Objective Two - to locate volunteering and community action at the heart of policy

Action Points

Action By

B1: Guidance should be issued to all these bodies and organisations to assist them in implementing the Active Community strategy within their policies.

Scottish Executive and lead voluntary sector bodies

B2: Support for volunteering and community action should be demonstrated in corporate and strategic plans.

Scottish Executive, its Agencies and NDPBs, local authorities and other public bodies

B3: Support for volunteering and community action needs to be developed across and within all of the Scottish Executive's existing policy areas and be taken account of in the development of new policies.

Scottish Executive

B4: Public bodies should develop policy statements for volunteering and for supporting community action.

Scottish Executive, its Agencies and NDPBs, local authorities and other public bodies

B5: A Scottish Executive/Active Community Forum should be set up to oversee the monitoring of progress on the strategy and to address specific issues as they arise. The Scottish Executive/Voluntary Sector Forum, which monitors the operations of the Scottish Compact, provides a useful model.

Scottish Executive and Volunteer Development Scotland (VDS)

B6: An annual report should be submitted to the Scottish Parliament from the Scottish Executive on progress made in supporting volunteering and community action across the Executive's responsibilities.

Scottish Executive/Active Community Forum

B7: The Scottish Parliament Social Inclusion, Housing and Voluntary Sector Committee should be invited to scrutinise the impact of Scottish Executive policy on volunteering and community action.

Scottish Parliament

B8: Account should be taken of the impact of legislation on volunteering and community action, with proposals being "proofed"

Scottish Parliament

B9: The principles of the Active Communities Strategy should be integrated into key areas of local government activity in order to build on and develop existing support for volunteering and community action.

Local authorities

B10: Each local authority should ensure that it has a volunteering policy statement and ensure the policy statements are implemented across all areas of the authority's work.

Local authorities, VDS and local volunteering organisations

B11: Policies for supporting employer-supported volunteering should be promoted and located more clearly in the corporate community investment framework.

Scottish Business in the Community, VDS and LVDAs

B12: The private sector should make use of legal and fiscal incentives created by the Scottish Executive and UK Government to support the Active Communities Strategy.

The private sector

B13: Business quality standards should include a recognition of the importance of supporting volunteering and community action.

Quality Scotland and Investors in People

B14: Voluntary organisations - and in particular lead bodies - should include a commitment to developing volunteering and community action in their mission statements and business or action plans; and set targets for monitoring their performance.

The voluntary sector

B15: Voluntary organisations - and in particular lead bodies - should explicitly recognise the potential for involvement of volunteers in their organisations and for work with the community. They should also make a commitment to good practice and the necessary investment of resources.

The voluntary sector