sets out a comprehensive approach to energy efficiency by the...
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20 Apr 10 - Sharing Knowledge, Improving Practice, Changing Lives: A knowledge management strategy and action plan for social services in Scotland, 2010-12

The purpose of this Strategy and Action Plan is to show how individuals and organisations can help realise a vision in which all stakeholders can access, share and use knowledge to improve outcomes for people who use services and for carers. The plan describes a knowledge infrastructure that...
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20 Apr 10 - Adapting Institutions to Climate Change

The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) chose this topic because it believes there is an urgent need to understand how UK institutions should adapt to climate change and initiate actions to build adaptive capacity. The report explores the challenges facing institutions in adapting to...
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20 Apr 10 - Adapting Institutions to Climate Change

11 Apr 10 - Making the Grade? Results from the first year of grading registered services, 2008/09

This report presents the Care Commission's first full year of grading results. It examines the grades that registered services achieved in the first full year of grading up to 31 March 2009. The information is broken down in various ways in order to compare grades across service groups, types,...
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09 Apr 10 - Study of the Workforce and Employment Issues Surrounding Self-Directed Support

Scottish Government : Reid Howie Associates

This study was carried out between March and September 2009 to provide evidence to identify workforce issues surrounding people in receipt of Self-Directed Support (SDS), to identify ways to support SDS clients as employers and to develop strategies to develop and support the Personal Assistant...
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07 Apr 10 - Towards a Conceptual Framework for Family Proofing Policy: Understanding the Key Domains and Critical Levers of Influence

Relationships Foundation : Wong, D.

This is the third and final paper in the Foundation's Family Proofing series. It explores how family proofing of policy can be done, focusing specifically on the key domains and critical levers by which policy (including the role of the third sector) can influence family relationships and...
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05 Apr 10 - Third Sector approaches to bridging the distance from the employment market for people with Multiple and Complex Needs: an evidence review

Scottish Government : Clark, J.; Ferrie, J.; Watson, N.

This report presents evidence drawn from a range of publications on how third sector organisations have engaged with and supported people facing multiple and complex needs, on their journey to employment. It has drawn on literature published in the UK, the EU, Australia and the US between 2005 and...
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03 Apr 10 - Evaluation of Phase 2 of Choose Life

Scottish Government : Russell, P; Lardner, C.; Johnston, L.; Griesbach, D.

This report evaluates the second phase of Choose Life, the national suicide prevention strategy. It sets out progress on the aims of Choose Life and makes recommendations for the remaining period of the strategy up to 2013. Evidence was gathered through interviews and small group discussions with...
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24 Mar 10 - The Effect of the Recession on Glasgow's Voluntary Sector: GCVS Survey No.2

This report presents the findings of a survey undertaken by GCVS in November 2009, updating previous work carried out in March 2009. The survey was designed to track the effects of the economic recession on Glasgow’s voluntary organisations and community groups and inform the content of discussion...
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22 Mar 10 - Making the connection: Civil society and social media

Carnegie UK Trust : Charman-Anderson, S.

Over 70% of UK civil society organisations use social media — websites, services and applications that allow users to engage in social behaviours online or on a mobile phone — but research shows it is not always being used effectively. Poor web design, a lack of stakeholder engagement and common...
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22 Mar 10 - Protecting the news: Civil society and the media

Carnegie UK Trust : Witschge, T. et al

The production and circulation of independent, quality news is a hallmark of democratic societies. The demise of the existing business model of the local and regional press and of broadcast news in the UK and Ireland, together with the struggle for survival of many national newspapers, demands a...
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20 Mar 10 - Making good society: Final report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society in the UK and Ireland

Carnegie UK Trust : Carnegie UK Trust

This report argues that civil society has been pushed to the margins in key areas including politics, finance and the media and that this must change. It explores how civil society activity can help grow a more civil economy, enable a rapid and just transition to a low carbon economy, democratise...
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20 Mar 10 - Shaping equality and fairness after the recession

Equality and Diversity Forum : Equality and Diversity Forum

This report summarises the discussion which took place at two seminars organised by the Equality and Diversity Forum in late 2009 to discuss the implications of the recession for equality and social justice in the UK. The seminars were designed to enable participants from government, NGOs,...
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20 Mar 10 - How can parents escape from recurrent poverty?

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : McQuaid, R.; Fuertes, V.; Richard, A.

The study explores the reasons behind the low-pay/no-pay cycle and recurrent poverty among disadvantaged parents. The main part of the study consisted of qualitative interviews with 33 disadvantaged parents across Scotland in order to relate their stories and views about getting work and to...
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18 Mar 10 - Building understanding of fairness, equality and good relations in England, Scotland and Wales

Equality and Human Rights Commission : Jones, N. et al

This research, carried out for the Commission by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the Scottish Centre for Social Research (ScotCen) aims to build on existing evidence on public attitudes to explore further the public’s understanding of the concepts ‘equality’, ‘fairness’ and...
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17 Mar 10 - Compendium of International Legal Instruments and Other Inter-governmental Commitments Concerning Core Civil Society Rights

CIVICUS : Wohlgemuth, R. (compiler); Tiwana, M. and Rubin, M. (eds)

The practical realisation of core civil society freedoms to express, associate and assemble, which are contained in a vast body of international law and inter-governmental commitments, is critical to civic existence and effective citizen participation. Nevertheless, in various contexts around the...
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17 Mar 10 - Building understanding of fairness, equality and good relations in Scotland

Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) : Dobbie, F. et al

This research, carried out for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) by ScotCen (Scottish Centre for Social Research) and NatCen (National Centre for Social Research), aims to build on existing evidence on public attitudes to explore further the Scottish public’s understanding of the...
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15 Mar 10 - Making Civil Justice Work for Consumers: The consumer perspective on making the civil justice system in Scotland fit for the 21st century

Consumer Focus Scotland : Crompton, G.

This report by Consumer Focus Scotland provides a consumer blueprint for the future of the civil justice system in Scotland. It sets out the consumer champion’s policy position on civil justice and highlights the key areas of the system that are priorities for reform. The principles underpinning...
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13 Mar 10 - Self-directed Support (Direct Payments), Scotland, 2009

The Scottish Government : The Scottish Government

This Statistics Release presents the latest figures for Self-directed Support (Direct Payments). The latest figures apply to payments made during the period 1st April 2008 to 31st March 2009 under section 12B of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. People who receive Self-directed Support (Direct...
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12 Mar 10 - Survivarts Evaluation

West Lothian Council : Scottish Development Centre for Mental Heath

In March 2009 West Lothian Council approached the Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health to conduct an independent evaluation of their project Survivarts. Survivarts aimed to provide adult survivors of sexual abuse with regular arts activities to improve their general wellbeing. The...
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09 Mar 10 - The growing workforce in the voluntary and community sectors: analysis of the Labour Force Survey 1993-2009

Third Sector Research Centre : McKay, S.; Moro, D.

This paper describes employment trends in the UK Voluntary and Community Sectors (VCS) from 1993 to 2009. It also describes: (a) those groups that are more likely to work for the VCS, and (b) the composition of the VCS in 2008. The VCS has grown significantly in the UK during the last two...
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09 Mar 10 - The State of Happiness: Can public policy shape people's wellbeing and resilience?

This final Local Wellbeing Project report brings together four years of groundbreaking work based on in-depth pilots - from teaching resilience to children in schools to promoting neighbourliness - with three councils in very different areas of England: Manchester, Herfordshire and South...
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06 Mar 10 - Dimensions of Diversity: population differences and health improvement opportunities

NHS Health Scotland : Gordon, D.S.; Graham, L.; Robinson, M.; Taulbut, M.

This report provides a concise overview of basic information about 13 characteristics or groups of the population of Scotland, linking users to sources of further information. It covers: age, asylum seekers and refugees, carers, disability, ethnicity, language, literacy, migrants, poverty,...
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06 Mar 10 - Rural Scotland in Focus Report 2010

Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) : Skerratt, S. et al

This report has been written by researchers from SAC’s Rural Policy Centre, along with contributions from specialist authors from partner organisations, in transport, health, environment, the voluntary sector and rural services. It presents the latest evidence about the way that rural Scotland is...
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05 Mar 10 - Managing charity finances through uncertain times

Baker Tilly : Spears, K.; Singh, S.

This survey was carried out by the accountancy firm Baker Tilly during September and October 2009. It sought to discover how charities, some 18 months into the recession, have coped with the short-term issues affecting the sector and what the medium and long-term effects are likely to be. It...
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04 Mar 10 - The Role of Third Sector Innovation: Personalisation of health and social care and services to reduce re-offending - Recommendations

Cabinet Office : McGuire, A.

This report makes recommendations on the role of the third sector in England in the design and delivery of more personalised services within health and social care and services to reduce re-offending. These recommendations to Cabinet Office Ministers and other government departments aim to...
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04 Mar 10 - Protect, support, provide: Examining the role of grandparents in families at risk of poverty

Grandparents Plus / EHRC : Griggs, J.

This study begins by bringing together new British Social Attitudes (BSA) Survey data (including a re-analysis of older BSA data where new data is limited) and existing evidence from a broad body of literature to compile a picture of Britain’s grandparent population. It then goes on to consider the...
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03 Mar 10 - Government and the Third Sector: relationships at local level

SCVO / VAS : SCVO / VAS

In January 2010, the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and Voluntary Action Scotland (VAS) conducted a survey of chief officers from Scotland’s third sector local infrastructure organisations and representatives from the sector's National Intermediary Network. The aim of the...
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26 Feb 10 - How Inequality Damages All Of Us: a transcript of the 2009 SURF Annual Lecture

Scottish Urban Regeneration Forum (SURF) / JRF : Pickett, K.

SURF's overall objective is to improve the health and wellbeing of residents in Scotland’s disadvantaged communities. It was established in 1992 as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee and has a membership of over 250 organisations including local authorities, housing associations, health...
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24 Feb 10 - Everyone In: the minority ethnic LGBT project

This report is the conclusion of a nine month research project carried out by the Equality Network in partnership with Black and Ethnic Minority Infrastructure in Scotland (BEMIS) and funded by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The research aims to promote greater recognition within...
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24 Feb 10 - Single Outcome Agreements 2009-10

Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) : Herbert, S.

This briefing paper provides an overview of the 2nd round of Single Outcome Agreements (SOAs) which were signed-off by the Scottish Government and Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) in June 2009. It examines topics such as the principles underpinning the 2nd round of SOAs, their qualitative...
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24 Feb 10 -

23 Feb 10 - Mass Localism - a way to help small communities solve big social challenges

NESTA : Bunt, L.; Harris, M.

Policymakers increasingly recognise that many of the solutions to major social challenges – from tackling climate change to improving public health – need to be much more local. Local solutions are frequently very effective, as they reflect the needs of specific communities and engage citizens in...
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22 Feb 10 - Developing your Organisation's Research Capacity

SCVO : Research seminar

These four slide presentations were delivered at a seminar entitled entitled ‘Developing your Organisation’s Research Capacity’ which was held at the voluntary sector Gathering event in Edinburgh in February 2010. The titles of the presentations were as follows: • Introduction to the Uses of...
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22 Feb 10 - Developing your Organisation's Research Capacity

SCVO : Research seminar

22 Feb 10 - Developing your Organisation's Research Capacity

SCVO : Research seminar

22 Feb 10 - Developing your Organisation's Research Capacity

SCVO : Research seminar

20 Feb 10 - How do public bodies respond to freedom of information legislation? Administration, modernisation and democratisation

Policy and Politics : Taylor, J.; Burt, E.

This paper reflects on public service behaviour surrounding the early post-implementation period of the 2002 Freedom of Information [Scotland] Act. Drawing from research completed in September 2007 it examines the extent to which freedom of information (FOI) is generating new arrangements for...
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19 Feb 10 - Young people, volunteering and youth projects: a rapid review of recent evidence

v - the youth volunteering charity : Hill, M.; Russell, J.; Brewis, G.

This review was conducted by a consortium of organisations led by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and involving the Institute for Volunteering Research (IVR), as part of the scoping study of a formative evaluation of v, the youth volunteering charity in England which was launched...
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31 Jan 10 - Do you know how supporting victims of crime is helping Scotland?

Victim Support Scotland : Petersson, F.

This document provides an overview of statistics and information to help illustrate the link between crime and the fulfilment of Scotland’s main targets. It shows how Victim Support Scotland can directly assist in delivering services in line with the national outcomes, indicators and targets; for...
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25 Jan 10 - Scoping Study on the Third Sector in Scotland

This paper reports the findings of a scoping study on the role of the third sector in Scotland. It combines an in depth literature review and interviews with key government and third sector leaders. It aims to identify knowledge gaps regarding the third sector in Scotland and lay the groundwork for...
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20 Jan 10 - UK Giving 2009

: Charities Aid Foundation / NCVO

UK Giving 2009 reports on charitable giving over the period that began as the ‘credit crunch’ and then turned into a recession. The results presented in the report are based on survey data gathered by the Office for National Statistics where respondents are asked whether they have donated in the...
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19 Jan 10 - 'Advocacy makes you feel brave': Advocacy support for children and young people in Scotland

Scottish Government : Elsley, S.

This report presents the findings from a scoping study into advocacy support for children and young people. The research was commissioned by the Scottish Government in order to find what advocacy services are available in Scotland, where they are and the circumstances in which they are available...
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19 Jan 10 - In our own words: The story behind examples of community empowerment in Scotland

Scottish Government : Social Regeneration Consultants (SRC)

The twelve case studies highlighted here represent a small cross section of many hundreds of community empowerment initiatives currently underway across Scotland. They show a range of models that can be empowering. They involve communities owning assets and people playing a key role in influencing...
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18 Jan 10 - Understanding participation: a literature review

NCVO / Institute for Volunteering Research / Involve : Brodie, E. et al

This literature review focuses on England and forms part of a major national 2.5 year research project called ‘Pathways through Participation: What creates and sustains active citizenship?’. The project aims to explore how and why people get involved and stay involved in different forms of...
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14 Jan 10 - Devolution's impact on low-income people and places

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : McCormick, J.; Harrop, A.

While many of the key powers to tackle poverty remain reserved to the UK Government, devolved administrations have signed up to UK targets on reducing child poverty, and more recently have developed their own strategies. This Round-up considers the impact devolution has had for low income people...
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06 Jan 10 - Living with the Land: Proposals for Scotland's First Sustainable Land Use Strategy

Scottish Environment Link : Mayhew, J.

This discussion paper will be of broad interest to researchers working in the areas of community involvement, climate change and sustainable development. It sets out the views of member bodies of Scottish Environment LINK regarding the land use strategy to be prepared under Section 57 of the...
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06 Jan 10 - Developing a Voluntary Sector Insight into the Future of Scotland

SCVO : Shah, R.

In early 2005, SCVO’s policy committee commissioned a ‘Lead Group’ of senior representatives from and connected to the voluntary sector to develop an initial insight into the future of Scotland from the perspective of voluntary organisations. To inform the Lead Group’s report, a series of ‘futures’...
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06 Jan 10 - Developing a Voluntary Sector Insight into the Future of Scotland

SCVO : Shah, R.

05 Jan 10 - Getting-On: Well-being in later life

Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) : McCormick, J. et al

There is a lively policy debate about later life, dominated by how to improve pensions and social care, and who will foot the bill. But there is much less information about people’s experiences of growing older: their quality of life, their expectations and their emotional wellbeing. ippr’s work ...
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05 Jan 10 - Volunteering Information? The Use of Freedom of Information Laws by the Third Sector in Scotland - Survey Findings

University of Strathclyde / Scottish Information Commissioner : Spence, K.

The Scottish Information Commissioner is supporting the University of Strathclyde to undertake a three-year research study, which aims to explore the extent to which campaign groups and voluntary organisations in Scotland and the UK make use of freedom of information (FOI) legislation. The...
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04 Jan 10 - Community Policing: a Review of the Evidence

Scottish Government : Mackenzie, S.; Henry, A.

This report provides a brief assessment of the key themes in Community Policing (CP), together with a review of the international ‘what works’ evidence base which brings some clarity to what this kind of policing might reasonably be expected to achieve in Scotland. The evidence review is...
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21 Dec 09 - Home Care Services, Scotland, 2009

Scottish Government : National Statistics

A revised home care statistical collection was introduced in 1998. Local authorities are asked to provide details of all home care services provided by their own staff, and in addition, services bought in from other local authorities, and private / voluntary organisations. Information on client...
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16 Dec 09 - Gift Aid donor research: Exploring options for reforming higher-rate relief

HM Revenue and Customs and HM Treasury : Scharf, K.; Smith, S.

This research investigated the likely effect on donations of possible changes in Gift Aid that would remove income tax relief for higher-rate taxpayer donors and replace it with an increase in the tax relief to be claimed directly by charities. The research consisted of two elements. The main...
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15 Dec 09 - Evictions by social landlords in Scotland, 2008-09

Shelter Scotland : Camble, A.

This report follows Shelter Scotland's 2008 report 'Evictions by social landlords in Scotland' which set out the case for a concerted effort by social landlords to explore alternative mechanisms for dealing with arrears and to ensure that eviction is only used as an absolute last resort. The...
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11 Dec 09 - Wealth and Assets Survey 2006-08

The Wealth and Assets Survey 2006-08 collects information about the economic well-being of households and individuals in Great Britain. In particular the survey asks people about their assets and liabilities in order to estimate household and personal wealth. This includes information on; property,...
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09 Dec 09 - Mapping Scotland's Disability Organisations

Scottish Government : Johnston, L. et al

This report is one of a series of three produced as a result of research into disability organisations across Scotland and their capacity to influence public bodies. The other two reports are on the capacity of disability organisations to engage with public bodies and a guide to the resources...
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09 Dec 09 - The Capacity of Disability Organisations to Engage with Public Authorities

Scottish Government : Johnston, L. et al

This report is one of a series of three produced as a result of research into disability organisations across Scotland and their capacity to influence public authorities. The other two reports are on the mapping of disability organisations across Scotland and a guide to the resources available to...
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09 Dec 09 - A Resource Guide to Engagement Standards, Guidance and Toolkits

Scottish Government : Johnston, L. et al

This report is one of a series of three produced as a result of research into disability organisations across Scotland and their capacity to influence public bodies. The other two reports are on the mapping of disability organisations across Scotland and the capacity of disability organisations to...
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09 Dec 09 - Housing Statistics for Scotland

Scottish Government : Scottish Government

The Housing Statistics for Scotland web pages contain a range of time series and summary tables available to download in Excel format. The tables were last updated on 27 November 2009 and include data on housing activity in Scotland up to 30 September 2009 for social sector new build and affordable...
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09 Dec 09 - Civil Society: community, challenge and change

SCVO / Centre for Public Services Research : Battcock, M.

Civil society is all of the organisations and groups that occupy the space between the household, the state and the private sector. Civil society can play a valuable role in the delivery of services, can empower the poor and marginalized and campaign for policy change. For an effective and...
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09 Dec 09 - The Local Wellbeing Project

The Young Foundation : The Young Foundation

The Local Wellbeing Project is a three-year initiative to explore how local government in England and Wales can practically improve the happiness and wellbeing of citizens. The project brings together three very different local authorities – Manchester, Hertfordshire and South Tyneside – with the...
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08 Dec 09 - The climate debt crisis: why paying our dues is essential for tackling climate change

World Development Movement / Jubilee Debt Campaign : Jones,T.; Edwards, S.

This report explains the concept of 'climate debt', and explores how redressing the balance between international 'debtors' and 'creditors' is an essential prerequisite for effective global action to combat both climate change and poverty. It seeks to demonstrate why current attempts to deal with...
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08 Dec 09 - Adaptation to a changing climate: today's investments in tomorrow's climate

Consumer Focus : Compton, C. / Acclimatise

The UK Government, scientists, academia, non-government organisations (NGOs), businesses and financial markets increasingly recognise the reality society faces – that it needs to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions (mitigate) and adapt to inevitable climate change, including rising temperatures and...
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08 Dec 09 - Neighbourhood identity: people, time and place

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : Robertson, D.; Smyth, J.; McIntosh, I.

This study looks at the ways in which neighbourhood identity is formed and considers any implications this may have for policies that seek to improve and enhance neighbourhoods. Through an examination of three neighbourhoods in Stirling, the study explores what it means to people to ‘come from’...
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07 Dec 09 - Assessing the Ability to Pay for the Fees Charged by Charities (Stage 1 Report)

Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) : Stark, G. / Virtual Words

In March 2008 OSCR commissioned independent researchers, Virtual Worlds, to look at the ability of individuals or households to afford fees charged by charities. This research was commissioned in two stages: (1) Development and appraisal of possible methodologies to examine individuals’ and...
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07 Dec 09 - Assessing the Ability to Pay for the Fees Charged by Charities (Stage 2: Implementation)

Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) : Stark, G. / Virtual Words

To qualify as a charity, a body must have all charitable purposes and provide public benefit. The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), when assessing whether a body provides public benefit must have regard to whether any condition on obtaining that benefit is unduly restrictive. Unduly...
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06 Dec 09 - Monitoring poverty and social exclusion 2009

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : MacInnes, T.; Kenway, P.; Parekh, A.

'Monitoring poverty and social exclusion 2009' is the twelfth in a series of annual reports by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the New Policy Institute. The reports assess a wide range of subjects including unemployment, education and health and are built around a set of 50 indicators using...
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30 Nov 09 - The Financial State of the Sector - Dec.'09

SCVO : Lees, I.

This report is in three parts: Part 1 presents a short summary of the official December 2009 assessment of the Scottish economy along with key points from the latest independent forecast from the Fraser of Allander Institute at the University of Strathclyde. Part 2 presents the most recently...
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27 Nov 09 - "Sectarianism" and the Workplace: a Report to the Scottish Trades Union Congress and the Scottish Government

STUC : Finn, G.; Uygun, F.; Johnson, A.

The origins of this study lie in the concerns summed up in a resolution passed at the 2005 STUC Congress (Amended Resolution No. 65 Sectarianism in the Workplace). This was a wide-ranging motion that recognized the variety of ways in which sectarianism could be expressed in Scottish society and...
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26 Nov 09 - Evaluation of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust Activity in Scotland

Coalfields Regeneration Trust : Coburn, J. / EKOS Ltd.

The Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT) was formed in 1999 as an independent charity that operates on a UK-wide basis. The Trust’s mission is to lead the way in coalfields regeneration and to restore healthy, prosperous, and sustainable communities. It is funded in Scotland by the Scottish...
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26 Nov 09 - The Third Sector in Inverness-shire: a profile

CVS Inverness : CVS Inverness

This report has been produced as a result of a summer-long database update project, as a way of profiling the sector and reviewing the processes involved in that project. The report identifies key statistics in relation to the third sector in Inverness-shire, including the scale of the sector, the...
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22 Nov 09 - Access to independent advocacy: an evidence review

The Office for Disability Issues : Townsley, R.; Marriot, A.; Ward, L.

The Independent Living Strategy, launched in March 2008, committed the UK Government to investigate the effectiveness and cost benefit of advocacy support for disabled people in situations where they are at particular risk of losing choice and control. This review delivers on that commitment by...
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19 Nov 09 - State of Social Enterprise Survey 2009

Social Enterprise Coalition : Leahy, G.; Villeneuve-Smith, F.

This report presents the findings of the State of Social Enterprise Survey 2009 – the largest survey of its kind of social enterprises in the UK. Its results are taken from 962 telephone interviews with senior figures within social enterprises. Its purpose is to shed light on the sector’s size,...
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18 Nov 09 - Opportunities and Barriers to Consortia Bidding for Public Sector Contracts

Scottish Government : Holmes, J. et al / Wood Holmes Group / Accelerate

This study was commissioned by the Scottish Government in order to identify opportunities and barriers faced by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Social Enterprises (SEs) in bidding as consortia for public sector contracts in Scotland and to recommend a strategy to encourage consortia bidding...
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16 Nov 09 - Switching Off: Attitudes to switching energy suppliers among disadvantaged consumers

Consumer Focus Scotland : Faulk, A. / Blake Stevenson

This study, commissioned by Scottish Consumer Focus, reports on the findings of eight focus groups held across Scotland. It aims to improve understanding of the attitudes and barriers to switching energy suppliers among disadvantaged consumers, including older people, those with learning...
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12 Nov 09 - Signing on and stepping up? Single parents' experience of welfare reform

Gingerbread : Peacey, V.

The welfare system in the UK for single parents with older children has begun to change. Parents are being asked to seek paid work and take up a job that is offered, rather than being able to choose to parent full-time if that is what they feel is best. This research takes a qualitative approach...
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12 Nov 09 - Measuring What Matters - Conference Report

Community Development Alliance Scotland : CDAS / IACD / Carnegie UK Trust

On 27 March 2009 the Community Development Alliance Scotland (CDAS), in partnership with the International Association for Community Development (IACD), Carnegie UK Trust and the Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) hosted a conference in Dundee attended by 180 practitioners, policymakers...
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11 Nov 09 -

11 Nov 09 - Informing Future Approaches to Tackling Multiple Deprivation in Communities: Beyond the Fairer Scotland Fund

The Fairer Scotland Fund (FSF) was established in 2008 and brought together seven separate funds which had been targeted at tackling deprivation in Scotland. In January 2009, the Scottish Government commissioned research on the development and implementation of the FSF by Community Planning...
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11 Nov 09 - Review of the Scottish Helpline for Older People

The Scottish Helpline for Older People (SHOP) is a telephone helpline service and website for older people (aged 50 and over), supported by a Consortium committed to improving the delivery of information and advice to older people. SHOP was established in 2004. The majority of its funding comes...
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11 Nov 09 - Managing the Needs of Drunk and Incapable People in Scotland: a Literature Review and Needs Assessment

Scottish Government : Griesbach, D.; Lardner, C.; Russell, P.

The purpose of this research was to identify what need there is in Scotland for services for people who become drunk and incapable in public. This involved not only estimating the size and nature of the problem, but also looking in detail at how the needs of this population are currently being...
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11 Nov 09 - The Happy Planet Index 2.0: why good lives don't have to cost the Earth

The Happy Planet Index (HPI) was launched in July 2006 as a radical departure from our current obsession with GDP. Working from first principles, the report identified health and a positive experience of life as universal human goals, and the natural resources that our human systems depend upon as...
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10 Nov 09 - Single Outcome Agreements 2009-10: an analysis by CCPS

Community Care Providers Scotland (CCPS) : Gooday, K.

In November 2008, Community Care Providers Scotland published an analysis of the 2008-09 Single Outcome Agreements (SOAs), looking in particular for references to the aspirations for social care as set out in the ‘Changing Lives’ review of social work in Scotland, and for ways in which local...
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10 Nov 09 - The Civil Society Research Project

University of Strathclyde / Scottish Information Commissioner : Spence, K.

The Scottish Information Commissioner is supporting the University of Strathclyde to undertake a three-year research study which aims to explore the extent to which campaign groups and voluntary organisations in Scotland and the UK make use of freedom of information (FOI) legislation. The...
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10 Nov 09 - Mental Health Improvement: Evidence and Practice

Health Scotland : Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health

The aim of this study was to identify and collate examples of current practice in mental health improvement in Scotland, with a focus on case studies of work that is evidence based, follows good practice guidelines and gives indications of effectiveness. The report describes the process adopted to...
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10 Nov 09 -

10 Nov 09 - Communities in recession: the impact on deprived neighbourhoods

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : Tunstall, R.; Fenton, A.

This summary report explores the relationship between previous and current unemployment trends. It shows which areas in England and Wales have been hardest hit by the recession, and it suggests how local authorities, community and voluntary organisations can help maintain gains and...
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08 Nov 09 - The third sector - discussions around key public policy issues

ESRC : Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

In early 2009 the ESRC, in collaboration with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and with support from the Scottish Government, organised a series of three public policy seminars in Edinburgh which drew together a wide range of third sector practitioners and leading academics...
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06 Nov 09 -

06 Nov 09 - The State and the Voluntary Sector: recent trends in government funding and public service delivery

At a time when public expenditure is under pressure, this NCVO research publication contains the latest easy-to-understand intelligence on the UK statutory funding relationship. Figures typically refer to 2006-07 although some figures, such as those relating to the value of tax reliefs to UK...
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05 Nov 09 - A Social Capital Framework and Assessment for Glasgow

The Social Capital Working Group : FMR Research Ltd.

This report assesses the levels of social capital in Glasgow and the potential scope for developing it. It looks at five dimensions of social capital: social participation; social networks and social support; reciprocity and trust; civic participation; and people’s views of the local area. It sets...
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01 Nov 09 - Alcohol and Ageing: the views of older women and carers

Alcohol Focus Scotland : Plant, M.; Curran, J.; Brooks, R.

Alcohol Focus Scotland's Gender Issues Network on Alcohol (GINA) Project came into existence through a growing recognition on the increase in alcohol consumption among women and the associated health and social impacts. GINA provides information, support and assistance through a range of programmes...
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30 Oct 09 - Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2009

The Scottish Government : The Scottish Government and National Statistics

The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) presents a picture of multiple deprivation across Scotland by combining 38 indicators across 7 domains, namely: income, employment, health, education, skills and training, housing, geographic access and crime. This method has been used to track...
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30 Oct 09 -

27 Oct 09 - Preliminary Case Studies of the Application of Economic Evidence of Health Improvement Work in Community-led Projects and Organisations

NHS Health Scotland : Peter Taylor / Peter D Taylor Consultancy and Research

This study was commissioned by NHS Health Scotland to explore the potential value of economic evidence of health improvement work undertaken by community and voluntary organisations, using a case study approach. It sought to provide examples of whether and how community-led groups and organisations...
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21 Oct 09 - The Evidence Base for Third Sector Policy in Scotland: A Review of Selected Recent Literature

The Scottish Government : Dacombe, R.; Bach, S. / Kings College, London

This review provides an overview and evaluation of the literature and research evidence dealing with the third sector in Scotland. It draws on more than one hundred pieces of evidence. The overall aim of the study was ‘to review the research evidence and assess the current contribution of the third...
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05 Oct 09 - Good practice in community engagement from an equality perspective

This review brings together existing knowledge and current and recent examples of work, to identify some key messages in effective community engagement from an equality perspective. Two main methods were used: 1. A search of key sources of research literature, involving an internet search; the...
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30 Sep 09 - The Scottish Health Survey 2008

The Scottish Health Survey 2008 is presented in two volumes: a main report and a technical report. Previous surveys were published in 1995, 1998 and 2003. The 2008 report is the first to be published following a major review in 2005/2006 which included the recommendation that the survey should be...
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22 Sep 09 - Responding to the Rooftops - Climate change and social justice: what can UK foundations do?

Carnegie United Kingdom Trust : Burkeman, S.

As a member of the Woburn Place Collaborative, the Carnegie UK Trust (CUKT) commissioned the consultant Steven Burkeman to: explore the degree of urgency which trusts and foundations attach to working on the social justice implications of climate change; identify the kinds of interventions to which...
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17 Sep 09 - Differential Social Impacts of Climate Change in the UK

To inform UK climate change adaptation responses, the Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research (SNIFFER) commisioned CAG Consultants to identify how climate change affects different people within the UK and to identify the adaptation measures that will need to consider...
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10 Sep 09 - Operation of the Homeless Persons Legislation in Scotland: 2008-09

Scottish Government Statistician Group : Official Statistics for Scotland

This bulletin provides information on homelessness applications, assessments and outcomes to 31 March 2009. It includes information on the characteristics of applicant households, local authority assessments and the action taken in respect of cases that were concluded. Snapshot data on households...
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04 Sep 09 - Poverty, inequality and human rights

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : Donald, A.; Mottershaw, E.

This report considers how other countries have used human rights to tackle poverty and how this could be applied in the UK. In particular, the report covers: • how human rights have been used to understand poverty; • how communities experiencing poverty use human rights to act against injustice,...
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04 Sep 09 - Drowning in Debt

Drowning in Debt reports on research amongst Scottish citizens advice bureau (CAB) debt clients in 2008. Since the last survey commissioned by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) and conducted in 2003, personal debt has reached new record levels and consumer debt is consistently the biggest single issue...
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23 Aug 09 - Review of Care and Repair Projects

Care and Repair in Scotland primarily supports older and disabled people living in the private sector to remain living in their own homes by providing assistance with housing repairs, improvements or adaptations. This review provides a contextual analysis of Care and Repair projects and makes a...
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23 Aug 09 - Consultation on the key findings and recommendations from the National Parks Review - analysis of consultation responses

In 2008, a strategic review of Scotland’s two National Park Authorities (NPAs) was carried out as part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to ‘More Effective Government’. A consultation on the key findings and recommendations from this Review was published by the Landscapes and Habitats...
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11 Aug 09 - State of the Sector Panel Survey (England)

Office of the Third Sector, Cabinet Office : Green, H.

The State of the Sector Panel (SOSP) Survey was made up of 5,600 third sector organisations based in England. The broad aim of the research was to monitor progress in meeting the Spending Review 2004 Public Service Agreement (PSA8) target of ‘increasing voluntary and community sector activity,...
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11 Aug 09 - Identifying the Priorities of Tenants and Social Landlords

This research was carried out with tenants of social landlords to inform the proposed introduction of a Scottish Social Housing Charter, and modernisations to the regulatory framework of social housing in Scotland. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, the study aimed to explore both...
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10 Aug 09 - Use and Understanding of the Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification

Scottish Government : Granville, S.; Mulholland, S.; Staniforth, J.

The Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification is a 6 fold classification which distinguishes between urban, rural and remote areas. The Scottish Government commissioned this study to investigate the extent to which this classification is used, how it is used and by whom. The study combined...
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09 Aug 09 - Service Commissioning and Procurement Survey

Scottish Government : Tyrer, P.

The Service Commissioning and Procurement Survey was designed to find out more about the views, attitudes and experiences of procurement and commissioning staff working in local authorities, particularly in relation to 'the enterprising third sector'...
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03 Aug 09 - Developing the Equality Measurement Framework: selecting the indicators

Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) : Alkire, S. et al

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has been working with the Government Equalities Office (GEO), the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and a range of other stakeholders and subject experts to develop a measurement framework...
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31 Jul 09 - Equality issues in Scotland: a review of research, 2000-08

Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) : Macpherson, S.; Bond, S.

In January 2008, the Employment Research Institute at Edinburgh Napier University was commissioned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to review the research and statistical data relating to equalities in Scotland, with a view to highlighting the key messages from published studies...
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27 Jul 09 - Living with poverty: a review of the literature on childrens' and families' experiences of poverty

Child Poverty Unit, DWP : Tess Ridge

This report presents the findings from an extensive review of recent research examining the views and experiences of low-income children and parents, covering topics such as housing, schools, neighbourhoods, public services and family life. The author draws on evidence from in-depth interviews,...
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27 Jul 09 - Greenspace Scotland - Omnibus Survey

Greenspace Scotland : Progressive Partnership

Greenspace Scotland was established in 2003 by Scottish Natural Heritage and partners, to provide a lead on local action to improve the environment of Scottish towns and cities and to drive forward the Greenspace for Communities (GfC) Initiative. The GfC Initiative and Greenspace Scotland were...
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27 Jul 09 - Public and Charity Perspectives - OSCR's 2009 Surveys

Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) : Scotinform Ltd.

The overall aim of this research was to gauge and track the opinions of charity trustees and the general public in order to provide evidence to inform OSCR’s decision making. The results may be compared with OSCR’s 2008 surveys of trustees and the general public, and the 2008 Charity Commission for...
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22 Jul 09 - Community facilities in rural Scotland: a study of their use, provision and condition

Scottish Government : Skerratt, S. et al

The main aims of this research were to gather and analyse data on the current provision and condition of rural community facilities (RCFs) and to assess the levels and nature of their use. A combination of desk-based and primary research was undertaken to meet these aims. This included a review...
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20 Jul 09 - Perspectives on Early Years Services: Qualitative Research with Service Users

The Scottish Government commissioned GEN and Illuminate (specialist 'drama in education' practitioners) to undertake qualitative research with parents, carers and children to explore their views and experiences of early interventions, early years services and support for families with young...
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20 Jul 09 -

19 Jul 09 - Funding practice and funding gaps for the equality voluntary sector in Scotland

Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) : Shah, R.; Lees, I. / SCVO

The overall aim of this study was to identify best funding practice and key gaps in the funding of voluntary sector equalities organisations in Scotland. Fieldwork was carried out in early 2008. The research methods, which comprised of a desk study, a mapping survey, telephone interviews, two...
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19 Jul 09 - Social Change in Scottish Fishing Communities: a Brief Literature Review and Annotated Bibliography

The Scottish Government commissioned this lierature review in order to gain a better understanding of how communities which have been involved in the fishing industry have been affected by wider changes in Scottish society and by the substantial changes that have occurred across the fishing and...
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18 Jul 09 - Baseline assessment of current information provision to people with dementia and their carers

NHS QIS / Stirling Dementia Services Development Centre : Bowes, A.M. et al

There is evidence that people with dementia and their carers do not receive sufficient, clear information about the condition, services available, what to expect as time goes on and where to get help. There is, however, every indication that better information at the right times can sustain care...
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17 Jul 09 - Evaluation of the Cultural Pathfinder Programme in Scotland

Scottish Government : EKOS

The Cultural Pathfinder Programme in Scotland was developed by the former Scottish Executive as a way of supporting local authorities and their partners to explore ways of widening access to, and participation in, cultural activities across diverse communities. The Programme supported 13 projects...
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17 Jul 09 - An Exploration of Scottish Charities' Governance and Accountability

This research analyses Scottish charities' annual reports and accounts, examines their processes for governance and accountability, conducts interviews and undertakes a number of case studies to evaluate the awareness and perceptions of governance and accountability in the Scottish charity sector....
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14 Jul 09 - Managing in a Downturn: November 2008 survey results

The purpose of this report is to provide an insight into the current perceptions of Finance Directors and Fundraisers as to the potential impact of the economic downturn on their charities. The survey includes responses from a small Scottish sample. The report also looks at the overall lessons...
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09 Jul 09 - The role of the third sector in health improvement within Community Health Partnerships: a sector perspective

Voluntary Health Scotland : Voluntary Health Scotland

This enquiry seeks to clarify the planning and delivery contribution of the third sector to health improvement within CHPs and articulate the unique value brought to health improvement by the sector. The results of the enquiry are based on responses from 33 senior members of third sector...
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09 Jul 09 - Improving CHP engagement with the third sector: A survey of CHP General Managers

Voluntary Health Scotland : Voluntary Health Scotland

In order to support the further development of local partnerships for health planning and delivery, Voluntary Health Scotland (VHS) carried out a survey with General Managers (GMs) of CHPs in 2008 to identify where supports could be targeted for building more effective partnerships with the third...
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09 Jul 09 -

08 Jul 09 - Social Economy 2008

Scottish Government : Scottish Government

Scotland's Chief Statistician launched Social Economy 2008 in late June 2009. The publication includes data which is used to monitor the national target to increase the turnover of the social economy in Scotland. The social economy captures the economic activity of the third sector, which...
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01 Jul 09 - Follow Up Survey of Leavers from Scottish Schools, 2007/08

This Statistics Publication Notice presents national information on the follow-up destination status in March/April 2009 of those young people who left school in school year 2007/08. The publication provides information on the change in status of these young people since information was published...
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01 Jul 09 - Review of the Scottish Drugs Forum

This review is part of a rolling programme of external reviews of voluntary organisations in receipt of major recurring grants from the Scottish Government. These are mainly focused on support for the national infrastructure of the voluntary sector: umbrella and representative bodies, as well as...
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25 Jun 09 - Community Empowerment Case Study Research

Scottish Government : Pete Duncan, Social Regeneration Consultants

This document summarises the research findings of a project designed to explore in detail examples of community empowerment practice in Scotland. The research was intended to allow case studies to fully describe their experiences and tell their story of how their community empowerment activity...
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25 Jun 09 - Community Empowerment Case Study Research

Scottish Government : Pete Duncan, Social Regeneration Consultants

17 Jun 09 - Leading the Way: a vision for the future of voluntary sector support services in West Lothian

West Lothian Council and the Scottish Government : Avanté Consulting

During October and November 2008 just over 100 stakeholders from both the voluntary and statutory sector took part in a range of opportunities associated with this commission. This included a combination of one-to-one, small group and telephone interviews, staff and committee meetings (separately...
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17 Jun 09 - Leading the Way: a vision for the future of Voluntary Sector Support Services in West Lothian

The starting point for partners in this commission was to engage stakeholders in discussion about their vision for a coherent infrastructure for the third sector in West Lothian. During October and November 2008 just over 100 stakeholders from both the voluntary and statutory sectors took part in a...
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09 Jun 09 - Service Provision for Children & Young People with Complex Needs in a Community Setting from the Perspectives of Nursing & Allied Health Professionals

This research has sought to scope the nature and provision of care provided by Nurses and Allied Health Professionals in the provision of services for children and young people with complex needs across Scotland. Drawing on data from four Health Boards, the report links together information from...
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08 Jun 09 - Training Needs Analysis of the Voluntary Sector in the Highlands & Islands

Highlands & Islands Community Capacity Partnership (HICCaP) : GEN Consulting

This is a summary report of research carried out by GEN Consulting in 2007. The main purpose of the analysis was to ensure that the Highlands and Islands Community Capacity Partnership (HICCaP) and key partners had the necessary and sufficient information to keep in touch with the skills required...
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07 Jun 09 - Overview of mental health services

The Auditor General for Scotland and the Accounts Commission : Audit Scotland

This report provides an overview of mental health services across Scotland and is the first in a series of planned reports in this area. The study was carried out in order to highlight areas for improvement and to identify priorities for future audit work. It considers mental health services...
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07 Jun 09 - Volunteering in Museums: a research study into volunteering within museums

Museums Galleries Scotland : Baird, L.; Greenaway, L.

The purpose of this study was to provide robust evidence of the impact of volunteering in museums and galleries, as well as a demographic profile of the sector. The research involved a survey to all 210 members of Museums Galleries Scotland in January and February 2009. In total 84 members...
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05 Jun 09 - Investing in Affordable Housing, a Consultation: an Analysis of Responses

Scottish Government Social Research : Scott, J.; Reid, S. / ODS Consulting

This report provides an analysis to the Scottish Government consultation “Investing in Affordable Housing”. It looks in detail at the responses to the consultation questions and it also provides an analysis of the views of particular groups such as local authorities, Registered Social Landlords...
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05 Jun 09 - Civil Society Organisations and Worker Representation: report of the key findings for participants

The Nuffield Foundation : Williams, S.; Abbott, B.; Heery, E.

This research project (June 2007-Aug.2008) investigates the role played by UK civil society organisations (e.g. charities, advocacy bodies) in supporting and representing the interests of people at work. Based on the use of existing documentation, a postal survey of organisations and case studies,...
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04 Jun 09 - A Gathering Storm? Procurement, re-tendering and the voluntary sector social care workforce

This report assesses the impact of the re-tendering of social care services on workforce morale and commitment in the voluntary sector, outlining the implications for national workforce policy and planning in Scotland. It summarises the results of research undertaken in three voluntary sector...
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03 Jun 09 - Tackling Multiple Deprivation in Communities: Considering the Evidence

Scottish Government Social Research : Andrew Fyfe, ODS Consulting

This desk based report was prepared for Communities Analytical Services and the Regeneration Division within the Housing and Regeneration Directorate of the Scottish Government. It aims to: • provide an understanding of the current context for geographically focused community regeneration in...
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03 Jun 09 - Scottish Government Stakeholder Survey 2008

The purpose of the 2008 Stakeholder Study was to identify areas of strength and weaknesses in the Scottish Government’s approach to stakeholder engagement. Similar surveys were carried out in 2004 and 2005 on behalf of the previous Scottish Executive. Survey fieldwork took place from 18 August...
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30 May 09 - Child poverty in Scotland: taking the next steps

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : Sinclair, S.; McKendrick, J.H.

This 'viewpoint paper' is informed by evidence from a series of reports by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on different aspects of child poverty in the UK, and by independent analyses of evidence, new policy and proposed policy from the UK and Scottish Governments. It summarises and comments on the...
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30 May 09 - Child Poverty: a Final Report to the Local Government and Communities Committee of the Scottish Parliament

This research was commissioned in August 2008, following the setting up of an Inquiry in Spring 2008 to examine Child Poverty in Scotland. The main purpose of the research was to fill a gap in the evidence base and to obtain the views of parents living in poverty and of the impact that poverty had...
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25 May 09 - Development Trusts in 2008

Development Trusts Association : Rosy Hearn

Development trusts are defined as organisations that are: • engaged in the economic, environmental and social regeneration of a defined area • independent, aiming for self-sufficiency, and not for private profit • community based, owned and managed • actively involved in partnerships between...
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24 May 09 - Effective Community Development Approaches of Community Anchors: Desk-based study to inform the bassac project

Institute for Voluntary Action Research : Aiken, M.; Cairns, B.

This literature review formed part of a research project on community development in community anchor organisations, carried out by the British Association of Settlements and Social Action Centres (bassac) on behalf of the Community Alliance (funded by the Office of the Third Sector) between...
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22 May 09 -

The Scottish Government Summit held on 9 February 2009 aimed to bring together local and national partners to ensure that Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) would effectively meet the complex needs of companies and individuals during the current recession.

22 May 09 - Civil society associations and the values of social justice

Carnegie UK Trust : Craig, G.

This is a report of a study undertaken in 2008 into the relationship between civil society associations (CSAs) and the values of social justice. The paper was commissioned to inform the Carnegie UK Trust Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society in the UK and Ireland. The report explores how CSAs...
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22 May 09 -

22 May 09 - Measuring Value: a guide to Social Return on Investment (SROI)

New Economics Foundation (nef) : Lawlor, E.; Neitzert, E.; Nicholls, J.

SROI is a tool that translates social value into data that can be understood by a range of stakeholders. It can be carried out largely as an in-house exercise or, alternatively, it can be led by an external researcher. This guide has two purposes: to increase understanding about SROI generally,...
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21 May 09 - Making the Links: greenspace for a more successful and sustainable Scotland

greenspace scotland : James Henderson, Deryck Irving, Elaine Gibb, Julie Procter

greenspace scotland was established in 2003 by Scottish Natural Heritage and partners to provide a national lead on local action to improve the environment of Scotland's towns and cities and to drive forward the Greenspace for Communities Initiative. This publication is produced in two parts....
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18 May 09 - Housing for Disabled Children and their Families

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : Judith Cavet

Housing is a core component of community care. However, its significance for disabled children and their families is only now being fully recognised. This resource draws together information from multiple sources to aid access to relevant research, law and policy guidance. Its aim is to present key...
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15 May 09 - Evaluation of Intensive Family Support Services in Scotland

Scottish Government : Pawson, H. et al

Reducing anti-social behaviour (ASB) and building a culture of respect have been key Central Government priorities both in Scotland and south of the border in recent years. Accordingly, measures to tackle ASB have been located within a wider policy agenda of revitalising disadvantaged...
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13 May 09 - Crossing the Continuum: Understanding routes out of homelessness and examining ‘what works’

Glasgow Simon Community : Carol McNaughton

The PATHE (Progress Assessment Through Homelessness and Employability) Research Project was funded by the Scottish Executive and conducted by a researcher employed by the Glasgow Simon Community. The Glasgow Simon Community work with homeless people in the city and aim to offer a ‘continuum of...
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12 May 09 - Prosperity without growth? The transition to a sustainable economy

Sustainable Development Commission : Jackson, T.

The conventional formula for achieving prosperity relies on the pursuit of economic growth. In this view, higher incomes will increase wellbeing and lead to prosperity for all. This report challenges that formula. It questions whether economic growth is still a legitimate goal for rich countries...
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08 May 09 - Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland: 2007/08

Scottish Government : Scottish Government Social Justice Analysis Team

This publication supersedes ‘Scottish Households Below Average Income 2006/07’ which was published in June 2008. It presents annual estimates of the proportion and number of children, working age adults and pensioners living in low income households in Scotland and the distribution of household...
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08 May 09 - A methodological workshop on attitudes to equality in Scotland

In February 2008, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in Scotland commissioned Blake Stevenson to develop a bank of questions on equality and to engage the research community in Scotland in the debate about what is meant by equality and why it matters. The purpose of the project was to...
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07 May 09 - Profile of the community learning and development workforce in Scotland

Learning Connections : Lifelong Learning UK

This publication presents the findings of a survey of the community learning and development (CLD) workforce in public sector and third sector organisations in Scotland in 2007. Respondents included members of the community based adult learning workforce, youth workers, those involved in community...
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06 May 09 - Culture and Sport Pathfinder Project: ASC Edinburgh (Access to Sport and Culture)

Following an extensive programme of stakeholder consultation in 2008, this report updates the City of Edinburgh Council Culture and Leisure Committee on the ASC Edinburgh (Access to Sport and Culture) Pathfinder initiative. It presents a summary of the process to date and proposes a way forward for...
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05 May 09 - Voices from Rural Scotland: what really matters to the people who live and work in Scotland's rural communities

The Carnegie UK Trust : SCVO Rural Team

This research was designed to address the following questions: • What are the current issues of importance to people who live and work in Scotland’s rural communities? • Why are these issues important to them? • What are the implications for the development and implementation of rural policy at...
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01 May 09 - UNCRC Concluding Observations: consulting children and young people on children's rights

Scottish Government : Young Scot

The national youth information charity Young Scot was commissioned by the Scottish Government in late summer of 2008 to seek the views of young people from across Scotland on what they thought about the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child‟s Concluding Observations relating to the...
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29 Apr 09 - Finding the Way: employability and the prevention and alleviation of homelessness

Scottish Government : Wooley, G.

This report is part of the Scottish Homelessness and Employability Network's (SHEN) task of identifying and promoting "what works" in providing people at risk of homelessness with skills for sustainable employment. It reviews the way in which employability services are being developed for and...
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29 Apr 09 - Working it Out: towards an employability strategy for those facing homelessness

Communities Scotland : Wooley, G.; McNaughton, C.

This report reviews the way employability as a route out of homelessness has been considered in Scotland between 2001 and 2004. It looks at the evidence in Scotland for employability as a successful strategy to combat the risk of homelessness, and considers whether this process leads to sustainable...
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29 Apr 09 - Evaluation of the Working for Families Fund (2004-2008)

The Working for Families Fund (WFF) contributed to the Scottish Government‘s commitment to: tackling poverty and disadvantage, by improving rates of employment and economic activity and: eradicating child poverty within a generation. In April 2008 WFF funding was streamlined into the Fairer...
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28 Apr 09 - Manual for Measures of Caring Activities and Outcomes for Children and Young People

This Manual is intended to provide researchers and practitioners in the field of caring with relevant and accessible instruments for the assessment of caring activities and caring outcomes in children and young people. The instruments can be used on a one-off basis for the purpose of assessment, or...
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28 Apr 09 - Review of Section 5 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001

This research was undertaken by Craigforth for the Scottish Government in order to to inform the Government's review of policy and guidance in this area. The research examined the use of Section 5 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 and other routes through which local authorities assist statutorily...
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23 Apr 09 - Charitable bequests and wealth at death in Great Britain

: Atkinson, A.B., Backus, P.G., and Micklewright, J.

Charitable bequests, or legacies, are a major source of income for charities but surprisingly little is known about them in Britain. This working paper reviews the small British and larger US literatures and considers how best to model the decision to make a charitable bequest. It identifies three...
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17 Apr 09 - Steps to Successful Community-led Service Provision in Rural Areas

Carnegie UK : Carnegie UK

This practical report takes an in-depth look into community-led service provision in rural areas. It concludes a three year action research project by Carnegie partners, Atlantis Leisure. Based on their experience of running an extremely successful community enterprise, the study examines the...
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16 Apr 09 - Making it work: Analysing different ways of tackling worklessness

CLES : Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES)

Subtitled 'Carrot or Stick - the Jobcentre cannot do both', this report argues that Jobcentre Plus is constrained in its efforts to assist residents to find work by a system that is not wholly responsive to personal needs or to local contexts. This report provides an analysis of different...
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15 Apr 09 - Close to Home: UK poverty and the economic downturn

Oxfam : Oxfam

The UK is in recession, and things stand to get much worse for the fifth of the population already living in poverty, and for the millions more whose livelihoods will become more vulnerable as a result. The UK government has recognised its responsibility to help people through the recession, but...
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14 Apr 09 - Action for Children Factfile Scotland 2008-09

Action for Children : Action for Children

Factfile Scotland 2008–09 is the eighth edition of Action for Children's (formerly NCH) collection of key facts and information about children, families and young people in Scotland.

14 Apr 09 - First Principle of Voluntary Action: essays on the independence of the voluntary sector from government

Baring Foundation : Baring Foundation (Matthew Smerdon, Editor)

The Baring Foundation commissioned essays from leading academics in seven countries - Canada, England, Germany, Northern Ireland, Scotland, United States of America and Wales - to review issues relating to the independence of voluntary action from government. Together, the essays confirm that...
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09 Apr 09 - On the Edge: culture and the arts in remote and rural locations

: Various (ed. Anne Douglas)

This collection of discussion papers originates from the international conference promoting Arts and Heritage development in remote areas, held at Duff House in Banffshire, Scotland, in 2001. The conference explored the role of the arts in cultural development, as well as the impact of the arts...
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09 Apr 09 - Economic downturns and the voluntary sector: what can we learn from historical evidence?

NCVO : John Mohan and Karl Wilding

The recent confirmation that the UK economy is now in recession has prompted speculation about the effects of an economic downturn on charitable giving and the voluntary sector with a number of commentators predicting a potential financial crisis. The evidence cited in the current debate is thin...
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06 Apr 09 - Research into the Funding of Rural Community Buildings and their Associated Benefits

Rural Partnerships Limited, in association with the University of Gloucestershire and CJC Consulting, was commissioned by Defra in April 2005 to research the funding of rural community buildings (RCBs) and the benefits which they provide to individuals, local communities and the wider...
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04 Apr 09 - Statutory Requirements for Research in Central and Local Government

This report examines the statutory and non-statutory drivers for research in central and local government in Scotland and considers the impact of demands on current capacity. Based on focus groups and interviews with researchers in three local authorities and with analysts in the Scottish...
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02 Apr 09 - Where is the Warm Glow? Nonprofit Wage Differentials and Donated Labour in the Health & Social Work Industries

ESRC : Rutherford, A.

Are workers in the voluntary sector paid less than their colleagues in the private or public sectors? In the UK the voluntary (or nonprofit) sector makes up about 5% of the workforce, with 60% of these workers employed in the health and social work industries. Using data from ten years of the UK...
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01 Apr 09 - Social Care and the Voluntary Sector in Scotland: Issues for Elected Members

CCPS : Community Care Providers Scotland (CCPS)

Briefing for newly elected members of local authorities on issues affecting voluntary sector social care providers in Scotland, including funding, training costs and involvement in service planning. Contains useful summaries of facts and figures on the Scottish voluntary sector care sector.

01 Apr 09 - Information, Information, Information: How and when to collect it, keep it and pass it on

CCPS : Sarah Hutchison, Kenneth Macdonald and Kerr Donaldson

This useful briefing gives an overview of key issues around data protection, collection, storing and sharing that may affect voluntary sector social care service providers. Issues around the appropriate handling of information are of great importance to all voluntary sector care providers,...
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01 Apr 09 - Presence or Partnership? - Voluntary and Private Sector Influence in Community Planning in Scotland

The Nuffield Foundation : Sinclair, S.; Lindsay, K.

This project explored the extent to which voluntary and private sector representatives were equal and effective partners in Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) in Scotland. CPPs are responsible for co-ordinated policy-making and joint service delivery between local authorities and other key...
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01 Apr 09 - CAF Giving Survey - March 2009

CAF : CAF and GfK NOP

Summary findings from the latest CAF research into public giving, exploring the impact of the recession (or the fear of recession) on spending, including donations to charities, and attitudes to 'good causes'. KEY FINDINGS * Nearly a quarter (23%) are shopping in less expensive or charity...
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01 Apr 09 - Governance of Emergency Response in Scotland, Resiliance Management, and Adaptation to Increasing Climate Variability

ESRC : Moran, C.

This paper presents selected findings from a 2008 pilot study investigating the role of the Scottish Third Sector in the provision of disaster or emergency response in Scotland. As a working paper, its aim is to set out the researcher's conceptual framework for further research. In the coming year,...
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31 Mar 09 - The Third Sector Workforce in Scotland: a review of publications

SCVO : Lees, I.

This review outlines some of the main research publications relating to the third sector workforce in Scotland. It draws from a literature that has grown enormously over recent years, particularly since the inception in Scotland in 2005 of Sector Skills Councils, which are employer-led bodies...
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31 Mar 09 - The Scottish Budget Spending Review and Concordat: Impact on social care providers (Members Survey 2008)

CCPS : Community Care Providers Scotland (CCPS)

In November 2007 the Scottish Government published its Scottish Budget Spending Review and accompanying Concordat with local government. This survey set out to assess the initial impact of these developments on voluntary sector social care providers. KEY FINDINGS • 96% of providers responding...
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31 Mar 09 - Re-Tendering of Social Care Services: Service Providers' Perspectives

CCPS : Community Care Providers Scotland (CCPS)

In May 2007 CCPS published Competitive Tendering in Social Care and Support Services: A position statement (see Download section). That document noted the increase in competitive tendering of social care services in recent months and years - in particular the re-tendering of those services already...
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31 Mar 09 - Social Care and Support Services in the Voluntary Sector: Funding Survey 2008

CCPS : Community Care Providers Scotland (CCPS)

This report presents and discusses the findings of a survey carried out in April and May 2008. The questionnaire was sent to 66 of Scotland’s largest voluntary sector providers of social care and support services and had a response rate of 50%. The survey provides quantitative data relating to...
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30 Mar 09 - Volunteering and black and minority ethnic diverse communities

VDS and BEMIS : Christine Reilly

Research carried out into volunteering and Black and Minority Ethnic Communities in 2004, commissioned by Volunteer Development Scotland (VDS)and Black & Ethnic Minority Infrastructure in Scotland (BEMIS). The research recommended several actions which should take place to enable more people from...
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30 Mar 09 - Young people and environmental volunteering

The Green Team : Rhoda Macrae and Christine Reilly, VDS

The Green Team runs one-day and residential opportunities for young people between 14-25 years to participate in environmental activities, all run by adult volunteers. The Green Team commissioned Volunteer Development Scotland (VDS) to undertake an evaluation which aims to assess whether the...
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30 Mar 09 - The Impact of Time Banking in Scotland

Volunteer Development Scotland (VDS) : Christine Reilly and Tam Cassidy

In October 2007, Volunteer Development Scotland (VDS) was commissioned by Time Banking UK to undertake research to investigate the impact of Time Banking in Scotland. As outlined by Time Banking UK the project’s main aim was: "To measure the impact of Time Banking on members, in particular to...
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30 Mar 09 - Annual Statistics on Volunteering 2007

VDS : VDS Research Team/

in 2006 Volunteer Development Scotland (VDS) commissioned TNS System Three to conduct a survey into volunteering activity in Scotland on their behalf. This is a summary of the main findings arising from the data gathered by volunteering questions that were asked of around 1000 individuals across...
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30 Mar 09 - Volunteer Centres and Community Learning and Development

VDS & Learning Connections : Christine Reilly, VDS

The aim of this research was to gather more knowledge and awareness of the potential links between Volunteer Centres and Community Learning and Development. It was carried out by Volunteer Development Scotland in late 2007, with funding from Learning Connections. METHODOLOGY • An electronic...
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30 Mar 09 - Space, Place and Volunteers: The Nature of Volunteering

VDS : Helen Timbrell

The research findings presented here are part of a three year ESRC Case studentship entitled 'Space, place and volunteers: the nature, meaning and impact of volunteering in Scotland'. The report findings are presented in three summaries: 1. The Nature of Volunteering 2. The Impact of Space...
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30 Mar 09 - Space, Place and Volunteers: The Impact of Space and Place

VDS : Helen Timbrell

30 Mar 09 - Space, Place and Volunteers: Volunteering and Active Citizenship

VDS : Helen Timbrell

24 Mar 09 - 19th Annual Voluntary Sector Salary Survey

NCVO : NCVO and Remuneration Economics

Summary of the main findings from the 19th Annual Voluntary Sector Salary Survey, published December 2007. The survey is aimed at HR professionals and policy makers in the voluntary sector. It provides information on salary levels, fringe benefits and other employment issues.

24 Mar 09 - NICVA Salary Survey 2006

Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action : NICVA

This report is the second study of its kind completed by NICVA since 2001. The research was undertaken to shed some light on the current workforce dynamics of the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland. It looks at workforce composition with regard to age, sex, contracts, job titles and...
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23 Mar 09 - Labour Market Intelligence Report for Scotland's Voluntary Sector

SCVO : Ruchir Shah

Labour Market Intelligence Report for Scotland's Voluntary Sector

22 Mar 09 - The once and future pioneers? The innovative capacity of voluntary organisations and the provision of public services: A longitudinal approach

The prior history of voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) as pioneers of public services during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century has led to reification of the innovativeness of these organisations. Is this reification justified - are VCOs inherently innovative, or is...
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22 Mar 09 - The Happy Planet Index: an index of human well-being and environmental impact

new economics foundation : Marks, N.; Simms, A,; Thompson, S.; Abdallah, S.

This report is the first Happy Planet Index which was published in 2006. A second report, also catalogued in the Evidence Library, was published in 2009. The Happy Planet Index (HPI) is a measure that claims to show the ecological efficiency with which human well-being is delivered. It differs...
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20 Mar 09 - Charitable Legacies in an Environment of Change

The Smith Institute : Harrow, J.; Pharoah, C.

With charitable legacies in the UK worth almost £2 billion, they are of immense importance to both the third sector and the beneficiaries of charitable work. However, the impact of the downturn is likely to have considerable negative repercussions for legacy giving. With house and share prices...
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18 Mar 09 - Mapping Report on Furniture Projects in Scotland 2007

CRNS| : Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS)

This is the fourth mapping study of the furniture reuse sector in Scotland undertaken by the CRNS since 2003. The report gives a picture of the sector as it is now and analyses the progress that has been made since 2003. METHODOOGY At the beginning of 2007, the CRNS had 65 active or emerging...
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18 Mar 09 - State of the Sector V - Northern Ireland Voluntary and Community Sector Almanac 2009

NICVA : NICVA

State of the Sector V provides useful statistics on the Northern Ireland voluntary sector, and allows comparisons to be made between sub-sectors in NI and the rest of the UK. Included in the report are assessments of where the voluntary and community sector in NI receives its funding from, how...
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18 Mar 09 - Mapping the Social Firm Sector 2006

Social Firms UK : Kathy Baker

The size and nature of the Social Firm sector has been mapped over recent years. The resultant data is shown in the tables below. There will be a comprehensive mapping exercise carried out in 2008 when we hope to uncover more Social Firms and provide more details of their employment...
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18 Mar 09 - Mapping the Social Firm Sector 2007

Social Firms UK : Kathy Baker

The size and nature of the Social Firm sector has been mapped over recent years, and in 2005 and 2006 Social Firms UK conducted extensive research into the Social Firm sector in the UK. A full mapping survey was not carried out in 2007 but information from the 2006 mapping has been updated where...
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17 Mar 09 - Charity Commission Economic Survey of Charities (March 2009)

Charity Commission : Carol Goldstone Associates

The latest Economic Survey of Charities was carried out between January and February 2009, and a total 0f 1,003 organisations were interviewed. The survey illustrates the deepening impact of the recession on charities and just over half of all charities (52%) reported that they had been affected...
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17 Mar 09 - Charity Commission Economic Survey of Charities (Oct 2008)

Charity Commission : Carol Goldstone Associates

Economic survey of charities in England & Wales, in which a representative sample of just over 500 charities were interviewed over the telephone in September 2008. KEY FINDINGS * 4 in 10 charities (38%) have reported that they have been hit by the economic downturn of the last year. * 1 in 5...
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17 Mar 09 - Recession and charities; the paradox of charitable opportunity?

Short article exploring possible threats and opportunities facing charities in this time of recession. In particular the authors look at the paradox facing charities - that their finances and resources are likely to be squeezed at the very time that their services are most needed.

16 Mar 09 - Scottish Environmental Attitudes and Behaviours Survey 2008

The over-arching aim of this survey was to produce dedicated, up-to-date and robust social survey data on environmental attitudes and behaviours to support the development and delivery of environmental policy, relating specifically to climate change, sustainable development and wellbeing, but also...
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12 Mar 09 - A Comparative Study of the Infrastructure of Voluntary Organisations in Scotland

The aim of this research was to provide HEACS with 1. an overview of the structure and operations of a cross-section of intermediary bodies in the voluntary sector and 2. an assessment of the key characteristics that contribute to the successful and effective operations of such bodies. This...
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12 Mar 09 - Scottish Economic Statistics 2008

Scottish Government : Scottish Government

This is the ninth edition of the annual publication Scottish Economic Statistics, which is produced by statisticians in the Scottish Government. As with previous editions, Scottish Economic Statistics 2008 is split into two parts: Part A - Articles. This section provides three articles on...
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10 Mar 09 - The voluntary sector in Scotland and the economic downturn - a review of publications

SCVO : Lees, I.

This review outlines some of the key publications of relevance to the Scottish voluntary sector in the current economic downturn. It covers the 12-month period between September 2008 and August 2009 and refers to a range of material including economic forecasts, statistical digests and academic...
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08 Mar 09 - Boards, Governance and Leadership of the Third Sector - Scotland Study

ACOSVO, OSCR, Big Lottery Fund : Kakabadse, A.; Kakabadse, N.; Myers, A.

This report focuses on the effectiveness of boards operating within third sector organisations in Scotland. Organisations were invited to take part in a survey in September 2008 that specifically asked opinions on the performance of the Chair, the board and the Chief Officer. A total of 194...
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06 Mar 09 - The Experience of Rural Poverty in Scotland

Scottish Government Social Research : Ekos Ltd.

The aim of this research was to increase understanding about the experience of poverty in rural areas in Scotland. It explored the key aspects of both accessible and remote rural areas and of the experiences of five specific vulnerable groups: single pensioners, single parents, disabled people,...
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05 Mar 09 - ESOL in Scotland's Voluntary Sector

Learning Link Scotland : Learning Link Scotland

Previous research into English for Speakers of Other Languages provision (ESOL Report January 2005) helped to shape the National Adult ESOL Strategy. However Scotland's demographics during and since the 2005 Report have been changing and this report, carried out over the period November 2006 to...
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03 Mar 09 - The Impact of the Economic Downturn on the Rural Voluntary Sector in Scotland

ESRC / SCVO / Centre for Remote and Rural Studies UHI : De Lima, P.

This paper seeks to provide preliminary thoughts on what the impact of recession might be on the rural voluntary sector in Scotland and to identify emerging themes, gaps and areas for further research. The paper draws upon (i) a web search of grey literature on the rural voluntary sector and the...
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03 Mar 09 - Thistles, roses, thorns: some reflections on third sector/government relations and policy expectations in economic downturn

ESRC / SCVO / Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy : Harrow, J.

This paper discusses the notion of internal differentiation within the third sectors in Scotland and England (Vincent, J; Harrow, J. 2005) and the implications for differential public policies towards the third sector during recession. It also considers the question of how third sector...
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27 Feb 09 - Carers in Crisis - summary results for Scotland

Carers UK : Carers Scotland

These figures are summary statistics for Scotland derived from the Carers UK report 'Carers in Crisis - a survey of carers' finances in 2008'. The survey, which was carried out during September and October 2008, included open and closed questions and was available to complete online. The findings...
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27 Feb 09 - Carers in Crisis: summary results for Scotland

Carers UK : Carers Scotland

26 Feb 09 - Growing Old Together: Older CAB Clients and Debt

Citizens Advice Scotland : Dryburgh, K.

This report looks at the impact of debt on older clients over 60 years of age and is the result of research which was carried out in early 2007. A questionnaire was devised to collect specific information relating to type of debts, amount of debt per client, debt to income ratio, impact of debt on...
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26 Feb 09 - Single Outcome Agreements: a review of publications

SCVO : Lees, I.

This summary reviews key documents relating to Single Outcome Agreements (SOAs) – principally policy, guidance and research – and has been written with the Scottish voluntary sector specifically in mind. It also seeks to provide some background to the arrangements in place with respect to the...
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25 Feb 09 - Micro-simulating child poverty in 2010 and 2020

This research shows what effect current policies in the UK will have on child poverty by 2010 and 2020. Taking account of the recession, it estimates the costs of meeting the government target of halving child poverty by 2010 and eliminating it by 2020. The projections are based on reasonable...
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25 Feb 09 - Self Evaluation Guide For Assessing Governance in the Voluntary Sector

Social Work Inspectorate Agency (SWIA) : Social Work Inspectorate Agency (SWIA)

In 2007, the Social Work Inspection Agency (SWIA) conducted a review of the governance arrangements of Turning Point Scotland following a request from Turning Point Scotland. That piece of work led to the development of this self evaluation guide for assessing governance in voluntary organisations...
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24 Feb 09 - Continental Drift: understanding advice and information needs for A8 migrant workers in Scotland

Citizens Advice Scotland : Crowley, H.

The aim of this research was threefold: to obtain a demographic profile of CAB clients from the Accession 8 (A8) countries; to determine the nature and extent of their contact with bureaux; and to assess the impact of this new client group on the work of bureau advisers. Research evidence was...
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24 Feb 09 - The Role of Volunteer Co-ordinators

Scottish Office Central Research Unit : Lishman, J; Wardell, F.

This report describes an exploratory study undertaken in 1996-7 of the role and responsibilities of volunteer co-ordinations in Edinburgh and in Highland. Its aims were to explore volunteer co-ordinators' perspectives on their practice, policies and function in relation to their co-ordinating...
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23 Feb 09 - CAB Evidence 2007/08: an overview

Citizens Advice Scotland : McPhee, S.

This overview provides a snapshot of the wide range of enquiries raised by Scottish people with advisers in citizens advice bureaux throughout the financial year 2007–2008. It illustrates some of the difficulties and complexities of the problems brought to the attention of advisers during the...
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20 Feb 09 - Children and young people's concerns about their sexual health and well-being

This combined quantitative and qualitative study examined calls logged on the ChildLine Scotland database during 2003 and 2004. Researchers conducted a detailed, thematic, content analysis of a sample of the more extensive archived records, written by counsellors at the time of the call. 14,244...
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20 Feb 09 - Consulting on children's services: getting the views of children, parents and service providers

This research briefing reports on some key findings of a consultation undertaken in the South Ayrshire local authority area in Scotland, to find out about how to conduct the consultation of those who use children's services, and which methods to use. The consultation included children, young people...
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18 Feb 09 - Building Community Capacity: resources for community learning & development practice

This guide brings together frameworks, tools and other materials that may be helpful for community learning and development practitioners in taking forward their role in building community capacity. It contains a directory which assesses over 40 accessible resources relevant to community capacity...
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18 Feb 09 - The Funders' Almanac 2008

This report provides insight into the giving of grant-making trusts, companies and central government across the UK. Based on data collected from over 3,000 individual funders, it includes analysis of the geographical distribution of grants and cash donations, the types of beneficiaries and causes...
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18 Feb 09 - The UK Civil Society Almanac 2009

NCVO : Clark, J.; Kane, D.; Wilton,J.

The UK Civil Society Almanac 2009 presents a detailed, comparative, statistical picture of civil society for the period 2006-07, prior to the economic downturn which began in 2008. Its core data refer to the UK voluntary and community sector where it explores features such as income type, income...
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17 Feb 09 - High Level Summary of Equality Statistics: key trends for Scotland 2006

Scottish Executive : Scottish Executive Statistics

The High Level Summary of Equality Statistics (HLSES) presents statistical trends on the main areas of Government activity in Scotland across a number of equality dimensions including age, disability, ethnicity, gender and in some cases religion. It provides a standardised, concise format for each...
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15 Feb 09 - Audit of Scots Language Provision in Scotland

The Scottish Government : Evans, R; Integrate Consulting

This research represents a baseline audit of current Scots language provision in Scotland. The specific objectives of the research were to: 1. Review all the main providers of Scots language provision in Scotland, with a particular focus on local authorities and other public bodies, or...
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12 Feb 09 - Data use in voluntary and community organisations

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : MacInnes, T.; Kenway, P.

This study assesses the need and demand within voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) for relevant, analysed and well-presented data to support their work tackling poverty. It considers how VCOs use data to support their work, what data VCOs find most useful, and what obstacles there are to...
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11 Feb 09 - They Think We Are Nothing: a survey of destitute asylum seekers and refugees in Scotland

Scottish Refugee Council : Green, M.

The aim of this research was to capture a snapshot of the number of destitute asylum seekers and refugees presenting to voluntary sector agencies in Scotland during a one-month period and to find out more about their experiences and what had led them to become destitute. A quantitative survey took...
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11 Feb 09 - Warm Welcome? Understanding public attitutes to asylum seekers in Scotland

Institute for Public Policy Research : Lewis, M.

Following similar research in England and Wales, this study set out to find out what people in Scotland think about asylum seekers and refugees, and to establish what informs these opinions. A total of 13 structured focus groups were conducted across Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow with a range of...
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11 Feb 09 - This is a good place to live and think about the future - the needs and experiences of unaccompanied asylum seeking children in Scotland

Scottish Refugee Council : Hopkins, P.; Hill, M.

The aim of this research was to explore the experiences and needs of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Scotland, and to assess how well current services were responding to the needs of these young people. As part of the research, 31 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and 74 service...
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10 Feb 09 - "Go for it!": Supporting People with Learning Disabilities and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorders in Employment

This study, which included interviews with 10 key stakeholders in policy and strategic planning positions in the statutory and voluntary sectors, looked at what employment support there is in Scotland for people with learning disabilities and/or autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and identified good...
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03 Feb 09 - A Systematic Review of Interventions for Carers in the UK: Outcomes and Explanatory Evidence

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, London. : Victor, E.

This review supports interventions designed to support carers. It seeks to answer the following questions: * What is known about the outcomes of interventions for carers? * What explanatory evidence exists about how interventions support carers and the contextual factors which influence...
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03 Feb 09 - The third sector in a devolved Scotland: from policy to evidence

: Fyfe, N.; Timbrell, H.; Smith, F.

Scotland’s post-devolution government has implemented a number of policies engaging with the third sector. These sit within the UK context of New Labour’s welfare reform with its twin emphases on neo-liberalism and neo-communitarianism. Moves by the Scottish Executive to translate these themes...
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02 Feb 09 - Employment, Housing and Poverty in Rural Areas

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

This research note, prepared for the Scottish Parliament's Rural Affairs Committee in 1999, provides a factual overview of employment trends in rural areas in the 1990s. A series of brief overviews of other social trends such as general population dynamics, unemployment, housing, deprivation and...
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02 Feb 09 - Credit Unions in Scotland

Scottish Government Social Research : McKillop, D.G.; Wilson, J.O.S.

This report discusses the nature of credit unions and considers the extent to which they offer an alternative model to mainstream financial services. It also charts the historical development of credit unions; documents theoretical paradigms within which issues pertinent to credit unions may be...
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30 Jan 09 - State of the Nation (Fundraising in Scotland) Report

Think Consulting Solutions : Think Consulting Solutions

Provides an overview of charitable fundraising in Scotland between 2004 and 2007, prior to the onset of the global banking crisis and subsequent economic recession in the UK. Includes commentary specific to the time it was written for the benefit of specialist fundraisers in Scotland. Explains...
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29 Jan 09 - Measuring Impact: a guide to resources

NCVO : Wainwright, S.

This guide to resources provides an introduction to the world of impact measurement, focusing on the reasons why organisations might want to measure their impact, how they might set about it and the obstacles and barriers they are likely to encounter on the way. Includes a chapter entitled...
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28 Jan 09 - Review of Scottish Registered Social Landlords 2006-2007

Communities Scotland : Communities Scotland

This review presents the results of analysis of the profile and performance of Scottish Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) in the areas of activity covered by RSL's Annual Performance and Statistical Returns. The report provides an overview to describe the homes, organisations and people in the...
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27 Jan 09 - The changing landscape of voluntary sector counselling in Scotland

: Bondi, Liz.

This paper explores the evolution of voluntary sector counselling in Scotland from their origins in the late 1940s. It examines the rapid expansion of counselling in voluntary sector welfare from the 1960s onwards and its subsequent professionalisation, which gathered pace in the late 1990s.

27 Jan 09 - Fundratios: Trends in Giving

Since 1995 the Fundratios benchmarking project has aimed to produce a comparison of performance levels and methods to provide an overview of fundraising performance. The project has devised a set of benchmarks to assess and compare all major aspects of fundraising performance. The project...
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27 Jan 09 - Space, citizenship and voluntarism: critical reflections on the voluntary welfare sector in Glasgow

Economic and Social Research Council : Fyfe, N.R.; Milligan, C.

Focusing on the voluntary welfare sector in Glasgow, the authors first examine the uneven distribution of voluntary activity across the city and its relationship to `need'. In the second part of the paper the relationship between voluntarism and citizenship in Glasgow is examined. The paper...
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26 Jan 09 - Single Outcome Agreements

Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) : Herbert, S.

Provides an overview of the 32 Single Outcome Agreements (SOAs) which were signed off by the Scottish Government and each local authority in the summer of 2008. Outlines the purpose of SOAs and considers the extent of Community Planning partners' engagement in their development. Examines the...
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22 Jan 09 - Single Outcome Agreements 2008-2009: an analysis

: Community Care Providers Scotland (CCPS)

This report assesses whether or not CCPS' concerns about the coverage of issues set out in the 'Changing Lives' review of social work in Scotland were well founded, and whether or not Ministers' aspirations for the role of social care have been adaquately met in the first round of the thirty two...
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21 Jan 09 - Evaluation Support Guide 3: using interviews and questionnaires to evaluate your project

: Evaluation Support Scotland

This guide covers some of the more traditional approaches to the collection of information for evaluation purposes: questionnaires, interviews and group interviews (focus groups) and it also gives advice on how to use them. It suggests that simply because these approaches are traditional does...
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21 Jan 09 - Evaluation Support Guide 4: using visual approaches to evaluate your project

: Evaluation Support Scotland

This guide explores some of the visual approaches that may be used to collect information for evaluation: relationship maps, service use maps, lifelines, body maps and evaluation wheels, and gives advice on how to use them.

21 Jan 09 - Counting policy active organisations in Scotland: definitions, coding and comparison

Economic and Social Research Council : Halpin, D.

This conference paper reports on research which assesses patterns of interest mobilisation within political systems, using the Scottish group system as a case study example. It does so by mapping the levels of activity of various organised interests including those of campaigning groups, NGOs,...
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21 Jan 09 - Searching for 'Tartan' Policy Bandwagons: Mapping the Mobilisation of Organised Interests in Public Policy

Economic and Social Research Council : Halpin, D. and Baxter, G.

This paper reports on analysis of Scottish government consultations. The data set spans more than two decades (1982-2007) covering almost 1700 discrete public consultations (issues) and includes more than 18,000 different organized actors engaging in more than 130,000 separate ‘influence events’....
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21 Jan 09 - Supporting health promotion activity in the voluntary sector: strategic needs assessment

The aim of the research was to assist the former Health Education Board for Scotland (HEBS) voluntary sector programme in the development of a strategic approach for supporting health promotion activity in the voluntary sector. The research involved conducting interviews with respondents from a...
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20 Jan 09 - Organised Interests in Scottish Public Policy: Questionnaire Survey Results

This working paper is one of the outputs of 'The mobilisation of organised interests in Scotland' project at The Robert Gordon University (RGU). It builds on previous research conducted at RGU during 2006 entitled The mobilisation of interests in policy making: access, activity and bias in the...
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20 Jan 09 - Evaluation Support Guide 5: using photographic technology to evaluate your project

: Evaluation Support Scotland

This guide covers some ways you can use photographic technology to collect information for evaluation: video diaries, video, and digital photographs and gives advice on how to use them. These can be used independently or alongside other approaches, for example focus groups or visual tools (see...
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20 Jan 09 - Evaluation Support Guide 6: using audio and communication technology to evaluate your project

: Evaluation Support Scotland

This guide covers some ways you can use audio and communications technology to collect information for evaluation: audio recording, mobile phones and internet. These can be used independently or alongside other approaches, for example focus groups and visual tools (see Evaluation Support guides 3...
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20 Jan 09 - Evaluation Support Guide 7: getting the best from an external evaluation

: Evaluation Support Scotland

This guide covers how you can get the best from an external evaluation. It considers the need for an external consultant, hiring an external consultant, the evaluation budget, managing the external evaluation and learning the lessons. Evaluation is about working out what difference you are...
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20 Jan 09 - Evaluation Support Guide 8: analysing information for evaluation

: Evaluation Support Scotland

This guide describes how you can analyse the information you have gathered. It focuses mainly on analysing outcome information but the principles can equally apply to your outputs. It covers topics such as preparation, conducting analysis, working with numbers, as well as working with written and...
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20 Jan 09 - Evaluation Support Guide 9: writing case studies

: Evaluation Support Scotland

This support guide offers some tips on how to write case studies as a way of reporting on work and evaluation. It raises the importance of deciding on purpose and message, of organising content, ideas and time, as well as of drafting and editing what has been written. It concludes with a useful set...
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20 Jan 09 - Evaluation Support Guide 10: taking and using the learning from evaluation

: Evaluation Support Scotland

This support guide explains that there are many different ways in which evaluation can be used - whether to improve the engagement of service users perhaps, or to help to secure funding. It also explains that findings about policy and practice can be used at either individual or organisational...
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20 Jan 09 - Evaluation Support Guide 11: report writing

: Evaluation Support Scotland

This guide sets out the elements that would be expected from a core internal self-evaluation report, excluding the finance section. The material is based on Evaluation Support Scotland's report template which can be downloaded from the Resources section on the ESS website. The authors make the...
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20 Jan 09 - Evaluation Support Guide 1: clarifying your aims, outcomes and activities

: Evaluation Support Scotland

This support guide explains that in order to conduct a successful evaluation, what is needed first and foremost is to set out what impact your intervention hopes to achieve. Only then can it be determined whether it actually has been achieved. There needs to be a logical connection between what you...
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20 Jan 09 - Evaluation Support Guide 2: developing and using indicators

: Evaluation Support Scotland

This support guide focuses on the development and use of indicators in the evaluation of services or activities. It explains how indicators can help to measure progress, stating that there are two basic types of indicators - output indicators and outcome indicators. In particular, it illustrates...
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18 Jan 09 - The support of health promotion activity in the voluntary sector: research findings and strategic considerations

: Curtis, L.; Maxwell, S.; Smart, H.; Titterton, M.

The aim of this research was to assist the Health Education Board for Scotland in the development of a strategic approach for supporting health promotion activity in the voluntary sector. As well as interviews with representatives from the statutory and voluntary sectors, a key research method...
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18 Jan 09 - Scottish Household Survey Analytical Topic Report: Volunteering

Investigates the level, type and intensity of volunteering in Scotland based on data gathered through the Scottish Household Survey (SHS) 1999 - Q3 2006, and on focus groups and telephone interviews with volunteers, former volunteers and non-volunteers. Aims to analyse data regarding volunteering...
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18 Jan 09 - Scottish Household Survey Analytical Topic Report: Volunteering - Research Findings

This paper summarises the findings of a project that investigated the prevalence, type and intensity of volunteering in Scotland based on data gathered through the Scottish Household Survey (SHS) between 1999 and 2006 and focus groups and interviews. The project also involved considering the...
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18 Jan 09 - Review of Support Service Needs of Voluntary Organisations: Perceptions of Users and Providers

Scottish Executive Social Research : Rocket Science UK Ltd.

Forms one element of the implementation of the Strategic Funding Review (SFR) set up in 2003. Purpose was to review the support available to the Scottish voluntary sector and to focus on five key areas: organisational development, workforce development, technical support, income generation and...
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15 Jan 09 - Research on the voluntary sector: an overview

: Peter Halfpenny and Margaret Reid

This article provides an overview of the growing body of research on the UK voluntary sector, organised around five general themes: the organisational composition of the sector; the resources it commands; explanations for the existence of the sector; accounts of differences between the voluntary,...
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14 Jan 09 - Profile of the community learning and development workforce in Scotland, 2008

Lifelong Learning UK : Lifelong Learning UK

Presents the findings of a survey of the community learning and development workforce (CLD) in public sector and third sector organisations in Scotland. Includes information on the community based adult learning workforce, youth workers, people involved in community capacity building and others....
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14 Jan 09 - Scottish Fundraising Salary Survey 2008

: Bruce Tait Associates

Profile of Scottish fundraisers. Key findings are: * 86% of fundraisers are women * 1/4 of fundraisers come from a sales and marketing background * 1/3 of respondents had been in their jobs for more than five years * Salaries at entry level are low A copy of the report can be requested by...
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14 Jan 09 - Scottish Charities 2008

OSCR : Jura Consultants

Scottish Charities 2008 is the second full profile of the charity sector produced by OSCR and is based on information collected from annual returns from charities over the regulator's first two years of full operation. The profile builds on the benchmarks established in OSCR's earlier profile...
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14 Jan 09 - Scottish Charities 2005

OSCR : Jura Consultants

The Office of the Charity Regulator's (OSCR) first full profile of the charity sector drawn from the response to the Annual Returns issued in April 2005. The report looks at, among things: * Income * Activities / charitable causes * constitutional forms * geographical spread

14 Jan 09 - OSCR Public and Charity Perspectives 2008

OSCR : OSCR, with Bob Marshall (University of Glasgow)

The purpose of the surveys was to measure the attitudes and perceptions of two groups, the general public and the charity sector, towards charitable activity in Scotland and the sector’s regulator, OSCR. For the charity sector, a total of 2,800 charities in Scotland were surveyed in April 2008...
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13 Jan 09 - Village Halls and Community Centres

Charity Commission : Charity Commission

The aim of this report is to look at what charities are doing to meet the new challenges that they face and to outline some of the options that are open to them. Although restricted to England & Wales - referencing English legislation or how the Charity Commission can support halls - the report...
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12 Jan 09 - 2008 Charity Commission Study into Public Trust and Confidence in Charities

Charity Commission : Ipsos MORI

This report presents the findings of the 2008 study into Public Trust and Confidence in Charities, using data collected in a 2005 as a baseline. Although restricted to England & Wales, the survey findings should be of interest to charities in Scotland, as they contradict some recent research...
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08 Jan 09 - UK Giving 2008

CAF and NCVO : CAF and NCVO

Annual survey providing the latest research on individuals' giving to charity, focussing on how much is given, to what causes, by which donors. Analysis includes: key trends; characteristics of donors; the causes that donors support; high-level donor trends; methods of giving; tax-efficient...
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08 Jan 09 - Volunteering and the Historic Environment

HEACS : Reilly, C; VDS

Research report commissioned by the Historic Environment Advisory Council for Scotland (HEACS). The research aimed to identify the scope and quantify the scale of volunteering in the historic environment and examine where additional support might help to facilitate its sustainability and...
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08 Jan 09 - Volunteering in the natural heritage

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) : Volunteer Development Scotland (VDS)

An audit and review of natural heritage volunteering in Scotland. The research aimed to identify the scope of natural heritage volunteering in Scotland and examine ways of supporting and developing it. The findings were intended to provide SNH with a baseline for future monitoring of volunteer...
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08 Jan 09 - Community Facilities in Rural Scotland: A Study of Their Use, Provision and Condition

Scottish Government and SCVO : Skerratt et al, Scottish Agricultural College

Rural community facilities (RCFs) are local assets which serve as central points or “hubs”, and as venues for service provision, from within and outwith the community, sometimes providing for the co-location of multiple services. The main aims of the project were to gather and analyse...
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26 Sep 08 - In Praise of Panel Surveys: the achievements of the British Household Panel Survey

This publication contains briefings by leading academics to illustrate the value of panel surveys. In particular, it uses findings from the British Household Panel Survey to demonstrate how longitudinal analysis contributes to the evidence about social processes. The British Household Panel...
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09 Nov 07 - Mental Health Improvement: an appraisal of Scottish policy

In 2004 NHS Health Scotland commissioned the Research Unit in Health, Behaviour and Change (University of Edinburgh), the MRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit (University of Glasgow) and the Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health to undertake a review of Scottish policy with respect to...
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02 Nov 07 - UK Voluntary Sector Skills Survey 2007 (England)

UK Workforce Hub : UK Workforce Hub

This research explores skills gaps and skills shortages in paid employees within the voluntary sector in 2007. It was commissioned by the UK Workforce Hub to provide information on the skills and workforce development of voluntary sector employees in the UK. This report focuses only on England;...
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02 Nov 07 - UK Voluntary Sector Workforce Almanac 2007

UK Workforce Hub : Clark, J.

This first edition of the UK Voluntary Sector Workforce Almanac provides "up-to-date information on the size and characteristics of the UK voluntary sector workforce and for the first time presents reliable and authoritative ten year trend data (1996–2005) enabling an exploration of how the...
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01 Nov 07 - Monitoring and evaluation resource guide

Charities Evaluation Services : Ellis, J.; Gregory, T.; Wadia,A.

This is an online resource guide which enables you to download over 100 online and published books, tools, discussion papers and factsheets on all aspects of evaluation. The guide is labelled 'work in progress' and Charities Evaluation Services (CES) invites details of resources currently not...
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01 Nov 07 - Is it Seaworthy? Assessing and Funding the Capacity of Voluntary and Community Organisations

Governance Hub : Hutton, C.; Sexton, S.

A new resource to help funders assess the capacity of an organisation and how and why funding it effectively is important. The publication is also useful for organisations applying for funding to ensure they are ‘seaworthy’. Includes case studies.

17 Sep 07 - Survey of the Service of Order of Malta Dial-a-Journey

Scottish Disability Equality Forum : Scottish Disability Equality Forum

This survey was designed to examine issues surrounding special needs transport and highlight key matters influencing the social inclusion of people with disabilities by surveying the service delivery of the Order of Malta Dial-a-Journey.

29 Aug 07 - Faith and Voluntary Action

NCVO : Jochum,V.; Pratten,B; Wilding,K.

This report seeks to understand the relationships, commonalities and differences between faith-based organisations and what is sometimes termed 'the mainstream voluntary sector'. It presents contributions from a number of authors on the place of faith-based organisations in civil society, faith as...
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27 Aug 07 - Evaluation of Greater Easterhouse Money Advice Project Financial Education Programme

Scottish Executive : Blake Stevenson Limited

An evaluation of a programme of financial education provided by the Greater Easterhouse Money Advice Project (GEMAP). The aim of the evaluation was to assess the overall impact of the GEMAP financial education programme, including the effectiveness of its delivery methods and processes. The...
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20 Aug 07 - SEEN Social Added Value approaches

SEEN Transnational Partnership (EQUAL) : SEEN Transnational Partnership (EQUAL)

The Social Economy Exchange Network (SEEN) has identified "social added value" as being essential in helping social economy organisations prove their competitive advantage and enhance their sustainability. The Network's transnational learning in this important area has been collated into this...
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15 Aug 07 - Charity Trends 2007

Charities Aid Foundation : Charities Aid Foundation

Annual analysis of charities’ finances for the UK. It provides up-to-date statistics and analysis including: an overview of current trends in income and expenditure of fundraising charities; an examination of CAF’s top 500 fundraising charities; the latest on corporate donations and grants from...
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14 Aug 07 - Delivering public services: service users' experiences of the third sector

Office of the Third Sector : Hopkins, A. / National Consumer Council

This study, which applies to England, is one of the few quantitative studies of third sector delivery of public services, and the first to focus on user experiences. Its key aim was to find out whether there is anything distinctive about user experience of public services delivered by third sector...
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13 Aug 07 - Measuring the Impact of Volunteering on Social Economy Organisations - An evaluation report by Volunteer Development Scotland

VDS : Volunteer Development Scotland (VDS)

Volunteers play an integral part in supporting the social economy to increase its role in the delivery of innovative, high quality services and in enhancing its contribution to community regeneration and sustainable economic development. Volunteers are a crucial resource to social economy...
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10 Jul 07 - The UK Voluntary Sector Almanac 2007

NCVO : Oliver Reichardt, Karl Wilding & David Kane

An indispensable resource for anyone interested in the voluntary sector, combining easy-to-read graphs with in-depth tables. The almanac provides a wealth of evidence including: The different types and sources of the sector’s income; How the money is being spent; The sector’s growing workforce,...
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10 Jul 07 - CHILDREN IN NEED: Examining its use in practice and reflecting on its currency for proposed policy changes

University of Edinburgh : Dr Kay Tisdall and Vicky Plows

Local authorities were given the duty to ‘safeguard and promote’ the welfare of ‘children in need’ in their areas, by the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. This project sought to examine the use of ‘children in need’ in Scottish local authority policy and practice, and its currency for proposed policy...
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07 Jun 07 - Social cohesion in diverse communities

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : Hudson, M.; Phillips, J.; Ray, K.; Barnes, H.

This study explores relationships between new and established communities in two ethnically diverse neighbourhoods - Moss Side in Manchester and North Tottenham in Haringay, North London - drawing on discussion groups and one-to-one interviews with 60 ordinary residents from white British, Somali,...
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07 Jun 07 - Poverty among ethnic groups - how and why does it differ?

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : Kenway, P.; Palmer, G.; New Policy Institute

This paper discusses how the rates of income poverty differ between different ethnic groups and provides an analysis for the reasons for some of these differences. The paper has three sections: ■ A presentation of the latest income poverty rates for different ethnic groups in the UK, how...
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01 Jun 07 - Moving on up? Report of the EOC's investigation into Bangladeshi, Pakistani and black Caribbean women and work

Equal Opportunities Commission : Equal Opportunities Commission

This investigation (covering England, Wales and Scotland) identified five ‘employment gaps’ between the position of Bangledeshi, Pakistani and Black Caribbean women and the position of women overall: participation in the labour market, unemployment, progression, pay and occupational segregation. It...
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21 May 07 - Scottish Voluntary Sector Statistics 2007

SCVO : Shah, R.

This SCVO publication is a statistical profile of the Scottish voluntary sector in 2006. It provides financial and workforce statistics derived from the Scottish voluntary sector database. It also draws on information from the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) to illustrate the size,...
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11 May 07 - Formality or Flexibility? Voluntary Sector Contracting in Social Care and Health

NCVO : Pete Alcock, Tula Brannelly, Liz Ross

This research was commissioned by the NCVO in 2003 to provide them with evidence on the experiences of voluntary organisations in England engaged in contracts for the delivery of public services. the research found that there was continuing confusion and uncertainty about the negotiation and...
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10 May 07 - The Case for Change

ACEVO : ACEVO

This report consists of two sections. The first section,“Moving the Debate Forwards”, seeks to shape a new debate on public services. Revisiting the case for greater third sector involvement in public service delivery, it acknowledges the current paucity of evidence in determining the relative...
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10 May 07 - Replacing the State? The case for third sector public service delivery

ACEVO : ACEVO

acevo's publication broadens the scope of debate on the voluntary sector's role in service delivery. Could the voluntary sector compete with the state as a large-scale service provider? What are the challenges that such an expansion would bring? Is there a role for a sector equivalent of the...
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08 May 07 - ICT Foresight - consultation and campaigning in the age of participatory media

NCVO : NCVO and The Hansard Society

This report examines the impact of ICT on the sector's 'voice' and representation roles by looking at the activities of consultation and campaigning. It explains technological, political and social trends, highlights current innovative practice in the use of ICTs and discusses both risks and...
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05 Apr 07 - Gender Audit of Statistics: comparing the position of women and men in Scotland

Scottish Executive : Breitenbach, E; Wasoff, F. University of Edinburgh

The Gender Audit of Statistics was commissioned by the Scottish Executive to provide a review of current gender differences and inequalities in Scotland relevant to key areas of economic and social life. The audit adds to the growing body of work in Scotland providing analyses of statistical trends...
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22 Mar 07 - 24/7 Worklife Balance Survey 2009

Work Life Balance Centre : Work Life Balance Centre

This attitudinal survey is the latest in a series of annual online surveys examining the relationship between work and wellbeing. The findings are based on 1,898 responses from across the UK and were collected between October 2008 and January 2009. The survey includes questions relating to working...
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21 Mar 07 - Employability & Homelessness in Glasgow:

Glasgow Homelessness Network : Archie Fairley and Glasgow Homelessness Network

This report was commissioned by Glasgow Homelessness Network and provides the first detailed analysis of employability issues relating to people experiencing homelessness in Glasgow. It has direct significance for the development of policy, partnership working, and allocation of funding in Glasgow....
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02 Mar 07 - Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 (Part 2 The community right to buy) A Two Year Review

Caledonia Centre for Social Development : Andy Wightman

A critical review of the first two years of operation of the Community Right to Buy. It concludes that the Act is failing to achieve its goals, is too complex, and is being undermined by poor administration and excessive Ministerial discretionary powers.

26 Feb 07 - Stand and Deliver: the future for charities providing public services

The Charity Commission is the independent regulator for charitable activity. This is one of a series of reports that present our case-working experience, supplemented by additional research. Their purpose is to help increase understanding of an issue. They are part of our mission to help charities...
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23 Feb 07 - Full Cost Recovery in the Voluntary Sector

Impact Assessment. Full Cost Recovery (FCR) is the principle that, when entering into a contract with a public body, the service deliverer should be able to recover all of the costs associated with that contract. The Scottish Executive, in the Scottish Compact, made a commitment to recognise the...
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19 Feb 07 - Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 2005

Home Office : Tina Heath, Richard Jeffries and Sarah Pearce

In depth statistics on asylum applications, locations of application, initial and appeal decisions, countries of origin, and countries receiving asylum applications. Includes historical statistics.

14 Feb 07 - Voluntary Sector Labour Market Intelligence (LMI) Research Report 2004

SCVO : Ruchir Shah

During 2003, SCVO produced a series of reports based on primary research and secondary analysis into the Scottish voluntary sector's paid workforce. This paper assesses the resulting evidence contained in these reports to address the question, ‘What evidence do we have of the contribution of the...
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14 Feb 07 - Only Connect Case Studies - ideas for trading goods and services

NCVO : NCVO

Reports produced by voluntary and community organisations who have participated in the Only Connect Scheme, which sponsors visits that let groups explore their ideas for generating income by trading goods and services in a practical way. Reports are created after the visit so that others can learn...
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14 Feb 07 - Sustainable Funding in Practice - Real-life case studies

NCVO : NCVO

NCVO have collected a range of real life examples of organisations implementing a sustainable funding approach. The tales do not offer ready-made solutions to funding problems, but the experiences may offer fresh perspectives and some ideas of the possibilities available.

12 Feb 07 - Perceptions of the Social Economy

Communities Scotland : Organisational Development and Support

Study examining perceptions of what is undertsood by the term ‘social economy’ (and a series of related terms); the services provided by the sector and the quality and quantity of those services

10 Jan 07 - Assessment of the Benefits of Voluntary and Community Sector Infrastructure

INP / NCVO : Dr Rob Macmillan, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research

This report assesses the nature of the current evidence base on the benefits of Voluntary and Community Sector infrastructure, following a four month ‘rapid evidence assessment’ (REA) designed to search for, obtain and assess relevant evidence. The review attempts to go beyond a simple description...
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10 Jan 07 - Monitoring poverty and social exclusion in Scotland 2006

2006 edition of indicators of poverty and social exclusion in Scotland providing a comprehensive analysis of trends over time and differences between groups. It covers both devolved and non-devolved areas of responsibility. In summary, there has been substantial progress in poverty among children...
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10 Jan 07 - The Effects of Social Housing on Health and Wellbeing

Initial findings from the SHARP study. SHARP is a longitudinal study of the health and wellbeing impacts of moving into new, general purpose, social housing provided by Registered Social Landlords across Scotland. Its main aim is to examine to what extent rehousing into a new socially-rented...
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10 Jan 07 - Approaches to Evaluation in Community Regeneration

Communities Scotland : Ronald W McQuaid, Malcolm Greig, Colin Lindsay

Report of the findings of research on approaches to evaluation in community regeneration conducted by the Employment Research Institute (ERI) at Napier University on behalf of Communities Scotland. The main aim of the research was to examine approaches and methodologies adopted by evaluations of...
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07 Dec 06 - 2006 Voluntary Sector Salary Survey

NCVO and CELRE : NCVO and CELRE

Summarised in the attached link are the main findings from the 16th Annual Voluntary Sector Salary Survey (AVSS). The survey is aimed at HR professionals and policy makers working in the sector and provides detailed information on salary levels, fringe benefits and other employment issues,...
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06 Dec 06 - CREW 2000 Shop Survey 2005

Crew 2000 : Crew 2000

The annual Crew 2000 shop survey aims to establish the range of substances being used by young people visiting the shop premises, and aims to gauge the effectiveness of services. Crew also collects data from a variety of sources giving the organisation a more rounded picture of emerging trends in...
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29 Nov 06 - Disability in Scotland 2005-2020

Scottish Council Foundation : Scottish Council Foundation

Working with the Disability Rights Commission in Scotland the Scottish Council Foundation undertook research using existing evidence to describe the position of disabled people in Scotland today and how their position might be improved in the future. The study concludes that progress has been made...
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29 Nov 06 - Working The System - Creating a State of Wellbeing

Scottish Council Foundation : Andrew Harris and Nicole Hastings

The Scottish Council Foundation has conducted a number of inquiries into health and wellbeing issues over the last nine years. A consistent theme throughout those inquiries has been the need to change the way we think about health and wellbeing. This research exercise set out to build on that...
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27 Oct 06 - PEAS - Practical Exemplars of the Analysis of Surveys

ESRC : Gillian Raab, Kathy Buckner, Susan Purdon

P|E|A|S (Practical Exemplars and Survey Analysis), supported by the ESRC Research Methods programme, aims to show social researchers * how to analyze complex surveys using different packages, * why this is important by looking at the theory behind the methods and * what are the...
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27 Oct 06 - Pathways into employment in the voluntary and community sector

UK Voluntary Sector Workforce Hub : Marion Lacey, Rock Solid Social Research

This report assesses the evidence base about pathways into employment in the voluntary and community sector (VCS) in the UK. It is based on an assessment of research on individual career pathways into and out of the sector. Despite the limitations and patchiness of the evidence there is support...
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24 Oct 06 - Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2006

Scottish Executive : Scottish Executive

Executive tool for identifying small area concentrations of multiple deprivation across Scotland. The full Index is primarily of use to researchers into deprivation, but summary data also of interest to wider sector, particularly community workers and activists in those areas defined as 'most...
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24 Oct 06 - For the Common Good? The Changing Role of Civil Society in Britain & Ireland

Carnegie UK Trust : Dr Siobhan Daly with Professor Jude Howell

Commissioned as part of the Carnegie UK Democracy and Civil Society programme, this report examines the role of civil society in tackling growing concerns about the democratic deficit; the issue of legitimacy and accountability of civil society; what we might learn from the growth of newer forms...
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19 Oct 06 - A Hidden Giant - the Community & Voluntary Sector within the Falkirk Council area

CVS Falkirk & District : CVS Falkirk & District

Comprehensive survey of the community and voluntary sector in the Falkirk area, the report summarises a wide range of facts and figures, including: employment, volunteering, funding, geography etc.

05 Oct 06 - Futureskills Scotland - Scottish Voluntary Sector Profile 2005

Scottish Enterprise : Futureskills Scotland and SCVO

This short report presents key results of the Employers Skill Survey 2004 for the voluntary sector. The report was produced in collaboration with Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO). The main focus of the report is on how the labour market profile of the voluntary sector compares...
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05 Oct 06 - The Scottish Labour Market 2006

Scottish Enterprise : Futureskills Scotland

2006 edition of key labour market report, providing an overview of the Scottish labour market, including chapters on supply and demand, skills, and projections.

28 Sep 06 - Value Beyond Measure? The Value of voluntary sector service provision to the people of West Edinburgh

West of Edinburgh Voluntary Sector Forum : IBP Strategy & Research

Research identifying the individual and combined impact of voluntary organisations working in West Edinburgh. The report assesses how organisations currently collect data, and explores way in which soft outputs can be collected and presented, as well as making recommendations to the organisations...
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18 Sep 06 - NCVO Policy Paper: How voluntary and community organisations can help transform public services

NCVO : NCVO

Short policy paper exploring current procurement processes, and how VCOs can be enabled to really transform public services andtake on a greater role.

18 Sep 06 - Towards voluntary and community sector engagement in Community Health Partnerships - a baseline mapping exercise

Voluntary Health Scotland : Voluntary Health Scotland

Short mapping exercise looking at the involvement of the voluntary sector in the development and implementation of CHPs since the beginning of 2005. The mapping looks at: voluntary sector representation on CHPs; how representatives have been selected; and what support is available to them.

13 Sep 06 - How is it Going? A survey of what matters most to people with learning disabilities in Scotland today

Scottish Consortium for Learning Disabilities / ENABLE Scotland : Lisa Curtice

This report is about what matters most to people with learning disabilities and autistic spectrum disorders in Scotland today. 605 people replied to a postal questionnaire about their lives and what is important to them. The findings reinforce the policy direction set by the Scottish Executive’s...
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13 Sep 06 - The importance of the neighbourhood: Tackling the implementation gap

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : Marilyn Taylor and Mandy Wilson

This paper pulls out the main messages from JRF and other research findings to suggest what central government policy can do to make the neighbourhoods agenda work on the ground. The details of effective joint working – between agencies and communities – can only be worked out at local level. But...
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05 Sep 06 - Evaluation of the Socio-Economic Outputs of Nadair Trust Projects

Highlands and Islands Enterprise : Hecla Consulting

This report was commissioned by Highlands & Islands Enterprise and Scottish Natural Heritage. Key conclusions found that the Nadair 1 programme has been successful in generating a wide range of local impacts across the Argyll Islands in terms of employment, skills and learning, networking and...
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04 Sep 06 - Dunbeg Village Community Planning Appraisal

CADISPA undertook this piece of work based on its ethos of ‘helping communities to help themselves’. The Dunbeg Development Group were involved at each stage of this survey and without their input, advice and guidance, this survey would not have been possible. The ultimate aim of this research was...
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01 Sep 06 - Asset Transfer: a can-do Guide

Development Trust Association : Lorriane Hart

A practical look at transferring buildings,endowments and other assets to community-based organisations. Asset transfer is a way of supporting community-based regeneration and reducing grant dependency. This guide looks in detail at how to identify assets and at the financial and legal requirements...
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01 Sep 06 - To Have and to Hold: The DTA guide to asset development for community and social enterprises

Development Trust Association (DTA) : Lorraine Hart

This Guide provides a broad range of information, resources and contacts that you can use to develop a land or building project that is an asset for your organisation and local community. The Guide can get you started, give you helpful pointers while you are planning, suggest ways that you can...
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25 Aug 06 - Community Assets: The benefits and costs of community management and ownership

Community assets – how can they help community regeneration and what are the challenges? This report asks that question, and provides community developers with useful background detail and a number of different case studies. The research found that community organisations who own land or...
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02 Aug 06 - Volunteering, Self-Help and Citizenship in Later Life

Collaborative research report offering new insights into how and why older people choose to volunteer.

17 Jul 06 - Evaluation Support Guides

Evaluation Support Scotland : Mark Bitel, Partners in Evaluation

Introductory guides to evaluation including: Support Guide 1: Clarifying your aims, outcomes and activities Support Guide 2: Developing and using indicators Support Guide 3: Using interviews and questionnaires to evaluate your project Support Guide 4: Using visual approaches to evaluate...
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14 Jul 06 - Full Cost Recovery In The Voluntary Sector - Impact Assessment

Scottish Executive : GEN Consulting

Study commissioned by the Scottish Executive to assess the potential impact of adoption of Full Cost Recovery principles, to inform the Strategic Funding Review. The report methodology includes: literature review, survey of 100 voluntary organisations, focus groups, survey of public agencies, case...
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13 Jul 06 - Who are the Capacity Builders? A study of provision for strengthening the role of local communities

Community Development Foundation : Peter Taylor

Government policy increasingly relies on people being active in their local communities. This study provides a picture of the people who make this happen - community capacity builders. The study focuses on six contrasting local areas and draws on a major national study. It explains what community...
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07 Jul 06 - Making the Case: Social Added Value Guide

Communities Scotland Social Economy Unit : Communities Scotland

Guide developed to help voluntary organisations and social enterprises within Scotland understand and identify social added value tools that would best suit them in securing investment or proving their impact from delivering public services. Briefly outlines the advantages and disadvantages of...
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07 Jul 06 - SCARF Project Summaries

Scottish Centre for Regeneration : Various

Summaries of projects funded through the Scottish Community Action Research Grants - issues researched include local development groups, care centres, ethnicity, disability and drugs/alcohol.

16 Jun 06 - Developing a voluntary sector insight into the future of Scotland

SCVO : Lead Group

This short paper provides a reflection on the Lead Group Report by the Lead Group and identifies specific suggestions and questions for further consideration by the voluntary sector in particular as to its role in the future of Scotland

16 Jun 06 - Social Entrepreneurship Monitor (UK)

London Business School : Rebecca Harding, GEM Consortium

Large scale study of social entrepreneurial activity in the UK. The study explores early stage community or socially orientated entrepreneurial activity, with a view to how best to grow social enterprise in the future. The study explores a range of areas, including geographical influences, e.g....
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02 Jun 06 - The Nature of Befriending and Mentoring in Scotland

Befriending Network (Scotland) : Befriending Network (Scotland)

This report by Befriending Network (Scotland) with the Scottish Mentoring Network, is a mapping of the nature and extent of befriending in Scotland. It assesses amongst other things: types of befriending relationships, gender ratios, volunteer's motivations, and barriers to mentoring. The article...
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26 May 06 - SCVO's response to the Executive's 'Vision for the Sector'

SCVO : SCVO

Short press release, commenting on the Executive's document 'A Vision for the Voluntary Sector' broadly welcoming the Executive's increased recognition of the voluntary sector and the contributions it can and does make.

26 May 06 - A Vision for the Voluntary Sector: the next phase of our relationship

Scottish Executive : Scottish Executive

This key document outlines the Scottish Executive's vision for their relationship with the Scottish voluntary sector. Includes summaries of future policy directions on a range of areas from funding to representation, and is essential reading for any voluntary organisation wanting to know how the...
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22 May 06 - Disabled People and Direct Payments: a UK comparative study

ESRC : Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Leeds

This is a 'four-country' (UK) study of direct payments, conducted by leading centres for disability research in England and Scotland. The research explores national and local variations in the implementation of direct payments, and the power relations that underpin these differences. The main...
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22 May 06 - The Implementation of Direct Payments for People who use Care Services

Research project commissioned by the Scottish Parliament's Health Committee. The aim of the research was to evaluate the implementation of direct payments policy in Scotland. Findings indicate that Scotland is lagging behind England in the uptake of new services designed to empower disabled...
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18 May 06 - Work and Pensions Inquiry Report on Pathways to Work - 3rd Report

House of Commons : Select Committee on Work and Pensions

The report contains a number of conclusions and recommendations on the Welfare Reform Green Paper and the Pathways to Work initiative. Although broadly welcoming the Government's aim of reducing numbers of Incapacity Benefit recipients, the report does highlight a number of areas the Committee...
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15 May 06 - Lead Group Report - Developing an insight into the Future of Scotland

SCVO : SCVO

This report presents a summary of discussions at five seminars during late 2005 with a range of people from voluntary and other sectors to develop an insight into the future of Scotland and the voluntary sector's role in it.

11 May 06 - The Glasgow Knowledge Economy - presentation

Local Futures : Mark Hepworth, Local Futures

Local Futures has been working with Glasgow Economic Forum, made up of the private, public and third sector in the city and broader 'city-region', to develop a new economic strategy. At a conference held to discuss the way forward with key stakeholders, Local Futures' Director Mark Hepworth...
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10 May 06 - Towards effective policy and practice for black and minority ethnic young people

As part of the re-focusing of Glasgow Anti-Racist Alliance towards a more strategic approach to partnership, GARA commissioned the Scottish Community Development Centre to carry out a short term investigation designed to inform an active dialogue between GARA and its partners about effective policy...
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09 May 06 - Strengthening Global Civil Society

Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) : Leni Wild

A research paper looking at recent examples of where global civil society groups have been a force for progressive social change, and identifying specific ways that these progressive forces can be strengthened. the report draws on the author's perspective and also discussions at the ippr convened...
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09 May 06 - Housing, Race and Community Cohesion

Report looking critically at government policies on 'race', 'equality' and community cohesion, from the perspective of both housing providers and of the 'housed'. It argues that there is a gap between what government says should be done, and the realities and practicalities that apply at community...
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09 May 06 - Neighbourhood management: At the turning point?

ODPM : Neighbourhood Renewal Unit, ODPM

A research report from the ODPM evaluating the schemes that were part of governments Pathfinder Programme. The report assesses how successful the scheme has been in improving public services, building community capacity and promoting renewal in deprived areas. Note: covers England only.

19 Apr 06 - The Social Value of Forestry for People : A Review

This is a short executive summary describing the role and value of social forestry in Scotland. In this research CADISPA/CAG were asked to review the role and value of social forestry in Scotland and suggest areas for further work. Valuing social forestry is a task that has been addressed by a...
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19 Apr 06 - Scottish Civil Society Index Report

SCVO : Ruchir Shah

A preliminary assessment of Scottish civil society by Scottish civil society using the CIVICUS civil society index.

18 Apr 06 - VIEW - policy insights from civil society

SCVO : Various

VIEW is a quarterly policy journal showcasing thinking from Scottish civil society. It is led by the voluntary sector, and edited and published by SCVO. Here and now, civil society is thinking about the world in new ways. VIEW is part of a wide programme of work developed by SCVO to tap into the...
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10 Apr 06 - Annual Digest of Statistics on Volunteering in Scotland 2006: Discussion Paper

Volunteer Development Scotland : Reilly, Christine

This paper is a supplementary discussion of the data in the Annual Digest of Statistics 2006.

10 Apr 06 - Annual Digest of Statistics on Volunteering in Scotland 2006

Volunteer Development Scotland : Reilly, Christine

This is the third annual digest of statistics on volunteering in Scotland produced by Volunteer Development Scotland, the national centre for excellence in volunteering. The digest presents in concise and readily accessible form statistical information available on the demographic, economic and...
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04 Apr 06 - The UK Voluntary Sector Almanac 2006: the State of the Sector (Summary)

NCVO : NCVO

The UK Voluntary Sector Almanac 2006 will provide the most up-to-date, comprehensive analysis of the sector available. Compiled from a range of different sources including the GuideStar UK database as well as data supplied by SCVO and NICVA, the Almanac brings together the latest available evidence...
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03 Apr 06 - Support needs in the social enterprise sector

Senscot, Communities Scotland : Haldane Associates (Sheila Durie)

The aim of this survey was to provide a reasonably comprehensive and quantifiable analysis of the support needs of social enterprises in Scotland. It was intended to give those developing the Social Enterprise Strategy up to date intelligence on the support needs of the sector, and enhance their...
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03 Apr 06 - Mapping Social Enterprise Activity in East Lothian

East Lothian Social Economy Partnership : Haldane Associates

Mapping of the social enterprise sector in East Lothian, identifying existing social enterprises, assessing the potential for new social enterprise activities, identifying areas of public services which would be of interest to social enterprises, assessing support needs and making recommendations...
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30 Mar 06 - Mapping of the Scottish Furniture Reuse Sector 2005

Community Recycling Network Scotland : Community Recycling Network Scotland

This report is based on a mapping study of the Scottish furniture projects which was undertaken in August and September 2005. The survey is also benchmarked against an earlier survey undertaken in 2003/04. The aims of the report are to get a picture of the sector as it is in 2005; measure and...
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30 Mar 06 - Mapping of the Community Recycling Sector in Scotland 2003-04

The delivery of recycling, re-use, composting, reduction and waste prevention initiatives has been carried out successfully for some considerable time through Community activities, bringing additional dividends in the form of social, economic and environmental benefits. Nevertheless the key impact...
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16 Mar 06 - Volunteering and Disability: Top Tips

Volunteer Development Scotland : Reilly, Christine

Research carried out into Volunteering and Disability in 2005 recommended several actions that should take place to enable more disabled people to become involved in volunteering. Findings were shared with practitioners and volunteers at an event in September to discuss how the learning might be...
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16 Mar 06 - Volunteering and Black and Minority Ethnic Communities: Top Tips

Volunteer Development Scotland : Reilly, Christine

Research carried out into volunteering and Black and Minority Ethnic Communities in 2004 recommended several actions which should take place to enable more people from BME communities to become more involved in volunteering. Findings were shared with practitioners and volunteers at an event in...
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14 Mar 06 - Right on Target: monitoring and evaluating community health projects

LCHPF : Lothian Community Health Projects Forum

Short 'how to' guide introducing community health project workers to evaluation, defining commonly used research terms and pointing workers to further reading.

13 Mar 06 - Interested in ageing? Older People's lives: key issues and evidence

Age Concern : Age Concern

Policy and research paper exploring key issues and evidence available on older people. Areas covered include diversity, income, health, transport, housing and discrimination. The paper also lists further reading materials. Note: the paper was published in 2006 but some statistics only go up to...
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13 Mar 06 - Community Impact Mapping

Development Trust Association (DTA) : Karen Byrne

Short and simple guide to help development trusts 'tell their story' and visualise the differences they are making to their community. The guide uses an easy to follow storyboard method, and includes 3 useful case studies and a worksheet.

10 Mar 06 - Building better credit unions

JRF : Peter Goth, Donal McKillop and Charles Ferguson

This study seeks to identify patterns of credit union development; quantify the performance of credit unions; and isolate those factors that make for success. An assessment of the credit union movement was undertaken based upon financial data specific to each credit union. This enabled the...
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10 Mar 06 - Data for Neighbourhood Renewal - UK/ England data sources

ODPM Neighbourhood Renewal Unit : Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion (OCSI)

Website signposting to the datasets available for targeting, monitoring, priority setting and performance management at a neighbourhood level. The datasets and resources signposted from this project cover England, although many of the datasets may also cover Wales, Scotland and Northern...
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08 Mar 06 - Transforming communities: local partnerships making a difference

NACVS : NACVS

This short publication by NACVS looks at case studies of best practice between local government and the voluntary and community sector in deprived areas. It examines in particular the key role of Local Infrastructure Organisations (LIOs) in sustaining and supporting the sector. Although the...
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08 Mar 06 - Press release: Contract culture threatens community groups, research finds

bassac : bassac

This survey of bassac's members indicates that the Government’s push to move away from grant funding towards a contract culture is putting large swathes of the country’s community sector at risk. Many of the respondents to the survey felt that contracts were compromising their independence, were...
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28 Feb 06 - Closed Settings, Closed Minds? - Young People Who Self-harm

Self Harm UK : Self Harm UK - Inquiry into young people and self-harm

This report is the third in a series summarising the findings from the National Inquiry Panel meeting held in January 2005. This meeting examined the different experiences and perceptions of professionals and individuals across various institutional / residential settings including the armed...
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27 Feb 06 - Calling the shots: How supermarkets get their way in planning decisions

Friends of the Earth : Friends of the Earth

In this study, Friends of the Earth examine 200 ongoing planning disputes around the UK that relate to supermarket development. FoE also undertook interviews with councillors and community representatives. Conclusions drawn by FoE include that decisions made by local councils to accept new...
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14 Feb 06 - Breakish - Community Consultation and Evaluation of Development Options

An executive summary of the consultation carried out with the local Breakish community with 3 main aims: - To provide local people with the opportunity to identify their concerns and needs within the context of their place - To allow local people to envisage potential developments over the next...
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14 Feb 06 - Colonsay and Oronsay Community Planning Appraisal

A brief executive summary of a report produced in conjunction with the Colonsay and Oronsay Heritage Trust, the Colonsay Community Company and the Community Council, along with the communities of Colonsay and Oronsay. The aim of the study is to provide an agenda for sustainable community...
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14 Feb 06 - Sleat Community Planning Appraisal

CADISPA Project, University of Strathclyde, : Fagan, G.; McKain, R.

A brief executive summary of a report produced in conjunction with the Sleat Community Trust and the community of Sleat, Isle of Skye. The aim of the study is to provide an agenda for sustainable community development for the area and its community. METHODOLOGY A questionnaire was sent to the...
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14 Feb 06 - Boat of Garten Community Scoping Study

CADISPA Project, University of Strathclyde, : Fagan, G.; McKain, R.

The executive summary of a study carried out by CADISPA within its remit of seeking to help communities help themselves, and within the context of sustainable development. The report set out to document and analyse the social and micro-economic climate of Boat of Garten, and to identify factors...
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14 Feb 06 - Islay Healthy Living Centre Evaluation

An executive summary of CADISPA's evaluation of the Islay and Jura Healthy Living Centre (HLC). The purpose of this evaluation was to interrogate the job of the HLC and gather perceptions of its work and worth that would inform the development of HLC into the future. The CADISPA team used field...
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03 Feb 06 - Reaching Out - Women's Aid in a Rural Area

East Fife Women's Aid : Alison Mackay

In 1999 East Fife Women's Aid identified the need to increase acess to the service throughout the whole rural community. Funding from the Scottish Executive's Rural Challenge Project financed a research report on the type of service needed and how the organisation could best provide this service. ...
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31 Jan 06 - State of the Sector IV - Northern Ireland Voluntary and Community Sector Almanac

NICVA : NICVA

State of the Sector IV forms part of a research series of UK Almanacs. The report provides useful statistics on the Northern Ireland voluntary sector, and allows comparisons to be made between sub-sectors in NI and the rest of the UK. The website provides a telephone number and contact person from...
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31 Jan 06 - Network Support Fund – Action Research Evaluation

Communities Scotland : Clear Plan (UK) Ltd

The final report of the Action Research and Evaluation of the Network Support Fund Demonstration Projects sets out the background and policy context which informed the creation of the Network Support Fund for Community Engagement in Community Planning. It provides an analysis of the progress made...
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24 Jan 06 - City People: City Centre Living in the UK

Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) : Max Nathan and Chris Urwin

City People examines the size and nature of the city centre living phenomenon, focusing on the historic cores of Dundee, Liverpool and Manchester. It asks why it has happened, who is living in the heart of the city – and how long they plan to stay. It then assesses the economic and social benefits...
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20 Jan 06 - Following the Public Pound: a follow-up report

Audit Scotland : Accounts Commission

Report into local authority funding of arms-length and external organisations (ALEOs). The report recommends that councils need better information about their funding of external organisations and what is obtained for the money provided. See also SCVO's response (web link included)

18 Jan 06 - Stress and Wellbeing 2006

Developing Patient Partnerships : Developing Patient Partnerships

Report on new research into knowledge of stress and attitudes towards it in the UK, produced as part of the DPP’s Dealing With Stress campaign 2006. The report provides an insight into how stress is experienced and misunderstood by the UK population and our failure to adopt effective coping...
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16 Jan 06 - Mapping the Social Firm Sector 2005

Social Firms UK : Kathy Baker

Research into the Social Firm sector in the UK in 2005. The results include analysis of business sectors, employee information, legal structures and regions - the results for Scotland are available separately (see links).

13 Jan 06 - Who Runs Scotland 2006?

EOC : Equal Opportunities Commission Scotland

A look at women’s roles and representation in senior positions in the public and private sector. The report coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Sex Discrimination Act (SDA). It gives percentages for women in key job areas, as well as some thoughts on the reasons behind the figures.

06 Jan 06 - Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion in Scotland - 2005 findings

JRF/ NPI : New Policy Institute

In 2004, the New Policy Institute reported on poverty and social exclusion in Scotland. The Institute has now updated this analysis for all the latest data. Overall levels of income poverty continue to fall, particularly among pensioners and children. But almost a million people in Scotland still...
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21 Dec 05 - Mapping the Voluntary Sector in Rural Scotland: A rural urban comparison

SCVO : Sheree Sartain

This paper looks at the issue of rurality in Scotland and asks does rurality make a difference to volunteering? Are there consequences, for volunteering, from being defined as rural? And, finally, what is the evidence base for addressing these questions?

15 Dec 05 - Civil Society in the context of the Kyrgyz Republic and Scotland

Kanykey Jailobaeva : Kanykey Jailobaeva

The aim of this research was to explore and understand what civil society in the context of the former Soviet Union (FSU)is. Civil society in the FSU was compared with that in western countries. One country from each region was selected for the research: Scotland from western countries and the...
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12 Dec 05 - THE STOCKADE SYNDROME - Power and self-confidence in Scottish civil society

SCVO : Simon Jaquet Associates

Research Project Report for Civil Society Index / Social Capital. The principal aim of the research was to identify in what ways civil society builds the capability of individuals and communities to: • Inform and educate themselves • Take collective action • Meet the needs of marginalised...
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07 Dec 05 - A Coming of Age: Re-working Lives

Scottish Council Foundation : Linda Boyes and Jim McCormick

The results of a major study into the future of work and retirement, presenting the findings of in-depth research with employers and employees in various sectors of the Scottish economy. The authors identify a range of options to improve flexibility across working life and retirement.

02 Dec 05 - Research Findings Scotland No8 - Volunteering and Disability

Volunteer Development Scotland : Reilly, Christine

The findings are taken from a piece of research into Volunteering and Disability funded by Clydesdale Bank and carried out by VDS with support from Lead Scotland.

02 Dec 05 - Research Findings Scotland No7 - The Role of Asking

Volunteer Development Scotland : Baird, Laura

The findings are taken from a qualitative study into 'asking' which forms part of Volunteer Development Scotland's contribution to Year of the Volunteer 2005 Scotland.

29 Nov 05 - Common Good Land in Scotland. A Review and Critique

Caledonia Centre for Social Development : Andy Wightman & James Perman

This report documents the reported extent and status of common good land in Scotland by Local Authorities. It provides a critique of the existing stewardship of these assets and makes recommendations for new legislation to safeguard them.

25 Nov 05 - The impact of second and holiday homes on rural communities in Scotland

Communities Scotland : Communities Scotland

Until recently, policy instruments to address the impact of second and holiday homes have been minimal. However, across the UK, policy has increasingly turned towards direct intervention in this aspect of rural housing markets. Communities Scotland identified the need for an evidence base to...
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25 Nov 05 - Health advocacy: Views of Workers & Volunteers in London

King's Fund : King's Fund

Advocacy helps disadvantaged people make their voices heard, enabling them to access the services and support they need. The King's Fund has gathered a selection of views from people working in the advocacy sector about what is important to them. Interviews were carried out with professional...
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25 Nov 05 - Looking Forward to Care in Old Age: Expectations of the Next Generation

King's Fund : Ros Levenson, Mercy Jeyasingham, Nikki Joule

What do today’s middle-aged people expect of care services in the future? Based on discussions with seven focus groups of people in their 50s, living in different communities in London, this paper reports on what kind and quality of care they want, and the type of housing, residential and community...
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23 Nov 05 - SCVO AGM Members Briefing 2005

SCVO : Ruchir Shah

Latest intelligence on the voluntary sector for 2005, outlining differential growth of the sector and challenges to sector.

21 Nov 05 - Your project and its outcomes

Charities Evaluation Services : Sally Cupitt with Jean Ellis

Guide designed to help projects identify expected outcomes, show how progress is being made towards these outcomes, and how outcomes have been achieved

21 Nov 05 - Practical monitoring and evaluation: a guide for voluntary organisations

Charities Evaluation Service : Charities Evaluation Service

This newly updated guide from CES is a comprehensive and definitive guide to monitoring and evaluation for voluntary and community organisations. It takes the form of accessible 'how to' guide to monitoring and self-evaluation. It covers: introduction to basic concepts and theory; tools for...
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18 Nov 05 - Match Winners - A Guide to commercial collaborations between social enterprise and private sector business

Community Action Network : Community Action Network

CAN was sponsored by the DTI to examine working collaborations between social enterprise and private sector business. The resulting guide shows how social enterprise and private sector businesses can work together by describing a number of case studies of existing collaborations. The case studies...
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10 Nov 05 - Mobilising Britain’s Missing Workforce: Unemployment, incapacity benefit, and the regions

Catalyst : Steve Fothergill and John Grieve Smith

In its third term the Labour government is determined to move more people off incapacity benefits and into work. But Steve Fothergill and John Grieve Smith argue that a reliance on labour “supply side” measures such as benefit reforms will not solve the problem by itself. This will also require...
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07 Nov 05 - Social Focus on Deprived Areas 2005

Scottish Executive : Scottish Executive

New study examining poverty and disadvantage at a local and Scotland-wide level. The analysis is based on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation ( SIMD) 2004 which identifies small area concentrations of multiple deprivation across Scotland. The publication provides new insight which can help...
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04 Nov 05 - The Older People's Inquiry - 'That little bit of help'

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : Secretariat to Older People's Inquiry

This paper is based on the findings of the Older People’s Inquiry, conducted in partnership with older people, academics and policy and practice stakeholders, into the provision of low-level support for older people – ‘that little bit of help’. The aims of the inquiry were to identify examples of...
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19 Oct 05 - Include Me In - how life skills help homeless people back into work

DEMOS : Hannah Lownsbrough

Include Me In examines the particular support needs of excluded adults returning to work. And it questions the idea that training focussed predominantly on job-related vocational skills will be enough for people trying to get work. It offers a model for bridging the gap between delivering...
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18 Oct 05 - Caring for our Children - foster care in Scotland

Fostering Network : Fostering Network

Caring for our Children is the most comprehensive review of foster care in Scotland ever to be published. Based on a survey of foster carers and fostering providers, it describes a fostering service struggling to cope with the demands placed upon it. It was compiled from survey responses from 693...
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18 Oct 05 - Managing National Lottery Distribution Fund balances

The Stationary Office Ltd : House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts

Report looking at the levels of balances held by the 15 UK Lottery distributors. The report looks critically at the extent to which distributors have (and have not) managed to reduce balances, manage risk and set targets. The report contains useful statistics on Lottery funding, and looks briefly...
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12 Oct 05 - Promoting Excellence in Scotland's Communities - a guide to performance improvement techniques in community regeneration

Communities Scotland : Scottish Centre for Regeneration, Quality Scotland

This guide has been produced as a result of a partnership between Communities Scotland’s Scottish Centre for Regeneration and Quality Scotland in order to help support the continuous improvement of all organisations involved in community regeneration. The guide introduces and outlines a wide range...
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11 Oct 05 - Internet for Social Policy - a 'teach yourself' tutorial

Resource Discovery Network's Virtual Training Suite : Angela Upton

A free, "teach yourself" tutorial. The Internet for Social Policy is a guide to using the Internet for research, with UK social work students as its target audience. The tutorial is designed to be used as part of an information literacy programme, either as a resource to base a workshop around or...
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10 Oct 05 - Health, Well-being and Social Inclusion - Therapeutic Horticulture in the UK

Loughborough University and Thrive : Joe Sempik, Jo Aldridge and Saul Becker

This is a summary of the final report of the three-year research project Growing Together – Promoting Social Inclusion, Health and Well-being for Vulnerable Adults through the use of Horticulture and Gardening. This is the main report of the Growing Together study, and contains the research...
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07 Oct 05 - The benefits barrier - What impact do welfare benefits have on volunteering?

Citizens Advice Bureau : John Ramsey

Study examining whether the perception that volunteering adversely affects their benefits is a barrier to people on welfare benefits taking up volunteering. The aims of this Uk-wide survey were to provide a more quantitative analysis of the impact welfare benefits has on volunteering at a broader...
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07 Oct 05 - Evaluating community projects - a practical guide

JRF : Marilyn Taylor, Derrick Purdue, Mandy Wilson and Pete Wilde

These guidelines were initially developed as part of the JRF Neighbourhood Programme. This programme is made up of 20 community or voluntary organisations all wanting to exercise a more strategic influence in their neighbourhood. The guidelines were originally written to help these organisations...
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28 Sep 05 - Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the National Intermediaries’ Support for Community Planning

Communities Scotland : Cathy Sharp, Mark Bitel and Myra Kandemiri

The National Intermediaries Support for Community Planning Programme was established to strengthen the communities’ voices in Community Planning. Funding was provided to 16 national voluntary organisations (known here as national intermediaries) for a series of proposals which targeted different...
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23 Sep 05 - Involving deaf BSL users as volunteers

Deaf Connections : Gillions, Jennie

A brief overview of the problems that deaf people face, some ideas to tackle them and a case study.

23 Sep 05 - Doing Community Research

bassac : bassac

"With the emphasis firmly on doing, this resource paper provides some hints and tips to get you underway with research." Short basic introduction to conducting community research, illustrated by a collection of case studies. 12 pages.

22 Sep 05 - Close Work: Doing qualitative research in the voluntary sector

This paper reports on a workshop held at the NCVO in 2002 which dealt with qualitative research. This workshop was supported by CAF and involved Pete Alcock, Duncan Scott and Cathy Pharoah. Following the workshop, CAF published their research in book form.The opportunities and challenges of...
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22 Sep 05 - Volunteering and Disability

Volunteer Development Scotland : Reilly, Christine

The research utilised a variety of research methods including questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, and engaged with organisations and individuals throughout Scotland. Findings indicate that although disabled people volunteer, both individuals and organisations feel that they are...
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20 Sep 05 - 1 + 1 = 3 - Does size really matter? Collaborative working between large and small voluntary and community organisations

NCVO : Linda Joy Mitchell & Kelly A Drake

This report presents key findings from a scoping study of collaborative working between large and small voluntary and community organisations (VCOs). The report refers specifically to structures, benefits, barriers and what works within large/small collaborations. The study also analysed 8 case...
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20 Sep 05 - Case Studies - Sharing Back Office Services

NCVO Collaborative Working Unit : NCVO Collaborative Working Unit

'Sharing back office services' is the first in an NCVO series of models of the different ways that voluntary and community organisations can work together. Back office services are the supporting functions that enable organisations to carry out their charitable activities. They include premises,...
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19 Sep 05 - Why Rich People Give

Philanthropy UK / Association of Charitable Foundations : Theresa Lloyd

Summary of research undertaken to develop a shared understanding of the attitudes of wealthy people to their wealth – its creation, holding and disposition. With this understanding we hope that charities and fundraising organisations will be more effective in developing and managing their...
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16 Sep 05 - Building on New Deal: local solutions meeting individual needs

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) : Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

This paper published by DWP sets out the Government strategy for the evolution of Welfare to Work policies and programmes. It follows a preliminary paper published on 19th May 2004 and provides fuller details of the Government's plans to introduce greater flexibility to suit the requirements of...
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16 Sep 05 - Good Practice in Rural Development - Innovative Methods of Service Delivery in Rural Scotland

Scottish Executive/ Scottish National Rural Partnership : Jon Pickering

Access to services ties in with opportunity, quality of life, and social justice. People in remote or rural areas are especially vulnerable to social exclusion. Making services more accessible can be seen, therefore, as a positive step towards tackling geographic and social marginalisation. This...
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16 Sep 05 - Charting the Charity Universe

Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) : Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)

Research slideshow presentation from CAF's 2004 annual conference. The presentation examines the diversity of the charity universe, revealing how widely the income dynamics of different causes vary. It also uncovers dramatic differences between the fundraising potential of the various sub-sectors.

15 Sep 05 - A Diamond for Scotland - The Scottish Civil Society Index (2005)

SCVO : Ruchir Shah

Interim report for the CIVICUS Civil Society Index for Scotland, an assessment of civil society in Scotland led by SCVO in partnership with a range of civil society representatives. The purpose of the Civil Society Index is to kickstart an informed debate on civil society - whether it has the...
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15 Sep 05 - The New Opportunities Fund and rural Scotland: patterns of funding and response to need

Big Lottery : Big Lottery Fund with Robert Rogerson, Sue Sadler and Andrew Copus

In March 2004, the then New Opportunities Fund commissioned the University of Strathclyde to conduct research into how effectively and equitably the Fund’s grant-making has reached rural Scotland. The final report was received in May 2005 and a summary report has recently been published. The...
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13 Sep 05 - The Shirts off their Backs: How tax policies fleece the poor

Christian Aid : Christian Aid

The debate about how poor countries fund their escape from poverty has hitherto focused mainly on calls for debt cancellation and increases in aid. This briefing focuses on the importance of taxation in poor countries, using new research from a global network of economists – the Tax Justice...
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13 Sep 05 - Being Young in Scotland 2005: Young People's Participation in Youth Work, Arts, Culture and Sport

Scottish Executive : MORI

This report presents findings from the 2005 YouthLink Scotland State of the Nation Survey, incorporating the results from both the Schools omnibus and the young people survey of 17-25 year olds. This study represents the second wave of the survey with the first having been conducted in 2003. This...
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13 Sep 05 - Social Enterprise strategy for Wales

Welsh Assembly Government : Social Economy Team, Welsh Assembly Government

This document is aimed at social enterprise practitioners and those who facilitate the development of the social economy in Wales. Useful information to compare with Scotland, including Strategic Objectives, and Measuring & Evaluating Impact of Strategy.

12 Sep 05 - Public Attitudes to Participation

Scottish Executive : Stephen Hope and Susan King (MORI Scotland)

This research was commissioned to gather information on public attitudes to, and experiences of, issues related to civic participation. The research was carried out by placing a module of questions in the first wave of MORI's Social Policy Monitor.

12 Sep 05 - Civic Participation in Public Policy-Making: A Literature Review

Scottish Executive : Linda Nicholson

This literature review of civic participation in public policy-making forms one part of a wider study aimed at investigating civic participation activity undertaken by the Scottish Executive. Other elements of the overall study comprise a survey of civic participation activity and a mapping of...
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09 Sep 05 - Sports Participation in Scotland 2001

sportscotland : sportscotland

Since 1987, sportscotland has collected data on adult (aged 16 and over) sports participation. This research digest presents the data collected during 1999, 2000 and 2001, with trend data providing a picture of change over time. Since 1997, data has also been collected from young people (aged 8-18)...
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09 Sep 05 - The Role of Sport in Regenerating Deprived Areas

The Scottish Executive in collaboration with sportscotland commissioned the Centre for Leisure Research to undertake a study to explore the role which sport has played in the regeneration of urban areas in Scotland and to explore wider evidence for the assumption that sport can contribute...
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09 Sep 05 - Individuals' Donations to Charities and their use of tax relief

HMRC : Deborah Smeaton, Alan Marsh, Ruth Rajkumar and Andrew Thomas

The study was commissioned by the Inland Revenue "to increase policy understanding of the relationship between charitable giving among individual citizens and the tax relief now available on their gifts". The study investigated the extent British people gave money to charity over the last 12...
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07 Sep 05 - Awareness of Age-related Macular Degeneration and associated Risk factors

AMD Alliance International : AMD Alliance International

Report looking at awareness of AMD, and related risk factors. Survey results from a range of countries, covering a range of factors including: smoking, age, diet, exercise. Partner organisations of AMDAI include RBNIB.

07 Sep 05 - Skilling up our workforce - A strategy for developing skills in the voluntary sector in Scotland

Scottish Executive : SCVO

Short briefing setting out the findings of a recent consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including voluntary organisations and key learning and skills partners. The leaflet sets out 17 Key Aims, each with several objectives for action. The action points are recommendations for...
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26 Aug 05 - The voluntary sector delivering public services: Transfer or transformation?

Two papers reviewing the political and practical impact of expanding the role of the voluntary and community sectors in delivering public services. The two papers in this study review both the political impact and the practical effect of the proposed expansion in the role of the voluntary and...
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08 Aug 05 - Clearing Hurdles: how the social economy’s workforce shapes up – entry points into the sector (seminar report)

SCVO : SCVO

Seminar report and presentations on social economy workforce issues, highlighting the challenge in making the social economy sector a positive career choice for more men and women. Seminar took place 28 April 2005.

08 Aug 05 - First Steps in Monitoring and Evaluation

Charities Evaluation Service : Lucy Bishop

Booklet developed for voluntary organisations and projects with little or no experience of monitoring and evaluation. A five-step, easy-to-follow approach is outlined which can be used by small organisations to help them evaluate their own projects.

27 Jul 05 - Cultural Renaissance of the Highlands

HI-Arts : Bryan Beattie & David B Pirnie

A discussion paper examining cultural activity in the Highlands, which argues for an inclusive definition of Highland culture and examines the evidence for an ongoing cultural renaissance. Includes facts and figures on voluntary sector activity in Highland regions.

27 Jul 05 - Na hEileanaich Ealanta - Creative Islanders: Culture and Creativity in the Hebrides

HI-Arts : Déirdre MacMahon

Research study into the local culture of the Hebridean islands and their people, looking at issues which could improve creativity, e.g. arts infrastructure, promotion of Gàidhlig (gaelic). The study is based on one-to-one interviews with over 50 people who live, work and create in the Hebridean...
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25 Jul 05 - The Jeweller’s story: branding case studies from the voluntary sector

nfpSynergy : nfpSynergy

The Jeweller's story follows on from nfpSynergy's 2002 publication 'Polishing the Diamond'. The new report pulls together a series of branding case studies from across the voluntary sector, and incorporates some simple branding tools that could help organisations develop their own approach to...
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08 Jul 05 - Charitable Giving and Donor Motivations

ESRC / NCVO : Dr Sally Hibbert and Dr Tom Farsides

An ESRC/NCVO commissioned seminar report, "Charitable Giving and Donor Motivation" covers work by Sally Hibbert and Tom Farsides on the motivations and strategies used by donors when making the decision to give or not.

30 Jun 05 - Leadership And Management Development In Social Services Organisations

Scottish Leadership Foundation : Zoë van Zwanenberg

The Scottish Executive commissioned this short life study in January 2005 as a follow on study to the work completed and published in January 2003 on Leadership and Management in Social Work. The aim of this second study is to look at what has changed in the intervening period and to set this...
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27 Jun 05 - A Snapshot of the Scottish Voluntary Sector (2005)

SCVO : Ruchir Shah, SCVO

This briefing is a 4 page summary covering newly updated facts and figures on the size and shape of the Scottish voluntary sector as at February 2005.

27 Jun 05 - A Snapshot of the Scottish Voluntary Sector (2005)

SCVO : Ruchir Shah, SCVO

This briefing is a 4 page summary covering newly updated facts and figures on the size and shape of the Scottish voluntary sector as at February 2005.

27 Jun 05 - A Smart Successful Highlands and Islands

Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE) : MORI

Consultation to inform HIE's strategy for tackling the national objectives of "A Smart Successful Scotland" , aiming to gain a comprehensive picture of the perceptions and priorities of stakeholders to ensure as many views as possible were considered and given the opportunity to inform the...
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23 Jun 05 - Civil renewal and active citizenship: a guide to the debate

NCVO : NCVO: Veronique Jochum, Belinda Pratten, Karl Wilding

This report aims to illustrate some of the main ideas and concepts that underpin civil renewal and active citizenship debates, followed by a review of government policies and research on what voluntary and community organisations think. It concludes with thoughts for how public policy on active...
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23 May 05 - Sustainable futures: investing in community-based organisations

New Economics Foundation : Stephen Thake

The Adventure Capital Fund was designed as an experimental programme to provide investment finance for independent community-based organisations seeking to increase the scale and sustainability of their operations through engaging in enterprise initiatives. This is the second report of the...
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23 May 05 - Prove it: measuring the effect of neighbourhood renewal on local people

Handbook (70pp)outlining a method for measuring the effect of community projects on local people, on the relationships between them and on their quality of life. The method involves local people in both choosing the indicators and collecting data. It has been tested in 16 areas of the country....
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11 May 05 - Community Research - Getting Started

ARVAC : ARVAC

A guide for individuals and groups wanting to get started with a community research project. This draws on lessons learnt from a ground breaking UK wide project, supporting community groups to carry out their own research. Written specifically for community groups, the pack is also useful to...
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19 Apr 05 - In the Right Place – accessibility, local services and older people

Help the Aged : Alan Burnett (Help the Aged)

This report is intended as a guide to those seeking to plan accessible services and transport strategies, with older people in mind. It has been produced to supplement the Department for Transport guidance on accessibility planning, to help local authorities ensure that the needs of older...
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15 Apr 05 - Participation Works! 21 techniques of community participation for the 21st century

Everyone says participation works. But what does participation really mean, and what makes it really happen? This handbook contains 21 proven techniques from around the world. It shows how to choose between them, how to use them properly and where to go for more information. Contains a wide range...
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13 Apr 05 - The Scottish Voluntary Sector Social Services Workforce Survey 2001

Scottish Social Services Council : Scottish Social Services Council

2001 survey to establish comprehensive information on the Voluntary Sector Social Services Workforce and its training and qualification needs. Useful to compare with recent surveys.

13 Apr 05 - Growing the BEM Voluntary Sector - Mapping The Black & Ethnic Minorities Voluntary Sector In Scotland 2004/5

BEMIS : Marion Lacey (SCVO), Rami Ousta (BEMIS)

In November 2004 the Black and Ethnic Minorities Infrastructure in Scotland (BEMIS), in conjunction with SCVO, undertook a mapping of voluntary sector organisations in Scotland. The aims of this study were: - to produce a report setting out the known characteristics of the BEM voluntary sector –...
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04 Apr 05 - Cycling Scotland Assessment of Local Authorities April 2005

Cycling Scotland : Cycling Scotland

Detailed study focusing on Local Authority plans and policies related to cycling and to the engagement of stakeholders. All thirty two Local Authorities were assessed and a summary report with recommendations is available for each Local Authority. Cycling Scotland acknowledges the difference in...
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31 Mar 05 - Monitoring and Evaluation of the Scottish Compact Baseline Results 2004

The Scottish Compact is a Protocol that sets out the key principles whereby the Scottish Executive, its agencies, NDPBs and the voluntary sector can work in partnership. To oversee implementation of the Compact a Review Group was established in 2002. In a 2004 report it outlined proposals for...
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29 Mar 05 - Full Cost Recovery - an electronic guide and toolkit on cost allocation

acevo : acevo

Interactive CD-Rom designed to help organisations work out exactly how much it costs to run their services. The website provides information on each area of ACEVO's Full Cost Solutions package, and the first version is available for download.

29 Mar 05 - Surer Funding: the acevo Commission of Inquiry Report

ACEVO : ACEVO / New Philanthropy Capital

Despite government guidance, many third sector contracts for public service delivery are short-term, insecure, undervalued and bureaucratic. The Surer Funding: acevo Commission of Inquiry Report proposes a bold new framework of financial incentives to bridge the gap between government policy and...
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29 Mar 05 - Should you collaborate? Key Questions

NCVO : NCVO

This checklist aims to help organisations to decide whether to embark on collaborative working by compiling key issues for exploration. It is aimed at those considering arrangements at the more formal end of the collaborative working spectrum and involving a considerable investment of resources....
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29 Mar 05 - Funders' Survey - Collaborative Working within the Voluntary Sector

NCVO : NCVO

Survey by NCVO's Collaborative Working Unit to assess understanding of collaborative working among funders of voluntary and community organisations. The survey looked at levels of awareness of the range of collaborative working options and at how funders perceived their role as funders or...
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24 Mar 05 - Capturing Cultural Value - How culture has become a tool of government policy

DEMOS : John Holden

Cultural organisations and their funding bodies have become very good at describing their value in terms of social outcomes. Tackling exclusion, increasing diversity and contributing to economic development are all familiar justifications in grant applications. But by talking in functional terms...
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24 Mar 05 - Making Heritage Count?

Heritage Lottery Fund : MORI

A research study conducted for English Heritage, Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Heritage Lottery Fund. The aim was to improve and further understanding of who is participating in the historic environment and how to better engage with excluded ethnic and socially deprived groups. ...
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24 Mar 05 - Survival Skills - Using life skills to tackle social exclusion

DEMOS & CRISIS : Sarah Gillinson, Hannah Lownsbrough, Gillian Thomas

Survival Skills investigates how the life skills concept has been successful used to tackle social exclusion, including an innovative facility called Skylight, which is run by the homeless charity, Crisis. The authors make recommendations for service providers and policy makers on how to develop...
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24 Mar 05 - Scotland 2020 - Hopeful stories for a northern nation

DEMOS : Eddie Gibb, Gerry Hassan, Lydia Howland

Scotland 2020 is a project that explored the connection between stories and thinking imaginatively about the future. The project looks at new ways to think about the future and making significant contribution to the renewal of political culture. Not research as such, but several interesting takes...
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22 Mar 05 - What Works in Community Involvement in Area-based Initiatives?

A systematic review of research evidence on the effectiveness of community involvement in area based initiatives (ABIs). Community involvement is an important feature of public policy and of ABIs in particular, and yet the assumptions of policy makers that it will have beneficial effects are little...
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22 Mar 05 - Measuring Deprivation in Scotland: Developing a Long-Term Strategy

This report was commissioned by the Central Statistics Unit of the Scottish Executive with three main objectives: To provide a clear definition and conceptual basis for measuring deprivation. It will also clarify how the term relates to others used to refer to social needs such as poverty, social...
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22 Mar 05 - Social Exclusion in Rural Areas: A Review of Recent Research

Arkleton Centre for Rural Development Research : Prof Mark Shucksmith

This paper reviews recent research on social exclusion in rural areas of England, giving an indication of how this has been addressed successfully in practice, and going on to suggest avenues for future research. The paper begins with a discussion of approaches to studying social exclusion in rural...
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17 Mar 05 - Active ageing in active communities - Volunteering and the transition to retirement

Policy Press / JRF : Justin Davis Smith and Pat Gay

This study is intended to throw light on the part played by volunteering in the transition by examining closely the experiences of volunteers and the organisations that involve them. The main focus of the study has been on ‘what works’ in relation to the involvement of older people as volunteers,...
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15 Mar 05 - Map of independent advocacy across scotland

Advocacy Safeguards Agency : Advocacy Safeguards Agency

The purpose of this report is to map out the current situation with regard to independent advocacy across Scotland. This includes a description of individual advocacy projects, the level, source and security of their funding, and committed developments to March 2004.

15 Mar 05 - Keep it Real - Youth Participation Pack

Youth Scotland : Youth Scotland

This pack takes a practical approach to the issue of youth participation. It views youth participation as an integral part of quality youth work and provides a varied selection of activities, tried and tested by young people, which then build into sample programmes. Activities are designed to build...
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15 Mar 05 - Sustainability Checklist

Network 21 : Network 21

Brief checklist providing a tool to indentify sustainable ways forward for projects. As well as simple SWOT analysis, the tool contains useful sustainability indicators for: Community, Economy, Environment, Future/Long-term impact.

14 Mar 05 - Scottish Credit Unions - meeting member demands and needs

Scottish Executive Social Research : GEN Consulting

This research was undertaken in mid to late 2004. The main objective was to add to the credit union evidence base by identifying the characteristics of credit union members and the types of financial products and services they would like their unions to offer. A secondary objective was to test the...
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10 Mar 05 - Meeting needs, addressing deeds - working with young people who offend

This publication brings together contributions from various commentators in Scotland and England on addressing the challenges of young people who offend. The book is available for purchase from the below link.

10 Mar 05 - Working with complaints: a training resource pack for project staff

NCH : NCH

A pack originally developed for NCH staff, which includes a workbook and a CD of facilitators' materials. Much of the material is relevant to social care staff in all sectors and activities can be adapted to varied workplaces.

10 Mar 05 - Commissioning children’s services and the role of the voluntary and community sector

NCH : Jeanne King

A comprehensive guide to a complex and constantly changing process. The report was produced by the Local Government Association, NCH, the Improvement and Development Agency, the Connaught Group of medium-sized children’s organisations, and the National Council for Voluntary Child Care Organisations

10 Mar 05 - United for children? How devolution is impacting on children's policy across the UK

NCH : Caroline Abrahams, Jacqui McCluskey and George McNamara

A look at how devolution in Scotland and Wales has impacted on children's services. The review comes from NCH as a leading children's charity providing services across all 4 nations.

10 Mar 05 - 'School let me down': overcoming barriers to educational achievement

NCH / Action for Children : Amanda Allard and George McNamara

A survey of young people using NCH services about their experiences of education. The report examines the impact of educational underachievement, as a cause and a consequence of social exclusion.

09 Mar 05 - Annual Digest of Statistics on Volunteering in Scotland 2005

Volunteer Development Scotland : Reilly, Christine

This is the second annual digest of statistics on volunteering in Scotland produced by Volunteer Development Scotland, the national centre of excellence in volunteering. The digest presents in concise and readily accessible form statistical information available on the demographic, economic and...
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08 Mar 05 - Something to believe in: a report on recruitment problems and opportunities in the Scottish Voluntary Sector.

HR Network : Scottish Centre for Employment Research

Drawing on existing research, this report examines recruitment in the Scottish voluntary sector and offers practical recommendations to improve it. The research was conducted over summer 2004 and carried out in three stages: • review of academic, government and commercial literature and data...
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07 Mar 05 - Improving the Collection of Volunteering Data in Scotland

Scottish Executive : Robert Stevenson, RDS Consulting

The Scottish Executive commissioned RDS Consulting to conduct research to assist in the development of a module of questions for subsequent inclusion in the Scottish Household Survey (SHS) from 2005 onwards. The overall aim of the research was to improve the collection of volunteering data in...
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07 Mar 05 - The Draft Charities Bill: Focus Group Discussions with the General Public

Scottish Executive : Todd Associates/ Van Döet Consulting

The Scottish Executive intends to introduce a new bill to regulate charities operating in Scotland. This bill is, currently, in draft form and has been the subject of extensive public consultation with interested parties. The Executive’s normal consultation process tends to elicit responses and...
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04 Mar 05 - Voluntary Sector: the Need for ICT Support - Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire

Scottish Enterprise : Marilyn Workman

This report provides supporting evidence for the findings of the earlier report into the ICT needs of voluntary organisations in Tayside (available on the SRD). In addition, this report also looks at the difference in demand for ICT support in rural and rural areas.

04 Mar 05 - Adult Numeracy: Shifting the Focus

Communities Scotland : Diana Coben

A Research Report and Recommendations for Adult Numeracy in Scotland. Report of a project on adult numeracy in Scotland, commissioned by Learning Connections, Communities Scotland. The project aimed to develop guidelines and recommendations for learning and teaching approaches and areas of...
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04 Mar 05 - Illuminating Practice: Case Studies in community learning & development

Communities Scotland : Learning Connections Communities Scotland

A collection of case studies illustrating how community learning and development can make a positive impact on people's lives and close the opportunities gap. The case studies complement the Executive's guidance 'Working and Learning Together to Build Stronger Communities' (see Online Links...
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18 Feb 05 - The Engagement of BME Communities in Community Planning in the context of Environment (Cardiff, Newport & Swansea)

Black Environment Network (BEN) : Siobhan Hayward

To assess the degree to which black and minority ethnic (BME) communities have been involved in the community planning process in the context of environment, and to use this to inform future action by local authorities and the possible role of Black Environment Network (BEN) to promote meaningful...
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18 Feb 05 - Ethnic Environmental Participation - Key Articles: Volumes 1, 2, 3 etc

Black Environment Network (BEN) : Judy Ling Wong, BEN

A range of articles presented in volume format, looking at ethnic communities' participation within the built and natural environment and the sustainable development agenda.

11 Feb 05 - Research Findings Scotland No6 - Young People Volunteering

Volunteer Development Scotland : Reilly, Christine

This Research Findings Scotland is the sixth in a series of bulletins on research into volunteering in Scotland published by Volunteer Development Scotland. The findings are taken from a variety of quantitative and qualitative research into volunteering and young people in Scotland and the UK.

28 Jan 05 - Interim Update of Key Indicators of Women's position in Britain (December 2004)

DTI : Women and Equality Unit, DTI

This report provides an update to the tables and figures presented in “Key indicators of women’s position in Britain 2002”, using the most recent data where available. The research provides reliable and up-to-date information on women in various aspects of economic and social life.

28 Jan 05 - Being Outside: Constructing a response to street prostitution

Scottish Executive : Expert Group on Prostitution

a review the legal, policing, health, and social justice issues surrounding prostitution in Scotland and to consider options for the future.

25 Jan 05 - Housing Advice in Scotland

Shelter Scotland : Robina Goodlad, Ann Rosengard

Housing advice is a key issue in housing policy in Scotland. This report seeks to stimulate and contribute to a review of the nature and quality of housing advice services across Scotland. This research considers the planning and delivery of housing information and advice in both the voluntary and...
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25 Jan 05 - Repeat homelessness and domestic abuse

Shelter Scotland : Brendon Buck

This report focuses on the experiences of women in Scotland for whom domestic abuse has been the trigger for a cycle of repeat homelessness. Based on detailed interviews with women, it explores their experiences accessing housing and support, and makes recommendations for how such services could...
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25 Jan 05 - Women, prostitution and homelessness in Edinburgh

Shelter Scotland : Carol McNaughton

Prostitution and homelessness are contentious issues in modern Scotland, often linked together by social exclusion, poverty, family breakdown and addiction. This report explores a number of women's experiences of homelessness and prostitution in Edinburgh. The report's main finding is that women...
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12 Jan 05 - Well? What do you think? (2004): the second national Scottish survey of public attitudes to mental health [...]

Scottish Executive Social Research : Simon Braunholz, Sara Davidson, Susan King

The second national Scottish survey of public attitudes to mental health, mental well-being and mental health problems. The aims of the study were to: examine the views of a representative sample of the adult Scottish population on a range of mental health-related issues; and to compare findings...
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12 Jan 05 - Policies towards poverty, inequality and exclusion since 1997

Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) : LSE

This study, by members and associates of the LSE's Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, surveys the impact of the Labour Government's social policies since its election in 1997. Although the report highlights progress made for families with children, the research throws up other areas where...
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21 Dec 04 - Building Bridges: Local responses to the resettlement of asylum seekers in Glasgow

Scottish Centre for Research on Social Justice : Karen Wren

Changes to British immigration and asylum policy have resulted the dispersal of several thousand asylum seekers to Glasgow since 2000. The provision of appropriate support services has created a demand for new structures for their delivery. Services have been co-ordinated through locally based...
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01 Dec 04 - Priced out: the cost of rural homes

Shelter : Shelter

This report highlights the threat posed by rising house prices to rural communities in Scotland - especially acute in Argyll & Bute, the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway - and England

29 Nov 04 - Monitoring poverty and social exclusion in Scotland 2004

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : Guy Palmer, Jane Carr and Peter Kenway

The New Policy Institute has produced a second report monitoring poverty and social exclusion in Scotland. Building on the first 2002 edition, this report focuses on variations within Scotland. Overall, four key issues emerge namely, working-age adults without dependent children, the economically...
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23 Nov 04 - Why worry anymore about low pay?

New Policy Institute : Catherine Howarth and Peter Kenway

This pamphlet explores why the National Minimum Wage and tax credits have not solved the problem of low pay, which affects up to seven million UK workers. It proposes a "New Deal for the Low Paid", in which the public sector has a leading role to play.

23 Nov 04 - A Stitch in Time ... Saves Nine

This is a study into the levels of HR support offered by voluntary sector infrastructure organisations. The study shows that voluntary organisations are approaching infrastructure organisations for help with HR issues too late, often when a situation has reached crisis point. The findings are...
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16 Nov 04 - Scotland's Towns the Forgotten Challenge

the Hahn Practice Scotland : Roland Hahn & Steven Boyne

In the context of development studies in the UK, the development of towns has hitherto suffered from neglect in comparison with the effort which has been directed towards urban areas. This short paper examines the developement and regeneration issues facing Scotland's towns.

10 Nov 04 - Community assets - scoping study 2003-2004

Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE) : MCM Associates, SCVO

An asessment of the asset base of the community business sector in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The scoping study was commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise as a key element of its work to strengthen communities as set out in its strategy ‘A Smart Successful Scotland – the...
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19 Oct 04 - Social Exclusion Report 2003 - Mind the Gap

Leonard Cheshire : Jo Campion, Caroline Greenlaugh, John Knight

Leonard Cheshire's annual social exclusion report investigates the impact of inaccessible transport on the lives of disabled people and the ecomony.

19 Oct 04 - Fair Treatment - A Survey of Disability Access Policies in Primary Care Trusts

Leonard Cheshire : Jo Campion

Leonard Cheshire's report into the barriers facing disabled people in Primary Care Trusts throughout the UK. The report demonstrates the gap between Government expectations about challenging discrimination on the one hand, and reality on the other. It finds that Primary Care Trusts are failing many...
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18 Oct 04 - Racial Equality in Football: A Survey

The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) commissioned this report from the Carnegie National Sports Development Centre at Leeds Metropolitan University. It is an analysis of responses to questionnaires on racial equality in football, which the CRE sent out at the end of 2003 to the 92...
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14 Oct 04 - Research Findings Scotland No5 - BME Volunteering

Volunteer Development Scotland : Reilly, Christine

This Research Findings Scotland is the fifth in a series of bulletins on research into volunteering in Scotland published by Volunteer Development Scotland. The findings are taken from a piece of research into Black and Minority Ethnic diverse volunteering carried out by Volunteer Development...
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28 Sep 04 - Monitoring National Minimum Concessionary Fares

Scottish Executive : Colin Buchanan & Partners

To establish current and future patterns of concession use, before and after the introduction of a national minimum in October 2002. This study will provide behavioural information as well as data on the extent of use.

28 Sep 04 - Modern Apprenticeships: Improving Completion Rates

Scottish Executive : Gallacher, J; Whittaker, S; & Crossan, B (CRLL)

This research looks closely at wide-ranging reasons why a significant number of young people do not complete the Modern Apprenticeship qualification, and how the scheme can be improved to attract and keep high numbers of apprentices until completion of the training.

28 Sep 04 - The Elusive Nature of the Learning Society: a Profile of Adult Participation in Education and Training in Scotland

Scottish Executive : Professor Maria Slowey (Glasgow University)

An in-depth analysis of the Scottish sample of a UK-wide survey on adult participation in learning. The analysis presents a demographic breakdown of results and considers issues such as motivation to learn and access to learning.

28 Sep 04 - Survey Of The Development And Well-Being Of Children And Adolescents Looked After By Local Authorities In Scotland

Scottish Executive : Howard Meltzer et. al. (National Statistics)

This study examined the prevalence of mental health problems of children aged 5-15 who were being looked after by local authorities in Scotland. It focused primarily on the impact and/or burden of these mental health problems in terms of social impairment and disruption to others.

28 Sep 04 - Preventing Domestic Abuse in the Western Isles: The Community Perspective

Scottish Executive : Morag MacNeil et. al.

The research explored perceptions about domestic abuse held by various groups in the Western Isles, including people with experience of abuse, professionals, and the communities more generally.

28 Sep 04 - Evaluation of the Scottish Domestic Abuse Helpline

Scottish Executive : Louise Brown Research

This research was commissioned by the Scottish Executive to provide feedback on the service provided by the Helpline to assist decisions about its future operation. The research methods included: interviews with staff, key stakeholders and a sample of 12 volunteers who operate the Helpline; a...
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28 Sep 04 - The Hamilton Sherrif Youth Court Pilot: The First Six Months

A pilot Youth Court was introduced in Hamilton Sheriff Court in June 2003. It is targeted on alleged offenders aged 16 and 17 (and appropriate 15 year olds) who are resident in North or South Lanarkshire, have had three separate incidents of offending in the previous six months resulting in a...
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28 Sep 04 - Attitudes to Discrimination in Scotland

Scottish Executive : Catherine Bromley and John Curtice (Nat Cen Scotland)

An analysis of a survey module to assess and explore public attitudes to discrimination in Scotland

28 Sep 04 - Life in Low Income Families - Research Report

This report is the second stage of a research project which explores the views and experiences of poverty amongst those living within low income households with at least one child under the age of 18. This report and the literature review which preceded it (McKendrick et al. 2003) inform the...
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28 Sep 04 - Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Scotland: A Skills and Aspirations Audit

This study was developed and conducted by the Scottish Executive in partnership with the Scottish Refugee Council (SRC). The aim of the project was to audit the skills and aspirations of refugees and asylum seekers living in Scotland. The study was conducted in parallel with a study commissioned by...
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28 Sep 04 - Diversity in the Public Appointments Process in Scotland

Scottish Executive : Reid Howie Associates Ltd

This study was commissioned by the Scottish Executive to examine the public appointments process in Scotland, to identify the reasons for the current under-representation of a number of groups and to make recommendations to help to produce a more diverse range of candidates.

28 Sep 04 - Focus Groups with Minority Ethnic Communities

Scottish Executive : Blake Stevenson Ltd

In February 2000 the Scottish Executive committed itself to major new research aimed at providing better information on the circumstances and needs of people from minority ethnic communities. This study aimed at exploring the specific information needs of members of minority ethnic communities for...
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28 Sep 04 - Working for Families: Lessons from the Pilot Projects (stage 1)

Scottish Executive : Keith Hayton and Michelle Myron (Gen Consulting)

As part of the Scottish Executive’s strategy for eliminating child poverty within a generation, in mid-2003 funding was given to Dumfries and Galloway and Glasgow Councils to set up pilot Working for Families projects. In total 11 projects were funded for one year: 8 in Dumfries and Galloway and 3...
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28 Sep 04 - Credit Union Training and Skills Audit

The Centre for Research into Socially Inclusive Services (CRSIS) at Heriot-Watt University was commissioned by the Scottish Executive to audit training provision and training needs for credit union volunteers in Scotland, to develop a toolkit for credit unions to undertake skills audits for their...
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28 Sep 04 - Self Employed People in the Informal Economy - Cheats or Contributors?

Community Links and Street UK : Rosalind Copisarow and Aaron Barbour

The report is a grass roots insight into the practical issues that policy makers need to consider, based on the evidence of those currently trading informally, and the wider conclusions and recommendations of two organisations working with people in this situation.

24 Sep 04 - Is Anyone Home? Modelling Scotland’s Affordable Social Rented Housing

A joint report discussing the effects of a shortfall in affordable rented housing. This report details estimates of the future supply of social housing and demand as the result of homelessness.

24 Sep 04 - Understanding, Accepting And Valuing Each Other: Guide to legislation etc. for Voluntary Sector Employers

This publication is a useful resource for organisations who want to ensure that they are complying with the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003, and who wish to develop knowledge, policies and practices in this area.

22 Sep 04 - Key Scottish Environment Statistics 2004

Scottish Executive : Scottish Executive

This booklet gives detailed statistics relating to Scotland's environment, with an emphasis on the trends over time wherever possible. The data are supplemented by text providing brief background information on environmental impacts and relevant legislation. There are sections dealing with: Public...
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22 Sep 04 - The Provision of Housing Advice to Prisoners in Scotland: An Evaluation of the Projects Funded by the Rough Sleepers Initiative

Scottish Executive : Scottish Executive

Evaluates 7 projects funded by the Scottish Executive through the Rough Sleepers Initiative to give advice on housing matters to prisoners. Recommends how these services could be improved.

22 Sep 04 - Rural Scotland - Key Facts 2004

Scottish Executive : Scottish Executive

Rural Scotland is different from the rest of Scotland but there are also differences within rural Scotland, for example between accessible and remote areas. The purpose of this leaflet is to summarise the key facts related to rural Scotland in order to provide a picture of the lives of people its...
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21 Sep 04 - Volunteering Research Report

Angus Volunteer Centre : Angus Volunteer Centre

The research on which this report is based took place from Sept 03 until June 2004. The overall objective of this study was to explore attitudes towards volunteering, trends and to identify issues pertaining to capacity building for volunteering and volunteer development. The findings assist with...
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21 Sep 04 - Volunteering Research Report

Volunteer Centre Angus : Volunteer Centre Angus

17 Sep 04 - Sectarianism in Glasgow - Final Report

Glasgow City Council : NFO Social Research

This study was commissioned in 2001 by Glasgow City Council to determine the scale, nature and impact of sectarianism in the city. The research was undertaken in three broad phases and centred on a survey of a representative sample of 1,000 adults in Glasgow. Focus groups were also conducted with...
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17 Sep 04 - Scottish Refugee Council: Guide to Campaigning

Scottish Refugee Council : Scottish Refugee Council

A guide to lobbying and campaigning

17 Sep 04 - The Use of Mediation to Settle Civil Justice Disputes: A Review of Evidence

There is an increasing desire in many quarters to develop a culture where litigation is the last, rather than first, resort method of addressing civil disputes. Arguments for encouraging the use of mediation are manifold, but reliable information about current usage levels and effectiveness is...
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06 Sep 04 - "A view from the girls" - exploring violence and violent behaviour

ESRC/University of Glasgow : Burman Michele J; Tisdall Kay M

The aims of this research, carried out in Scotland, were to: - Understand the meaning and function of violence in girls’ lives based on the experiences, views and attitudes of girls themselves. - Challenge some of the traditional thinking about violence which has been derived primarily from...
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06 Sep 04 - Voluntary Sector Counselling in Scotland: An Overview

This user-friendly report is aimed primarily at non-academic audiences. The research investigates the place of voluntary sector counselling in Scotland by providing an overview of the shape and extent of services, and by exploring the meanings of counselling articulated by those involved in its...
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06 Sep 04 - Scottish Household Survey (2004 - Quarter 1)

Scottish Executive : Scottish Executive

This is the fifth in a series of quarterly Statistics Publication Notices which announces the availability of the Scottish Household Survey (SHS) for a particular quarter.

06 Sep 04 - Review of the Rural Petrol Stations Grant Scheme - Final Report

Scottish Executive : Steer Davies Gleave

Review of scheme to help rural petrol stations meet environmental and other legislative requirements.

06 Sep 04 - Exclusions from Schools 2002-2003

Scottish Executive : Scottish Executive National Statistics

Survey on exclusions from schools published by the Scottish Executive Education Department. The results relate to the school year 2002/03. Exclusions, in this context, include both temporary exclusions and pupils removed from the register. Most of the data refers to cases of exclusion, which should...
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06 Sep 04 - Beauty, beast and biodiversity: what does the public want from agriculture?

This report provides information on the relative values placed by the public on the outputs from agriculture, with emphasis on the trade-off between production and non-market goods.

06 Sep 04 - Socio-demographic profile of Midlothian 2003

This article contains Socio-demographic statistics for the Midlothian area for the period up to 2003. It provides a profile of the Midlothian population, highlighting pockets of social exclusion. The Socio-Demographic Profile for Midlothian contains information down to ward level on demographics,...
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06 Sep 04 - Food Basket Survey Toolkit

Midlothian Social Inclusion Forum : Midlothian Social Inclusion Forum

A Food Basket Survey is research carried out on food cost; food availability; and/or food access. The research is done using a standard “Food Basket” list of basic foods. This Toolkit has been written for use by anybody interested in carrying out a Food Basket Survey.

06 Sep 04 - Food for Thought - Midlothian Community Food Survey 2002 - 2003

Midlothian Social Inclusion Forum/NHS : Midlothian Social Inclusion Forum/NHS

This report follows up previous work carried out in Midlothian in 1999 when a Food Basket Survey was undertaken and a subsequent report produced for the Midlothian Social Inclusion Forum.

02 Sep 04 - Postcards from Home

Barnados : Neera Sharma and Rachel Dowling

Postcards from home looks at the particular issues for families of disabled children during the school summer holidays. At a time when most families are enjoying a holiday away from home and days out, many families with disabled children find there is a lack of affordable, accessible and inclusive...
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01 Sep 04 - Community Planning - Research Briefing

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

This research note outlines the background to and development of the concept of community planning in Scotland between 1995 and 2001. It details the remit of the Scottish Office/CoSLA Community Planning Working Group established in 1997 and reports on the experiences of Scotland's pathfinder...
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01 Sep 04 - Registered Social Landlords

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

This paper outlines the role of the former Scottish Homes in registering and supervising social landlords. With the promotion of different models of social landlord to housing associations by local authorities, Scottish Homes (most of whose functions transferred to Communities Scotland in 2001)...
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30 Aug 04 - European Structural Funds - Research Briefing

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

This Subject Map explains the mechanics of European structural funding and identifies some of the current issues surrounding these funds.

30 Aug 04 - Social Inclusion and the European Union

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

This briefing provides an overview of EU action in the policy area of social inclusion. It outlines the EU policy context in relation to social inclusion, describes the EU strategy for combating poverty and social exclusion and promoting social inclusion and identifies recent key developments in...
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30 Aug 04 - The Impact of Devolution on the Media in Scotland

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

The Scottish Affairs Select Committee of the House of Commons recently announced that it is to undertake an inquiry concerning ‘the effects of devolution on news and current affairs broadcasting in Scotland’. This paper summarises the role of this Committee and indicates the likely areas that the...
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30 Aug 04 - The Development of Rural Policy - Research Briefing

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

This paper discusses the development of rural policy between 1996 and 2001. It includes an overview of Scottish and European policies and programmes relevant at the time, and it tackles the matter of community involvement and participation. It discusses the establishment in 1996 of the former...
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30 Aug 04 - The Voluntary Sector (update) - Research Briefing

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

This research note outlines some of the main issues surrounding the voluntary sector in Scotland in 2001. It provides an overview of the infrastructure of the sector at the time and looks at the specific issues of funding, charity law reform, criminal record checks, and volunteering. The note also...
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30 Aug 04 - Rural Housing Strategies - Research Briefing

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

This Briefing Paper outlines the rural housing strategy which was in operation in Scotland at the end of 2002. It discusses housing trends in rural communities and outlines the series of Housing Market Context Statements introduced by Communities Scotland as a consequence of the Housing (Scotland)...
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30 Aug 04 - Poverty in Scotland - Research Briefing

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

This research note considers the definition and measurement of poverty and considers how its scale might be gauged in Scotland. It outlines UK Government and (then) Scottish Executive policies to alleviate poverty, and briefly considers the numerous poverty reduction initiatives in operation...
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30 Aug 04 - Policy Framework for Tackling Poverty and Social Exclusion in Scotland

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

This paper summarises the former Scottish Executive's policy on social inclusion up to 2000. It defines the key concepts involved and briefly examines the development of policy and the approach taken. The work of the Scottish Social Inclusion Network and the key initiative, Social Inclusion...
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30 Aug 04 - The National Lottery

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

This subject map outlined in 2001 the main organisations involved in the running of the National Lottery and their respective roles. Each of the distributing bodies and the grant programmes operating in Scotland at the time are profiled. Some of the key issues surrounding the Lottery including...
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30 Aug 04 - Measuring Social Exclusion

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

This research paper presents a 'scorecard' of indicators of social exclusion in Scotland for 1999. The indicators, covering six dimensions, illustrate the scale and distribution of exclusion and were designed to inform the measurement of progress in reducing it. The paper considers of the value of...
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30 Aug 04 - Issues for the Voluntary Sector in Scotland - Research Briefing

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

This research note outlines some of the main issues surrounding the voluntary sector in Scotland in 2000. It is updated by the SPICe paper 'The Voluntary Sector in Scotland' which was published in 2001. This paper gives an overview of the structure of the sector at the time as well as related...
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30 Aug 04 - Gypsy Travellers and Public Sector Policies - Research Briefing

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

The report of the Equal Opportunities Committee’s “Inquiry into Gypsy Travellers and Public Policies” was published on 27 June 2001. This Research Note summarises the recommendations contained in the report and the (then) Scottish Executive’s response to those recommendations. It also highlights...
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30 Aug 04 - Employment, Housing and Poverty in Rural Areas - Research Briefing

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

This research note, prepared for the Scottish Parliament's Rural Affairs Committee, provides a factual overview of employment trends in rural areas during the 1990s. A series of brief overviews of other social trends including general population dynamics, unemployment, housing, deprivation, and...
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30 Aug 04 - Credit Unions

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

This research note provides brief background information on the establishment of credit unions. The note includes a definition of credit unions, an outline of their benefits and a description of the process of setting one up. Finally some of what are seen as the critical success factors are...
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30 Aug 04 - Asylum Seekers - Research Briefing

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

This research note, written in September 2001, provides a snapshop of the pattern of asylum seeking in the UK and in Scotland around the time of the introduction of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. It notes that whilst immigration remains a reserved issue with responsibility lying with the...
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30 Aug 04 - Approaches to Tackling Poverty and Social Inclusion - Research Briefing

SPICe : Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

This research note outlines strategic approaches taken in some European countries to tackling social exclusion. It covers the policy frameworks, structures and institutional mechanisms established by other countries to tackle social exclusion. In particular, it examines the stages of the process...
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30 Aug 04 - Passing Time: a report about young people and communities

Institute for Public Policy Research : Laura Edwards & Becky Hatch

This is a report about young people and communities. It explores how young people talk about their community and the activities and support they want to see provided out of school.It starts by focusing on young people in just one neighbourhood and ends by using their experiences to look at how well...
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30 Aug 04 - Something for Something: A National Youth Action Programme

Institute for Public Policy Research : Kate Stanley

The aim of this paper is to present arguments for how effective and progressive public policy on youth action might be developed. We briefly outline our understanding of civil renewal and recommend that civil renewal could be a strong motivating idea to guide the future development of youth...
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30 Aug 04 - Lonely Citizens: Report of the Working Party on Active Citizenship

Institute for Public Policy Research : Ben Rogers ed.

This report focuses on active citizenship as civic participation in politics and governance rather than volunteering or acting as a good neighbour. Its argument starts with the claim that while the UK and democracies like ours rely on expert representatives and professional civil institutions to...
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30 Aug 04 - Adult literacy learners’ difficulties in reading an exploratory study

The project reported here was conducted as part of the research agenda developed by the National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy (NRDC), which was established in 2002 as part of the Skills for Lifestrategy of the Department for Education. The main aim of the project...
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30 Aug 04 - Teaching and learning writing:A Review of Research and Practice

This research is the first phase of a project that aims to identify principles of effective teaching and learning of writing for adult literacy learners. The report presents the findings of three reviews designed to provide a basis for further research.

30 Aug 04 - The Role of Church of Scotland Congregations in Developing Social Capital in Scottish Communities: Enabling and Cohesive or Irrelevant and Divisive?

ESCR - Centre for Neighbourhood Research : Flint, J; Kearns, A.

This paper presents the findings from a national study of Church of Scotland congregations. It assesses the extent to which the activities of congregations contribute to social capital in Scottish communities. The paper identifies the challenges that congregations face in developing such a role and...
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30 Aug 04 - Public Opinion for Policy? Housing, Neighbourhoods and Communities in Scotland

ESCR Centre for Neighbourhood Research : Ade Kearns and Alison Parkes

This paper is based on an analysis of the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2001 (SSAS). This is an annual random sample survey of adults in Scotland conducted by the National Centre for Social Research, comprising around 1,600 interviews and self-completion questionnaires.

30 Aug 04 - A Guide for the Voluntary Sector to Scottish Executive Grants 2004-05 (Information Leaflet)

Scottish Executive : Scottish Executive

This Guide is published as a resource for the Scottish voluntary sector to enable organisations to know how they might apply to the Scottish Executive for funding. It covers the Scottish Executive's direct grant schemes only.

26 Aug 04 - A Guide to the Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Act 2004

Scottish Executive : Scottish Executive

This guide gives a brief explanation of all 13 parts of the antisocial behaviour etc (Scotland) Act 2004

26 Aug 04 - Prison Statistics Scotland 2003

Scottish Executive : Scottish Executive

This 2003 bulletin on Scottish prison statistics forms part of The Scottish Executive Justice Department series of bulletins on aspects of the criminal justice system. Figures are presented on the average daily population of prisoners and the number of receptions. This information is disaggregated...
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25 Aug 04 - Futurebuilders Scotland

Scottish Executive : Scottish Executive

Subtitled 'Investing in the Social Economy', this document outlines the Executive's £18 million commitment to the social economy in 2004-05 and 2005-06. Aim: 'to extend and strengthen the role of the social economy sector in delivering better public services whilst encouraging financial...
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23 Aug 04 - Preventing Suicide and Deliberate Self Harm Laying the Foundations: Identifying Practice Examples

Scottish Executive : Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health

Provides practice examples which contribute to prevention of suicide & DSH, and improvements of mental well-being. Complements SE consultation on Framework for Prevention of Suicide & DSH

23 Aug 04 - Mind the Gaps Meeting the needs of people with co-occurring substance misuse and mental health problems

Scottish Executive : Scottish Advisory Committee on Drug Misuse (SACDM)

SACDM and SACAM agreed in 2002 to commission a Joint Working Group to address the needs of people with co-occurring substance misuse and mental health problems. This report of the Joint Working Group focuses on meeting these needs. The report highlights the need for better promotion and prevention...
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23 Aug 04 - Inequalities in Health: Report of the Measuring Inequalities in Health Working Group

Scottish Executive : Scottish Executive

This report sets out recommendations made by the Working Group on Measuring Inequalities in Health in Scotland and presents data and trends for the 23 recommended indicators.

23 Aug 04 - Healthy Life Expectancy in Scotland

ISD Scotland : David Clark et al

This report contains the first published estimates of Healthy Life Expectancy in Scotland by : gender, age (at birth and at age 65), deprivation, NHS Board Areas and Local Council Areas.

23 Aug 04 - Fair Enough? Fair For All Progress Report: Analysis of Race Equality Schemes and Fair For All Action Plans

Scottish Executive/NHS Scotland : NHS Scotland

This report was commissioned jointly by the National Resource Centre for Ethnic Minority Health (NRCEMH) and the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE). It is the product of a desk-based analysis of Race Equality Schemes (RES) and Fair for All (FFA) Action Plans produced by Scottish Health Boards...
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23 Aug 04 - Evaluation of Greater Glasgow Pharmacy Needle Exchange Scheme 1997-2002

Scottish Executive : Effective Interventions Unit Scottish Executive

A summary of a project examining activity levels and client profiles at pharmacy needle exchanges in Greater Glasgow over a six year period.

23 Aug 04 - Examining the injecting practices of injecting drug users in Scotland

Scottish Executive : Avril Taylor et al/University of Paisley

This is a report of research into the injecting practices of injecting drug users in Glasgow. The aim of the study was to examine the injecting practices of Scottish injecting drug users to a degree of detail not previously achieved in the UK. The specific focus was practices that could potentially...
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