Ben Macpherson MSP – Page 3 – The NEN

94% of clients praise Social Security Scotland staff for ‘kindness’

More than £160 million in support paid out across 11 benefits in 2021-2022

Social Security Scotland has published its Annual Report and Accounts, which shows that it made £163.6 million in direct payments across 11 Scottish benefits from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.

The combination of direct payments and those delivered through Agency Agreements with the Department of Work and Pensions saw the Scottish Government invest a total of £3.48 billion in benefits across Scotland.

The results of an annual survey of clients by Social Security Scotland have also been published, showing that people felt they were treated well, with staff commended for treating people with ‘kindness’, ‘listening’ and showing ‘empathy’.

Among those who responded to the survey, 94% of people who had been in contact with staff ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that they were treated with kindness while 93% said their experience with staff was ‘very good’ or ‘good’ with a further 92% saying they felt they had been listened to.

The positive feedback matches the high standards reported last year, where 93% also said their experience with staff was ‘very good’ or ‘good’ and 92% saying they felt they had been listened to.

Minister for Social Security, Ben Macpherson, said: “Social Security Scotland’s Annual Report and Accounts demonstrate the impact of delivering benefits that help tackle poverty and promote equality. We ensure money goes directly to people who need it most, including carers, disabled people and families on low incomes.

“Next week our transformative Scottish Child Payment will be extended to all eligible young people under the age of 16 and increased to £25 per week per child – a 150% rise within 8 months of introducing this important benefit, which is only available in Scotland.

“I am pleased Social Security Scotland have maintained high satisfaction levels in their service delivery, as evidenced in the latest Client Survey. We encourage all those who are eligible for support to apply, and are committed to treating everyone with dignity, fairness and respect.”

Chief Executive of Social Security Scotland, David Wallace, said: “Four years ago, we began delivering our new social security service for Scotland after listening to people who had experience of the benefits system. They helped us create a service based on our values of dignity, fairness and respect and we continue to listen to them as we grow and deliver more benefits.

“Our annual Client Survey reflects the work we have put in to deliver on our commitment and the fact that we managed to maintain such an exceptionally high level of client satisfaction through a period of significant growth is a source of immense pride for me.

“In fact, 96% of people surveyed told us they had received their benefit payments when we said they would. These results are testament to the care and pride our people take in their work. We have worked hard to build a diverse workforce of people who share our values that reflects modern Scotland.

“The year ahead will remain difficult for many of us but our commitment to our clients remains strong and we will continue to listen to their feedback as we develop our service and prepare to deliver new benefits.”

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Adult Disability Payment now open for new applications across Scotland

Adult Disability Payment is now open for new applications across Scotland. The national rollout follows successful pilots in 13 local authority areas, which began in March.

It is the twelfth and most complex benefit to be delivered by the Scottish Government. It replaces the UK Government’s Personal Independence Payment.

The benefit provides financial support to people aged between 16 and state pension age who are disabled, have a long-term health condition or have a terminal illness.

People already receiving the UK Government’s Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance do not need to apply for Adult Disability Payment.

These existing awards will transfer automatically from the DWP to Social Security Scotland. Cases will transfer in stages starting from this summer and this process is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

Minister for Social Security Ben Macpherson said: “The national launch of Adult Disability Payment is a significant milestone in the development of our new social security system, that will treat everyone with dignity, fairness and respect.

“This is the twelfth and most complex devolved benefit to be introduced and, once all the awards have transferred from the DWP, this new payment will be supporting more than 300,000 people.

“We are offering a range of ways to make an application, including online, by post, over the phone or face-to-face. Social Security Scotland local delivery teams are also available to provide assistance in communities across the country.

“In creating our new system, we have worked extensively and collaboratively with people who will use this service. Their input, and their direct experience of the DWP system, has significantly informed our policy development and resulted in the number of improvements that we are making to the way in which we are delivering our new service.

“The Scottish Government is focused on providing a positive and compassionate experience for people applying for and receiving our Adult Disability Payment.

“In our Scottish system no one will be subject to DWP style assessments or degrading functional examinations, and we will never use the private sector to carry out health examinations.

“People will only be invited to a consultation on occasions when we require more information so we can make a decision. This will be a conversation with a health and social care professional to understand how a person’s disability or health condition impacts them.

“Social security is a shared investment in building a fairer Scotland. It is a human right and we encourage those who may be eligible for support to apply.”

Moira Tasker, Chief Executive of Inclusion Scotland said: “Inclusion Scotland warmly welcomes today’s launch of the Adult Disability Payment. Many disabled people are being disproportionately hard hit by the UK economic crisis and are deeply worried about just surviving this winter.

“The Adult Disability Payment will offer much needed support to eligible disabled people. It ushers in further progress towards upholding the values of dignity and respect in Scottish society, which were entirely lacking in the Department of Work and Pensions approach to disability benefits.

“We are proud of the part that disabled people, our members and Inclusion Scotland played in engaging with the Scottish Government to make a new system for Scottish disability benefits fair and accessible.

“The Adult Disability Payment is a leap forward. It has the potential to enable disabled people and Scots with long-term health conditions to participate in their communities and wider Scottish society – whether that is through work, education, family life, or simply a life lived without fear of phone calls or letters demanding repeated assessments and sanctions.”

You can apply if you are between 16 years old and state pension age, need help with the extra costs of being disabled or having a long term health condition.

Apply at https://bit.ly/ApplyForAdultDisabilityPayment

Child Disability Payment pays out more that £17 million since launch

More than £17.1 million has been paid to support children and young people since Child Disability Payment launched.

These payments are designed to mitigate some of the additional costs of caring for a disabled or terminally ill child or young person.

It is estimated that as of 30 June 2022, 13,200 children and young people are in receipt of Child Disability Payment.

£11.3 million was issued to new applicants and a further £5.8 million was issued to children and young people who have had their payment transferred to Child Disability Payment.

The total number of people receiving payments includes 7,230 who had their Disability Living Allowance for children transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to Social Security Scotland.

Figures for 26 July 2021 to 30 June 2022 include an initial pilot period where Child Disability Payment was only available in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and the Western Isles local authority areas.

Child Disability Payment became available to people making new applications across Scotland in November 2021. Payments for children and young people whose awards transferred from DWP began in February this year.

Almost three quarters (74%) of applications were made online, with 16% by phone.

Child Disability Payment replaces the UK Government’s Disability Living Allowance for children.

Those already receiving Disability Living Allowance for children from the DWP do not need to make a new application for Child Disability Payment as Social Security Scotland will contact them ahead of their award being automatically transferred.

Social Security & Local Government Minister Ben Macpherson said: “I’m proud to be working to further develop our Scottish social security system rooted in dignity, fairness and respect.

“We want people to get the support they need and are entitled to”.

Social Security Scotland’s Local Delivery team hits 10,000 appointments milestone

Minister praises impact of specially-trained advisers

A team dedicated to providing support to people applying for benefits has marked its 10,000^th appointment in its first year of operation.

Social Security Scotland’s Local Delivery service was launched to offer support to people in their homes, at a convenient place within communities, by videocall or by phone.

Minister for Social Security, Ben Macpherson, said the milestone reached showed how Scotland was “doing things differently” in its approach to supporting people applying for benefits.

He hailed the success of the Local Delivery service as a source of pride during a visit to Parkhead Pantry in the East End of Glasgow.

Local Delivery representatives host a community stall at the Pantry – one of many ways they provide support for people who visit the venue.

Ben Macpherson said: “During its first year of operation, Social Security Scotland’s Local Delivery service has already made a very positive impact by helping thousands of people to access support they are entitled to.

“The Local Delivery service is a great example of how Social Security Scotland is doing things differently in how we deliver devolved benefits – by pro-actively offering people face-to-face support in communities across Scotland.

“Our specially-trained client support advisers can be proud of what they have achieved so far, in establishing a service that has already made an important difference and will help thousands of more people in the years ahead.”

The Local Delivery service, launched in November last year, provides face-to-face support from staff in all 32 Scottish Local Authority areas.

People can book in-person meetings with an adviser at home, in their local community or on either video or phone calls. They can answer queries and help clients with form filling.

During the visit Mr Macpherson met Aileen McGuire, the chief executive of Parkhead Housing Association which hosts the pantry at its Parkhead Schoolhouse building.

Ms McGuire said: “Having direct access to this Social Security Scotland has made such a positive difference to our tenants and residents in Parkhead, we are seeing the real benefits of partnership and collaborative working.

“There’s always an advantage to having face-to-face contact. A lot of our tenants feel more comfortable having direct contact, having somebody in person to explain things really does helps.”

Carers Week 2022: Rising pressures on unpaid carers as public backing for greater support grows

4.68 million unpaid carers concerned for physical and mental health
2.2 million carers worried about ability to cope financially
More care is being provided than ever before – even more than during the height of the pandemic
Overwhelming public support for more Government action to help unpaid carers

Carers Week charities are calling for an urgent 12-month plan of targeted support for unpaid carers, as many struggle with the ongoing impact, as well as the legacy, of the pandemic, together with the strain of the social care and cost of living crises.

For the first time, the impact of caring on their own physical and mental health has topped carer’s concerns, closely followed by money worries.

The research, released for Carers Week 2022 (6-12 June), reveals that 84% of the general public think that the UK governments should provide additional support to unpaid carers including increased financial support and investment in care and support services so that unpaid carers can have a break. Only 3% disagreed.

The report also shows that the number of unpaid carers remains higher than before the pandemic with one in five of the UK’s adults (approximately 10.58 million people) now supporting a relative, close friend or neighbour because of chronic illness, including mental ill-health, dementia, disability, or older age.

The intensity of care they are providing has grown since earlier in the pandemic, with several factors possibly having an impact: Many services remain reduced or closed, vulnerable people continue to shield, pressures on primary health care and the chronic shortage of social care. The numbers of people providing over 50 hours per week has risen by 30%.

At the same time, carers with lower household incomes were much more likely to be providing significant amounts of care (i.e, over 20 hours per week). Providing more care also reduces the chance to cope financially as carers are less likely to be able to juggle work and care.

The seven charities supporting Carers Week 2022; Carers UK, Age UK, Carers Trust, MND Association, Rethink Mental Illness, Oxfam GB and The Lewy Body Society are calling for a recovery and respite plan dedicated to the needs of carers including: specific investment in their mental health support, carers leave a priority, help with food and energy costs and ahead of the winter, prioritisation in the vaccination programme.

Commenting on behalf of Carers Week charities, Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK said: “Clearly, whilst society has opened up for many people, it’s a very different picture for significant numbers of carers.

“So many have sacrificed their physical and mental health caring for their loved ones over the last two years and as this report clearly shows, it is absolutely essential that carers get the support they need to stay well to be able to continue to care for their loved ones, that working carers are helped to stay in employment and that all carers can feel visible, valued and supported.”

Marking #CarersWeek, Social Security Minister @BenMacpherson recognises the dedication of carers.

@scotgov has introduced 2 new and unique benefits, Young Carer Grant and Carer’s Allowance Supplement – additional support of over £42 million to more than 90,000 carers this year.

New benefit will help 400,000 households with winter fuel bills

Low Income Winter Heating Assistance will support 400,000 households

A guaranteed annual winter heating benefit of £50 will be paid for the first time in February 2023 to around 400,000 low income households.

Low Income Winter Heating Assistance will be the Scottish Government’s 13th benefit and replaces the UK Government’s Cold Weather Payments. The UK Government benefit is unreliable for households on low incomes as it only triggers a £25 payment when a ‘cold spell’ requirement is met and temperatures fall below zero degrees Celsius for seven days in a row in a certain place.

Instead, the Scottish Government will invest an annual £20 million in Low Income Winter Heating Assistance, which will provide a reliable payment every winter to help with energy bills.

Plans for Low Income Winter Heating Assistance have been welcomed by people with experience of the benefits system. 90 per cent of members of the Social Security Experience Panel agreed with the plan to remove the ‘cold spell’ requirement, and provide a reliable payment instead.

Social Security Minister Ben Macpherson said: “Our new Low Income Winter Heating Assistance benefit will provide a reliable payment every winter to around 400,000 eligible households, including pensioners and disabled people. This extra financial support from the Scottish Government will help at this time of rising energy bills and other cost of living pressures.

“Unlike the current Cold Weather Payments, Low Income Winter Heating Assistance will provide support to people irrespective of weather conditions or temperature levels where they live. It will be our thirteenth devolved benefit and will only be available in Scotland. It will also be an automatic payment to all those who are eligible, so there is no need to apply.

“Our £20 million annual investment will be a significant increase in support to around 400,000 households – compared with only £325,000 and 11,000 payments made by the UK Government in Cold Weather Payments in Scotland in winter 21-22.

“Making payments in February for the first year of Low Income Winter Heating Assistance will ensure a smooth transition from the UK scheme. We will explore the feasibility of bringing forward the payment date to earlier in winter in future years.

“This winter we will also be extending and increasing our Scottish Child Payment in November, as well as making Child Winter Heating Assistance payments for the third time. Both of these benefits are not available elsewhere in the UK.”

“Significant achievement” in delivery of social security – but “huge amount of work remains”

More than £3.9 billion to benefit 1 million people in 2022-23

A report published today by Audit Scotland has highlighted the Scottish Government’s “significant achievement” in the scale and pace of delivering the devolved programme of social security benefits in Scotland, including seven new payments unavailable anywhere else in the UK.

The report notes that this work continued despite ongoing challenges due to the pandemic. The report further acknowledges that the Scottish Government has continued to successfully deliver existing social security benefits and introduce complex new ones – including Scottish Child Payment, Child Disability Payment and Adult Disability Payment – in challenging circumstances.

The report also recognises the importance of social security in our collective national mission to tackle child poverty, mitigating the cost of living crisis and addressing inequalities.

In line with Scottish Fiscal Commission forecasts, the Scottish Government has committed over £3.9bn for benefit expenditure in 2022-23, providing support to more than one million people. This is over £360m above the level of funding to be received from the UK Government through Block Grant Adjustments.

Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said: “Successfully launching new benefits during the pandemic has been a significant achievement for the Scottish Government, but a huge amount of work remains.

“The government now needs to plan how it will manage to pay for greater social security spending alongside other policy initiatives.

“To demonstrate how it is achieving value for money, it also needs to be clearer about how this extra spending will improve the lives of people living in Scotland.”

Responding to the report, Minister for Social Security Ben Macpherson said: “I am pleased that this Audit Scotland report recognises the significant progress we have made in building a new public service from scratch since 2018 and delivering 12 benefits – seven of which are completely new forms of financial support that are not available anywhere else in the UK.

“We have successfully introduced a range of benefits that are now supporting carers and low-income families with their living costs, including with heating and we are helping disabled people to live full and independent lives.

“This year will see us deliver even more for the people of Scotland. Our Scottish Child Payment will be extended to eligible children aged under 16 and be increased to £25 per week per child by the end of the year, supporting over 430,000 eligible children; and in winter 2022/23 we will introduce our new winter heating payment for low-income households – a stable £50 payment that will support 400,000 low-income households with their heating costs.

“We will also continue to roll out Adult Disability Payment, our most complex benefit, and significantly progress transferring tens of thousands of Scottish disability benefit cases from the DWP to Social Security Scotland.

“I am proud that we have built our social security system with the people who will use it, and appreciate that the report acknowledges our focus has delivered a service built on our principles of dignity, fairness and respect. The report also notes the positive feedback people have shared about their experiences of engaging with Social Security Scotland.

“We have been ambitious in our delivery timeline – including introducing new benefits while dealing with the pandemic – and we are ensuring that we transfer tens of thousands of cases safely and securely from the DWP to Social Security Scotland.

“As well as delivering benefits now and in the period ahead, we are responsibly and ambitiously developing a new social security system that will serve Scotland for many years to come, putting people at the heart of everything we do.”

Social Security Scotland currently administers 12 benefits:

Carer’s Allowance Supplement
Pregnancy and Baby Payment
Early Learning Payment
School Age Payment
Best Start Foods
Funeral Support Payment
Young Carer Grant
Job Start Payment
Scottish Child Payment
Child Winter Heating Assistance
Child Disability Payment

Adult Disability Payment is the replacement for the UK Government’s Personal Independence Payment. It is being introduced in phases ahead of national rollout on 29 August.

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Child Disability Payment pays out more than £3 million since launch

Payments made to over 3,000 children and young people across Scotland

More than £3.25 million has been issued in disability payments to children and young people since Child Disability Payment launched. It is estimated that as of 31 March 2022 a total of 3,050 children and young people were in receipt of the payment.

The total number receiving payments includes 555 people who have had their Disability Living Allowance for children payment transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions.

Figures for 26 July 2021 to 31 March 2022 include an initial pilot period where Child Disability Payment was only available in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and the Western Isles local authority areas. The benefit opened to people across Scotland in November 2021. Payments began in February for children and young people whose awards transferred from DWP.

Almost three quarters (74%) of applications were made online, with 16% by phone.

Minister for Social Security Ben Macpherson said: “Social security is a shared investment in building a fairer Scotland and we encourage those who are eligible for support to apply.

“It is excellent to see that Child Disability Payment is already making a difference to the lives of thousands of children and young people, and their families. Families who find themselves in need of support can access this help in a way that suits them best.

“For the first time anywhere in the UK, we have an online application facility for applying for our disability benefits , and the high number of people choosing to use this demonstrates that we have been responsive to the way people want to access social security.

“We are determined to ensure there is a seamless process for all recipients whose payments are moving from DWP to Social Security Scotland, and we will continue to transfer cases in a safe and secure manner. Importantly, the process is automatic – people do not need to reapply and they will be kept informed at all times.”

Mark Ballard, Head of Policy for the National Deaf Children’s Society Scotland, said: “It’s been very important to have such positive and productive discussions with Social Security Scotland around our shared goal of making the new Child Disability Payment work for deaf children.

“Social Security Scotland has consistently taken on board our feedback, which is based on both the lived experience of the families we work with and our own specialist knowledge.

“We look forward to continuing to work with them to develop and enhance Scottish benefits for deaf children and their families.”

Extra support for 30,000 families

Best Start Foods eligibility to widen

Plans to remove all income thresholds from Best Start Foods by 2023-24 have been announced as part of the second Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, ‘Best Start, Bright Futures’.

This will increase eligibility to all people in receipt of a qualifying benefit. As a result, an additional 30,000 people are expected to benefit from Best Start Foods.

Best Start Foods is delivered via a prepaid card and provides £18 every four weeks throughout pregnancy, £36 every four weeks from birth until a child turns one, then £18 every four weeks from one until a child turns three.

The implementation of this change will be part of the successful delivery in the coming years of our significant, wider benefits programme.

Minister for Social Security Ben Macpherson said: “Tackling child poverty is a national mission for us. We continue to take the necessary steps to reach the ambitious targets set out in our Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan. Social security is one of the main pillars of this plan and will help us to deliver support directly into the pockets of those families who need it the most.

“The cost of healthy food was already a pressure for parents and carers, and the cost of living increases are only making this more challenging. We will remove the income thresholds for Best Start Foods so that around 30,000 additional people who receive tax credits or certain benefits will be able to receive Best Start Foods by the end of financial year 2023-24.”

Sharon Hill, the Development Manager of Mayfield and Easthouses Development Trust, which runs a community pantry in Midlothian serving local people, said: “We have been operating the pantry for less than a year but it is clear that people from all walks of life and backgrounds are looking for ways to cut costs when it comes to doing their essential food shopping.

“We encourage people to ensure that they get all the benefits that are available to them and we welcome any move to open that support up to include more people.

“Like many people involved in community pantries and food banks our aim is to help people get to a place where they don’t require these services any more.”

Background

The Scottish Government replaced the UK Healthy Start Voucher scheme in Scotland with Best Start Foods on 12 August 2019
Best Start Foods aims to help tackle the impacts of child poverty by supporting low income families to buy healthy foods
Best Start Foods is delivered via a prepaid card and provides £18 every four weeks throughout pregnancy, £36 every four weeks from birth until a child turns one, then £18 every four weeks until a child turns three
The card can be used to buy healthy food, including eggs, milk, fruit, vegetables and pulses
Applicants under 18 will be eligible for Best Start Foods during pregnancy and up until their child turns one, without the need to be in receipt of benefits
Applicants over 18 need to be in receipt of a qualifying benefit. At present, income thresholds also apply for some of these qualifying benefits. These income thresholds will be removed by 2023-24
Eligible families, and carers can find out more and apply at mygov.scot/beststart or by calling Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222
Best Start Foods is part of a package of Five Family Payments. By the end of 2022, the Scottish Government’s package of Five Family Payments for low income families will be worth up to a maximum of over £10,000 by the time a family’s first child turns 6, and £9,700 for second and subsequent children