Coronavirus (COVID-19): supporting people at higher risk - survey of third sector organisations

1. Policy and research background

The Scottish Government (SG) introduced a number of measures to protect groups at most risk from Covid-19. These measures include: support for people with high clinical risk factors advised to shield; a £350 million package of support for communities affected by Covid-19 which was available to local authorities, voluntary organisations, businesses and community groups to enable them to respond to local need; and a National Assistance Helpline, which links people who are at risk and need support with their local authority.

SG is keen to understand how groups at risk due to Covid-19 are being supported locally to inform consideration of any future policy interventions as well as potential wider evaluation of policy responses to address community and social harms.

Data collection and qualitative research with local authorities has provided useful evidence of who is contacting them for support, what support they are providing to people at risk and how, and their views on overall effectiveness and next steps.

Evidence was needed to triangulate those findings with other local perspectives, particularly those of third sector organisations who were highlighted in our research with local authorities as having a key role in delivering support.