Note of the meeting

Scottish Third Sector Research Forum

15August 2013, 10:30 am

SRUC (Peter Wilson) Building, West Mains Road, Edinburgh.

Present

Steven Marwick (Chair) (ESS)

Patty Lozano- Casal(Minutes) (ESS)

Joanna McLaughlin (Minutes) (TRT)

Mark Meiklejohn (Scottish Government)

Lorna Hunter (VHS)

Mike Woolvin (SRUC)

Sandy Watson (Scottish Enterprise)

Louise Meikleham (OSCR)

Ilse MacKinnon (SCVO)

Kathleen Doyle (VDS)

Carolyn Sawers (BIG)

Dr ArturSteinerowski (SRUC)

Jaqueline Rae (SG)

Sara Redmond (The ALLIANCE)

Apologies

Ruchir Shah (SCVO)

Jonathan Coburn (Social Value Lab)

David Cruickshank (SG)

Andy Dey (ACOSVO)

Anne MacDonald (HIENT)

Kiera Oliver (SG)

Prof Stephen Osborne (UoE)

Duncan Thorp (Social Enterprise Scotland)

Fiona Dill (SG)

Claire Stevens (VHS)

Kevin MacDonald (HIENT)

Welcome and introductions

Steven welcomed everyone to the meeting and in particular, Sara Redmond and Jaqueline Rae, who joined the Forum for the first time. Introductions around the table followed.

Minutes and Matters arising

The minutes of the previous meeting (30 May 2013) were approved with minor corrections to the last action. Mike wanted to make clear that he was not suggesting that more academics should join the Forum but that the Forum could benefit from having more academics to help inform discussions.

The group went through the actions from the last meeting and provided updates on these:

  • Health and Social Care Alliance accepted invitation to join the Forum – Sara Redmond is in attendance.
  • The matrix of Third Sector/SG priorities has been drawn up based on the exercise at the last meeting and circulated o the Forum for comment.
  • A working group was set up to take forward work with the Evidence Framework.

In relation to the first action, Sandy said that contacting specialists to arrange participation/presentation with the forum is not appropriate at this time. We will come back to this in the future.

Matters arising were dealt with over the course of the meeting.

Update on the Evidence Framework

Patty updated the Forum on the development of the Evidence Framework since the last meeting took place. This included finalising the matrix of policy priorities and setting up a working group to discuss and put together an options paper for the work that the Forum could take forward in 2013-14. The resulting paper was tabled at the meeting and discussed.

Patty highlighted that the options focus on specific topics but proposed that the Forum would look at them in terms of the wider impact they had on the third sector. She also noted that some of the options were time sensitive as linked to specific pieces of work such as strategies that were being developed.

Ilse and Louise raised the concern that some of the options for future work are very specific and some organisations with a more general remit might find it hard to identify with them and sign up to specific tasks. Steven suggested that an objective for today’s discussion should be for the Forum to get to a place where everyone feels they can contribute to the pieces of work being taken forward.

The Forum also thought it was important to consider the role of academics, making sure everyone can contribute, linking the work to broad issues about the sector to inform the work we do, and producing outputs like the Health and Social Care paper and the Reducing Re-offending paper (i.e. produce a series of TSRF papers).

Setting the Forum’s Workplan for 2013/14

The Forum divided in two groups to discuss the options and provided feedback on the discussions afterwards. The Forum agreed to take the following pieces of work forward:

1)Public Service Reform:

a)How third sector engages in planning structures

b)How communities engage

c)What works/barriers/enablers

2)Health and Social Care:

a)Personalisation

b)Third sector

c)Link to previous paper – drilling down (Action: circulate paper to the Forum)

3)Volunteering and employability:

a)What we are doing well

b)What do we need to know

c)Participation

4)Health of the sector:

a)Pull together what we already have (workforce, funding…)

b)Who’s got what?

Action: Sara to do a bit of research about opportunities for option 2d) (equalities) of the paper.

Action: Ilse to put together a paper on the Health of the Sector (Bullet point 4) with everyone’s contribution.

Action: Jo and Patty to make the Health of the Sector a rolling agenda item.

On the Health of the Sector point, the “Discover the Third Sector” website might be helpful as a source of information.

Working groups

There were three workshops to plan how to take the pieces of work forward:

  • Health of the Sector – led by Ilse.
  • People/ personalisation and partnership – led by Sara.
  • Volunteering and employability – led by Kathleen.

Working group 1 – Health of the Sector

  • Members: Ilse (lead), Louise, Sandy
  • Research Question(s):(i) Size & Shape of the Sector – what do we know?; (ii) what data is available? Who has done mappings around size, shape, workforce, funding etc.
  • Output:Probably looking at producing a short briefing paper. Possibly look at specific areas in the future.
  • Timeline: End of November?
  • Role each member will play: Still to be agreed but SCVO to lead
  • Other resources required: Input from other Forum members

Working group 2 – People, Personalisation and Partnership

  • Members: Sara (lead), Patty, Jo, Mark, Jacqueline, Arthur, Lorna
  • Research Question(s):(i) What evidence is out there?, (ii) What is meant by partnership?; (iii) What models of partnership working are effective?; (iv) What examples of ‘people’ being involved in partnerships are there that are seen as effective?; (v) What role (positive and/or negative) has the third sector played in these?
  • Output:Possibly a paper like the Health and Reducing Re-offending papers or could be in a guide format. Still to be agreed.
  • Timeline:End of March 2014 for initial scoping of evidence; final output by August 2014.
  • Role each member will play:Still to be agreed but The ALLIANCE and ESS to lead.
  • Other resources required:Input from other Forum members. Review at the end of March.

Working group 3 – Volunteering and employability

  • Members: Kathleen (lead), Carolyn, Mike
  • Research Question(s):What are the benefits of volunteering for people with multiple and complex needs? To answer this question, the sub-group will (i) Identify and define ‘ multiple and complex needs, (ii) Identify and explore existing literature / evidence, (iii) Explore benefits of volunteering for people with multiple and complex needs (volunteer perspective), (iv) Explore benefits of volunteering where people with multiple and complex needs receive volunteering help (beneficiary perspective), (v) Evaluate evidence about what works, why and in what context, (vi) Evaluate evidence around the effectiveness of volunteering interventions (beneficiary and volunteer) and how this compares to other interventions, (vii) Identity and explore existing volunteering services, programmes, activities that benefit people with multiple and complex needs, (viii) Identify evidence gaps, and explore what evidence is needed (from policy/practitioner perspective) to inform and influence policy/practice debates, (ix) Explore implications / opportunities for role of third sector
  • Output:Produce a review of the literature on the benefits of volunteering for people with multiple and complex needs. The output will link and align very well to the sub-group on community involvement.
  • Timeline:Still to be decided
  • Role each member will play:Still to be decided although Kathleen will coordinate work and take specific responsibility for Employability, Mike will focus on Community (and places of interest), Carolyn will focus on health and social care.
  • Other Resources Required: Still to be decided.

Action: Patty and Jo to review the Evidence Framework paper to reflect the decisions made.

Update from the Knowledge Translation Network (Fiona Wu)

No updates were requested from members as the summer time is a quiet period of work due to holidays and also the Forum thought it’d be helpful to focus the meeting on the framework and the work to take forward. However, the Knowledge Translation Network, which runs parallel to the Forum, has been active over the summer and thought it’d be helpful to provide an update on the work.

Fiona Wu, TRT/ESS Research Intern, provided an overview of her work between June and August 2013 to develop an easy-to-use, step-by-step guide for third sector organisations on how to use evidence to influence policy and practice. Fiona covered the background to the guide and work undertaken to date, drawing up key themes that emerged from the survey/interviews and finished with a proposed structure for the guide.

Action: Members to e-mail Patty or Jo any suggestions they may have for the guide’s structure/format.

AOB

Ilse updated the Forum on the invitation from the Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC) to feed into their research into ‘Voluntary Sector Data Use and Needs’. Some members of the Forum, including SCVO and BIG, as well as others were contacted to chip in. Carolyn said BIG is not directly involved but could feed in with thoughts. Steven said that it might be helpful to wait until they produce a scoping exercise and then consider whether the Forum has something to contribute.

The Forum approved the TSRF logo that Patty created.

Mike requested the Forum to act as a sounding board for events. Action: Mike to circulate the summary of the event that SRUC will hold on 6 November.

Carolyn updated on a couple of pieces of work that BIG is taking forward:

  • Paper with case studies of how organisations supporting ex-offenders are evaluating the outcomes.
  • BIG commissioned two studies on Social Investment.
  • Open Data - BIG to publish in the autumn a set of data of grants they make to make it more searchable and useable.

Action: Carolyn to e-mail the Forum this information.

Action: Louise and Carolyn to discuss this further.

Action: Patty to circulate a Doodle Poll for late November/December

Action: Patty and Jo to add to the agenda for next meeting: where do we go from here?, items coming from today and interim secretariat arrangements.

Summary of actions:

  • Secretariat to circulate the Forum’s ‘Health paper’.
  • Sara to do a bit of research about opportunities for option 2d) (equalities) of the evidence framework paper.
  • Ilse to put together a paper on the Health of the Sector (Bullet point 4) with everyone’s contribution.
  • Jo and Patty to make the Health of the Sector a rolling agenda item.
  • Patty and Jo to review the Evidence Framework paper to reflect the decisions made.
  • Members to e-mail Patty or Jo any suggestions they may have for the guide’s structure/format.
  • Mike to circulate the summary of the event that SRUC will hold on 6 November.
  • Carolyn to e-mail the Forum this information.
  • Louise and Carolyn to discuss this further.
  • Patty to circulate a Doodle Poll for late November/December
  • Patty and Jo to add to the agenda for next meeting: where do we go from here?, items coming from today and interim secretariat arrangements.

Annex 1: Evidence Framework paper – updated.

1

Annex 1 – Updated Evidence Framework paper

Third Sector Strategic Evidence Framework

Background

The Scottish Third Sector Research Forum (TSRF) brings together Scottish Government and third sector strategic partners to obtain holistic oversight of third sector evidence and data needs; to work collaboratively to identify research questions and meet evidence gaps; to share and critique data, evidence and knowledge and to maximise the impact of third sector evidence through knowledge transfer and dissemination.

There is already a large body of evidence about ‘what works’. The Forum’s remit is not to duplicate that evidence but to highlight and channel it in a way that maximises its impact and influences change. Where a gap in research has been identified, the Forum may undertake work to address this as a group or look for opportunities to work with organisations working in this area.

Towards achieving its objectives, the TSRF decided to form a subgroup to develop a strategic evidence framework, based on the Forum’s discussions on policy priorities (Annex 1), which will help the Forum align programmes of research and evidence gathering around shared outcomes.

This paper provides the Forum with information about subgroup discussions and recommendations to consider for future work (see summary of recommendations in Annex 2), as well as the Framework itself (Annex 3). The paper concludes setting out the three pieces of work that the Forum agreed to take forward on 15 August 2013.

The purpose of the Evidence Framework

This Framework:

  • Identifies and aligns the Forum’s work to the policy priorities of the third sector and the public sector so that we can identify where we can use evidence to support or challenge Scottish Government policy decisions and maximise the impact of evidence in policy and practice? development at a local and national level.
  • Identifies the particular role that our forum will play in understanding and delivering change within the third sector.
  • Identifies key research and evidence questions that must be addressed to support the third sector to achieve its potential and be fully engaged in the reform programme.
  • Identifies specific activities that the research forum can undertake in the period ahead to meet these research and evidence requirements.
  • Identifies effective ways of disseminating knowledge and increasing opportunities to discuss and share learning (with consideration for becoming a community of practice).

Updated on 3 October 2013Page 1

Annex 1 – Updated Evidence Framework paper

The Evidence Framework

  1. Health of the third sector
  2. Discussion

The subgroup questioned whether the health of the third sector is an overarching theme across other policy priorities, given that it touches on every third sector organisation in Scotland and Scottish charities working elsewhere. The subgroup thought this is equally true for procurement and social enterprise.

1.2.Conclusion

The subgroup has therefore removed the health of the third sector as a policy priority and, instead, concluded that it should be looked at as an aspect of each of the individual policy priorities the Forum takes forward.

When looking at the health of the third sector the Forum should consider:

  • Funding (including alternative ways of funding the sector)
  • Increased demand for services
  • Welfare Reform
  • Sustainability/ Uncertainty
  • Staffing (skills/ shortages/ volunteers)
  • Procurement (key focus area)

1.3.Opportunities to share learning

Scottish Government’s Annual Report: Impact of the UK Act on Scotland

The Welfare Reform (Further Provision) (Scotland) Act 2012 (Section 4) places an obligation on Scottish Ministers to report to the Scottish Parliament over the next five years on the impact that the UK Welfare Reform Act is likely to have on the people of Scotland. The Scottish Government has now published the first annual report.

This could be an opportunity for the Forum to share learning about the effect and/or impact that the Welfare Reform has on the health of the third sector and bring issues up for Ministers and officials to consider.

1.4.Options for the Forum to consider

a)Do nothing (not recommended)

b)To look at the health of the third sector as a policy priority in its own right (not recommended)

c)To look at the health of the third sector as part of each policy priority being taken forward (recommended)

Updated on 3 October 2013Page 1

Annex 1 – Updated Evidence Framework paper

  1. Equalities
  2. Discussion

The subgroup questioned whether the issue of equalities is also an overarching theme that runs across all other policy priorities. The subgroup raised the research question ‘what does the evidence tell us about the third sector addressing equalities issues?’ and agreed that this could be something the Forum could look at as part of work carried out in other policies.

2.2.Conclusion

The subgroup has therefore removed equalities as a policy priority and, instead, concluded that it should be looked at as an aspect of each of the individual policy priorities the Forum takes forward.

When looking at equalities issues in a policy area the Forum should consider:

  • Income/ Poverty
  • Demographics
  • Discrimination
  • Health Inequalities

2.3.Opportunities to share learning

Scottish Human Rights Commission – Scotland’s National Action Plan for Human Rights

The Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) as the national human rights institution for Scotland is leading the development of Scotland’s National Action Plan for Human Rights (SNAP). Close engagement with experts, membership organisations, the public, private and voluntary sectors and the voices of the most vulnerable in our society is essential in creating a fully informed Action Plan.

The Commission has facilitated the process of development and independent monitoring. Alongside the publication of the full findings of Getting it Right? Human Rights in Scotland, the Commission initiated an open and inclusive process to shape the Action Plan. This included a National Inter Action (a facilitated negotiation of commitments) on International Human Rights Day, 10 December 2012, events held in partnership with membership and representative organisations, as well as online participation. The National Action Plan will be published after further consultation towards the end of 2013.

This could be an opportunity for the Forum to share learning about equalities issues in Scotland.

2.4.Options for the Forum to consider