27 October 2026
by Niall Christie
The project has been carried out by Volunteer Scotland and SCVO.
Volunteer Scotland has launched a new collection of resources on the Knowledge Gateway to help organisations support volunteers and staff working in public-facing roles to navigate hostility and intolerance.
Developed in partnership with SCVO, the resources provide practical guidance and tips to support safer working practices, positive engagement and workforce wellbeing.
The collection includes guidance on Dialogue Skills and Constructive Conversations, Expert-Led Safety Advice, Risk Assessment and Safety Planning, Specialist Communications Guidance, and Trauma-Informed Support.
The resources bring together evidence, expertise and good practice to help organisations strengthen their approach to safety and support, while ensuring volunteers and staff feel confident in carrying out their roles.
The Volunteer Scotland Knowledge Gateway was created to help organisations find the guidance, information and support they need to involve volunteers effectively.
As the volunteering landscape continues to evolve, it's important that the support available to organisations evolves too.
Recent evidence highlighted a growing need for accessible guidance to help organisations support volunteers and staff experiencing hostility and intolerance. Through collaboration with partners and a review of existing resources, the groups identified opportunities to strengthen the support available and bring valuable expertise together in one place.
In a statement, the CEO of Volunteer Scotland, Alan Stevenson, and Anna Fowlie, chief executive of SCVO, said: “The people supporting our communities deserve to feel safe, supported and confident in their roles. Many voluntary sector staff and volunteers both face and fear increasing hostility and intolerance, in their work.
“By bringing together working groups of skilled and committed organisations, creating safe spaces for sharing practice and experiences, and providing the sector direct access to support and guidance, we want to ensure that organisations can navigate the current landscape in the best ways possible.
“But this is not just the responsibility of the voluntary sector itself. We need policymakers to immediately begin considering what they can do to increase community cohesion, alleviate hostility and intolerance and improve the support needed by our essential sector.”
Find out more and access the resources here: https://bit.ly/KnowledgeGateway-VolunteerSafety
New resources for safer volunteering launched - TFN
The above information is from a Third Force News (TFN) Weekly Social Justice and Poverty roundup Newsletter Tue 27/10/2026