CHEX Influencing Policy & Practice – CPG on Volunteering
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Raising awareness among national networks and professional societies about CHEX, and how community-led health can help tackle health inequalities, is an important part of the job for the CHEX team.
One way we do that is to provide inputs and workshops at other national network organisation’s events and conferences.
A key part of our role at CHEX is influencing national policy and practice on community led health and community development approaches to tackling health inequalities.
Earlier this year Sarah was invited by Volunteer Scotland to provide an input to the Cross-Party Group on volunteering on volunteering in an empowered community. Volunteer numbers are falling across the country, particularly in the types of formal volunteering roles required in community led health. This puts pressures on volunteers and volunteer recruitment which we highlighted in our recent response to Disclosure Scotland’s consultation on pvg fee discounts and waivers. And yet as the latest research shows those volunteers who live in the 20% most deprived areas of Scotland contribute more volunteer hours than any other quintile.
During the session Sarah reflected on what we mean by an empowered community. The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015’s stated aim is to help communities do more for themselves and have a say in decisions which affect them. Sarah reflected on a quote from a CHEX network member “In a time of limited resources, our biggest resource is our people, we need to treat them with kindness, respect and compassion”. Sarah asked the group to consider the following questions in relation to the reality of volunteering in communities in 2025.
In a time of ongoing financial uncertainty and cuts across all public services how many communities feel that doing more for themselves is solely about empowerment and choice?
How well understood by funders and commissioners is the time and resource required to adequately develop, support and maintain quality volunteering opportunities?
Do we deploy resources to ensure that potential volunteers in communities which face additional barriers such as poverty and health inequalities have the same volunteering opportunities as those from more affluent areas?
CHEX Network member, Getting Better Together Shotts, then provided a vital real life case study of the current opportunities and challenges in recruiting and retaining volunteers within a local community led health organisation.
For more information on our policy and influencing work get in touch.