Since the publication of the Independent Budget Review, Cabinet Secretary John Swinney has been meeting with public, private and third sectors to gauge reactions and to try to find a way ahead. SCVO coordinated a roundtable discussion with the Minister and produced a briefing paper which makes the case for fundamental change on the basis that it will produce better outcomes for everyone, as opposed to simply arguing for ‘self preservation’. It lists community-based alternatives to health and social care, custody etc as part of the “alternative models or approaches that the Third Sector can bring to the table”.

SCVO has also given evidence to the Scottish Parliament Finance Committee Inquiry into Preventative Spend. They call for a holistic approach to service delivery, to ensure genuine co-production of public services – involving communities, users and service deliverers. They highlight the need to think of preventative spending as not just about reducing demand but also investing in supply – for example,investment in enhancing the channels for older people to become active in their communities.

A submission to the same Inquiry from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has also been published. It concludes that while quantifying the costs, benefits and cost-savings of preventative schemes (particularly support for low-level and community-based preventative schemes) is notoriously difficult, the evidence clearly highlights the importance to citizens and the value to the public purse of investing in preventative services.