Participation and communities team
The Participation and Communities Team (PACT) works with individuals and communities to support engagement with the Scottish Parliament.
The team helps people have their views and experiences heard by our committees. This ensures that the conversations are well-informed and more balanced.
We do this by partnering with:
- voluntary groups
- business groups
- charities
- community organisations
We offer awareness sessions – these help people learn more about:
- the work of Parliament
- how to get involved
We have three main areas of focus:
Communities
We are community participation specialists. We bring people together from around Scotland who are most affected by the issues being discussed in Parliament. We connect them to the relevant committee, so that their voices can be heard and considered by MSPs. We value hearing about people’s lived experiences. We work with organisations to make sure we are engaging with the right communities in the right way. We do this through a variety of activities, including targeted communications and workshops.
Find out more about committees
Digital
We know that not everyone can easily engage with Parliament in person. We’re exploring ways to connect with more people online, so that they can have their say in the work we do.
The Scottish Parliament currently uses a consultation website to support our Call for Views, and an online discussion website to help the public talk about issues and put forward their own experiences, ideas, and questions.
Current calls for views
Visit our online discussion website
Deliberative democracy
'Deliberative democracy' is a process for getting people to engage in discussion and debate on certain issues. It encourages people to take part and arrive at a consensus. It's an inclusive approach to democracy. PACT encourage the use of deliberate democracy through Citizens’ Panels.
Read the report: Public Participation in the Scottish Parliament
Regional visits
To mark the 25th Anniversary of the Scottish Parliament the Presiding Officer led a regional programme of visits all over Scotland. The Parliament worked in collaboration with the communities we visited to address the challenge of how we involve more people in the work of their Parliament.
Find out more
Children and young people
The Scottish Parliament is here to represent everyone in Scotland, including children and young people.
Read more about our commitment to representing the voices of children and young people, including how we are ensuring that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is being built into all areas of our work:
Scottish Parliament's UNCRC report (2MB, pdf) posted 26 June 2025
To raise awareness of what children and young people want from their Scottish Parliament, children from across Scotland who are part of the Children’s Parliament, made this video which explains what steps the Scottish Parliament could take to be more child and young person friendly:
Working with children and young people