Due to public holidays, some upcoming payments – Scottish Child Payment, Child Disability Payment and Adult Disability Payment – will go into accounts early:
Social Security Scotland: Early bank holiday payment dates
Tag: Child Disability Payment
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.”
Child Disability Payment opens for applications
Financial support for families of children with a disability now available nationwide
Child Disability Payment opens for new applications across the country from today. For the first time anywhere in the UK, disability benefit applicants can apply online, as well as by phone, post or face-to-face.
This is the first of three complex disability benefits to be introduced nationwide by the Scottish Government. This new payment replaces the UK Government’s Disability Living Allowance for children.
Those already receiving Disability Living Allowance for children do not need to apply. These approximately 52,000 current cases are being automatically transferred in phases from the Department for Work and Pensions to Social Security Scotland. This will be completed by spring 2023.
Child Disability Payment, which will be administered by Social Security Scotland, provides families with support for extra costs that a disabled child might have.
The national roll out to all local authority areas follows successful pilots in Dundee City, Perth & Kinross and the Western Isles.
Minister for Social Security Ben Macpherson said: “I’m really pleased that Child Disability Payment is now available to eligible families all over Scotland.
“This is a significant milestone in the introduction of our new social security system. Families who find themselves in need of support will be able to access this help in a way that suits them best.
“Those who currently receive Disability Living Allowance for children from the DWP will also be transferred to Social Security Scotland. They will be told when this is happening and will find their payments transferred safely and securely within the next 18 months. Payments will be made at the same rate and there will be no break in entitlement.
“In the months and years ahead thousands of families will benefit from our simplified and much less stressful system, which will treat everyone with dignity, fairness and respect.
“Social security is a shared investment in building a fairer Scotland and we encourage those who are eligible for support to apply.”
Independent advocacy support service for disabled people
New service will launch in the New Year
Disabled people are to benefit from a ground-breaking new advocacy service which will support access to Scotland’s social security services.
The Scottish Government has committed £20.4 million over the next four years to the provision of the new and free programme, unique in the UK.
It will offer advocacy support to disabled people looking to access Scottish social security benefits.
These include current and future disability benefits such as Child Disability Payment, Adult Disability Payment and Pension Age Disability Payment.
The service will be operational in the new year and is entirely independent of the Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland. It will be available in each NHS board area and will create up to 100 new jobs across the country.
Social Security Minister Ben Macpherson said: “The service will provide advocacy to anyone who is disabled and requires support to communicate their needs when accessing Scotland’s social security services.
“This assistance will be person-centred and advocates will provide the most appropriate form of support to each individual based on their circumstances.
“This is a new and independent free service, with no equivalent provided by DWP.
“It builds on our human rights-based approach and makes social security more accessible to disabled people in Scotland, ensuring their voices are heard.”
VoiceAbility, a charity with 40 years’ experience delivering advocacy services, has been awarded the contract to provide the service.
They will establish a new base and training centre in Glasgow and create up to 100 jobs over the four years. There will be at least one advocate in each NHS area at launch, with more jobs to be created as disability benefits are introduced.
VoiceAbility CEO Jonathan Senker said: “We are proud to launch this new independent advocacy service and we look forward to establishing a base in Scotland and taking on the staff to deliver it.
“The advocacy we provide will support disabled people to make sure their voices are heard when it matters most and that more people will get the support they’re entitled to.”
Brian Scott of the Glasgow Disability Alliance added: “Our members have highlighted the barriers that many disabled people face in accessing support to find out about the social security benefits they are entitled to – and to apply for them.
“We welcome this free advocacy service as it will ensure disabled people are more involved in the processes and decisions which affect them.
“In making social security more accessible to disabled people, it shows real evidence of a rights-based approach to providing services.”
Social Security Scotland rolls out face-to-face support to apply for benefits
People who live in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and the Western Isles are the first to access new face-to-face support when applying for Scottish benefits ahead of a full roll out later this year.
The introduction of Social Security Scotland’s new Local Delivery service coincided with the launch of the Child Disability Payment last week, the first Scottish disability benefit which needs to be applied for.
Clients can book an appointment to meet with a specially trained adviser at a venue within their local community or at their home and also be able to request video call or telephone appointments.
Client Support Advisers will answer any queries about Social Security Scotland benefits, help to complete paper or online applications forms, offer other support such as identity and document verification and help with submitting change of circumstances information. There will also be an increased range of ways people can apply for payments they are entitled to.
The service started in the pilot areas for Child Disability Payment ahead of being rolled out across the whole of Scotland from November 2021.
Social Security Minister Ben Macpherson said: “The introduction of the new face-to-face service demonstrates how the Scottish Government is committed to delivering social security differently from the UK Government.
“We want to make sure people get all of the financial support they are entitled to. Key to making this happen is ensuring that the service is easily accessible to clients from the initial application stage onwards.
“We’ve listened to people who have experience of the current UK system and we’ve ensured that our social security system treats people with dignity, fairness and respect.
“We have designed a system which will allow people to apply in the way that suits them best – by post, phone, online, video call or face-to-face. It gives people choices and makes sure that we take into consideration different accessibility needs – particularly for those looking to apply for disability assistance.”
Child Disability Payment opens for new applications in pilot areas
Benefit is now available in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and the Western Isles
Scotland’s new Child Disability Payment has opened for applications from people living in three pilot areas.
From today, families of children with a disability or long-term health condition living in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and Western Isles council areas who need financial support should apply to the new system.
This is the first application-based disability benefit to be introduced by the Scottish Government and will be administered by Social Security Scotland. The benefit replaces the UK Government’s Disability Living Allowance for children.
The pilot will be followed by a nationwide roll out in the autumn and is for families applying for the first time for this benefit. Those already in receipt of Disability Living Allowance for children do not need to apply and their cases will be transferred in future.
Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said: “Families have been involved throughout the development of Child Disability Payment and it is hugely rewarding to see three years of work on this benefit now delivering for people. Every client can expect to be treated with dignity, fairness and respect throughout the process.
“Parents and carers of a child with a disability or long term health condition already experience a number of challenges and accessing the financial support that they are entitled to shouldn’t be another one. By including them at every step of the process, we have been able to focus on what suits parents and carers and have designed a system that meets their needs.
“It is fantastic to see the pilot in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and the Western Isles begin for people with new claims. It will allow us to make sure the new disability benefit system is fully ready for Child Disability Payment’s full national rollout this autumn, and ahead of the transfer of existing clients.”
This latest support is being introduced for families applying for disability assistance for the first time. The three area pilot provides a safe and secure introduction of the benefit in relatively small numbers with the opportunity to ensure the new service is meeting the needs of clients before expanding nationally.
Families do not need to make a new application for Child Disability Payment if they are currently in receipt of Disability Living Allowance for children. These families will be contacted directly and their benefit will be transferred automatically to Social Security Scotland in a phased approach from autumn.
This means their Disability Living Allowance for children will be replaced by the Scottish Child Disability Payment. Their Child Disability Payment will continue to be made at the same rates and at the same time as their Disability Living Allowance for children.
Child Disability Payment is the first of the three big disability benefits to be introduced by the Scottish Government and the first that needs to be applied for.
To enable people to apply in the way that suits them best, it will be the first disability benefit in the UK that can be applied for online, as well as being available by post, phone, or face to face (Covid restrictions permitting).
To coincide with the introduction of Child Disability Payment, Social Security Scotland has also launched its local delivery service in the three pilot areas.
This means that people will be able to get advice and support on all 11 Social Security Scotland administered benefits face-to-face (Covid restrictions permitting) at a location in their local community or via video call. The local delivery service will also be available nationally from autumn.
Tracy McNally, Director of Dundee Citizens Advice Bureau said: “The devolution of these social security payments is a massive opportunity to get the system right for people.
“The Citizens Advice network across Scotland helps people with social security concerns every day, with disability benefits being one of the biggest issues people seek advice from, so people should feel confident in knowing they’ll always be able to turn to us for help if they need it with the new payment.”
People can find out more and apply through mygov.scot or by calling 0800 182 2222.
- Child Disability Payment provides money to help with the extra care and mobility costs children and young people with a disability may have, up to the age of 18
- Child Disability Payment replaces the UK Government’s Disability Living Allowance for children.
- People who currently get disability benefits from Department for Work and Pensions will have their awards transferred to the new Scottish system in stages after the new benefits are introduced. This work is expected to be completed to the previously announced timeline of 2025.
- Young people and children in Scotland who are currently getting Disability Living Allowance for children from the DWP will no longer need to apply for PIP when they turn 16. They will stay on Disability Living Allowance to age 18 if they continue to meet the eligibility criteria.
- Child Winter Heating Assistance was the first benefit for disabled people in Scotland. This is an annual £200 payment for children and young people who receive the highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance and will help families meet day and night-time winter fuel costs
- From autumn 2021, Social Security Scotland will administer 11 benefits:
- Best Start Foods
- Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment
- Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment
- Best Start Grant School Age Payment
- Carer’s Allowance Supplement
- Child Disability Payment
- Child Winter Heating Assistance
- Funeral Support Payment
- Job Start Payment
- Scottish Child Payment (for children under 6 years old)
- Young Carer Grant
More ways to apply for new benefit
Applications for the new Child Disability Payment will be available online, face-to-face and by telephone – for the first time ever.
The Scottish Government is introducing the new benefit this summer, replacing the UK Government’s Child Disability Living Allowance.
By offering a variety of ways for people to apply, the Scottish Government wants to make it as easy as possible for those applying when this first disability benefit opens to new claimants. Paper-based applications are the only possible method under the current UK Government system.
Other improvements include:
- local delivery staff across the country to provide pre-application support
- rolling awards with a maximum review period of ten years when the condition of applicants is unlikely to change
- the option of financial short-term assistance if a person challenges a decision to reduce or stop their disability payment
- Child Winter Heating Assistance will provide a £200 payment to families with disabled children who receive the highest rate of payment
Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “We want to remove barriers to accessing the financial support people are eligible for and end the stress and anxiety felt by those using the current UK Government system.
“Offering different, convenient ways to apply, as well as consistent, considerate and sensitive support through the application process, will transform the experience for parents, guardians and carers applying for their loved ones.
“These are the improvements people have told us matter to them. By listening to those with experience of the social security system we can create a system from the ground up that meets the needs of the people of Scotland.
“It is a system that recognises that social security is a human right and will treat people with fairness, dignity and respect.”