The Department for Work and Pensions is laying emergency regulations today (Monday 21 March 2022) so those arriving in the UK from Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion can access Universal Credit and jobs support immediately.
Ukrainians will also be eligible for Housing Benefit, Pension Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Child Disability Living Allowance and Carers Allowance, and Attendance Allowance. Contributions-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), and Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) are also available for those Ukrainians who meet the criteria.
Translation services are available to help new arrivals with phone applications, with Work Coaches in DWP Jobcentres on hand to support people making claims online.
DWP staff are also delivering additional face-to-face assistance to those who need it – including tailored support to find work and advice on benefit eligibility – and will continue to do so.
Without the emergency legislation people arriving from Ukraine would be subject to the Habitual Residence Test, meaning they would have to wait up to three months before being able to receive income-related benefits, including Universal Credit.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Thérèse Coffey said: “My priority is that people fleeing the unimaginable horrors in Ukraine to seek safety here get the support and help they need from day one to move forward in their lives immediately.
Financial Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Frazer said: “It is vital that families coming from Ukraine can support their children from the moment they arrive, and by adjusting child benefit rules and ramping up our support, the tax system is pivoting to ensure this happens.
Salvation Army Refugee Response co-ordinator Major Nick Coke said: “We welcome the news that Ukrainians coming to the UK will be able to access benefits immediately and for those who are able, help to find suitable work.
“With offices on the ground in Ukraine and the border countries providing emergency food and shelter, The Salvation Army sees first-hand the trauma those displaced by war have experienced.
“It is fitting that they receive targeted help when seeking refuge in the UK.”
Three members of Scottish Hockey’s Lead the Way initiative who have been involved in the mental health work undertaken by the University of Edinburgh Women’s Hockey Club have produced a case study to help others.
Eilidh Campbell, Emma Lambert and Hana Nasser from the 2020-21 Lead the Way cohort, alongside club Welfare Officer Iona Grant, developed it to share with hockey and sports clubs across Scotland as a means of promoting and supporting mental health initiatives within clubs.
Eilidh explained: “Emma and I are both on the Lead the Way programme. During one of our discussions, we talked about mental health in hockey, especially over the lockdowns, and about what our clubs had done to help members and support people.
“Edinburgh University has done a really good job, so we talked about everything we had done as well as what worked well for us personally and for the people we know.
“Then Scottish Hockey got in contact and asked if we would be interested in putting a case study together on the things we had done and its impact.”
Eilidh and Emma approached Iona Grant and Hana Nasser to help with the case study as they had both played a role in the club’s approach to mental health.
Hana had come up with the idea of having the club post anonymous stories on its social media pages detailing members’ personal mental health experiences. People could submit their stories via an anonymous online form to shine a light on mental health while tackling stigma.
Hanasaid, “I was doing a masters degree at Edinburgh University and had always been intrigued by athletes’ mental health. I saw that people did not really talk about their mental health, especially if they are athletes, so I put forward an idea to the hockey club then watched it grow arms and legs.
“Iona, as Welfare and Inclusivity Officer, took it on, with Eilidh and Emma getting involved. I had got the idea from the Humans of New York Instagram page – it is run by a New York photographer who takes photographs of random New Yorkers then asks them to tell him their stories. I thought it would be interesting to do that from the angle of mental health in sport.”
Emma, then Publicity Secretary for Edinburgh University, said: “Reaction from the first post was great, and because it was an anonymous submission everyone got on board because they saw it as a positive step.
“It was good to hear what other people were going through. We may all think we know what is going on in our club and team, but then you realise that you do not. So, to hear what was really going on was a positive step.
“We operated through a Google form, and the link is in every post and on the bio of our Instagram and Facebook. Anyone can post. You do not have to be anonymous, and a lot of people have chosen not to be. It is your call whether or not you self-identify.”
One of the main findings was that the Welfare and Inclusivity Officer role at the club has been vitally important in supporting members with mental health issues and promoting inclusivity within the club.
Iona explained, “Welfare and Inclusivity is a big role; mental health problems are so common. We all have our own mental health awareness and the stigma that continues to be attached to mental health issues is highly detrimental.
“As a club, we believed it was important to start tackling the stigma surrounding mental health. What we saw was a gap between people coping with their mental health on an individual level and opting to seek professional help.
“My role sought to help bridge that gap. I promote all the services that are available in Edinburgh, many that people do not even know exist, but I am also a face that people in the club recognise and one that is there to help and support them throughout whatever they are going through.
“I am not there to solve people’s problems, I’m not a councillor or a healthcare professional, but I’m there to lend an ear and promote the services that are available.”
Edinburgh University has been working on expanding the welfare officer role across its entire sports offering, highlighting especially the success of the position at the hockey club.
Recent graduate Hana is now also using her experience to work with her new committee at Watsonians Hockey Club to establish an Inclusivity and Diversity Officer role and to showcase the importance of such roles across Scottish sport.
The Lead the Way: University of Edinburgh Mental Health Initiatives Case Study is attached or can be found here:
New approach will ensure dignity, fairness and respect
There will be no DWP- style assessments to access disability assistance under the new Scottish social security system, says Social Security Minister Shirley-Anne Somerville.
Decisions will be made using information gathered through the applications process including from health care providers
Should more detail be required to make decisions on an application for the new Adult Disability Payment, it will be gathered through a consultation which will be based on a conversation between a healthcare professional employed by the Scottish Government and the client. There will be no private sector involvement in this process.
Most consultations will be by phone but can be face to face in a GP practice or even at home, whatever works best for the person applying. No-one will be asked to carry out tasks in order to prove the impact of their disability or health condition.
Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said: “Two of our principles enshrined in law is that social security is a public service and an investment in people – it is there for all of us when and where we need it. So no one should ever experience stress when accessing the support they are entitled to.
“People who require disability assistance will already face a number of challenges and interacting with a benefit system shouldn’t become another one. That is why I am pleased to set out plans for Scotland’s new system – plans that will make sure that people are treated with dignity, fairness and respect.
“We want people to feel that they have been treated well and fairly at every stage – from having an application form that is clear and easy to use right through to how we make sure someone is still able to access money when they want to appeal our decisions.
“Getting rid of degrading assessments that our Experience Panels told us were ‘traumatic and intrusive’ is the right thing to do. It is an obvious change but one that will make a massive difference to people.
“I’d like to thank the people who have worked with us to design this service – the volunteers on our Experience Panels and stakeholders. Together we will deliver a markedly different benefit system and create a public service that we can all be truly proud of.”
Applications for the Self-Isolation Support Grant have opened for low income workers who are asked to self-isolate and would lose income if they needed to isolate.
The £500 grant will help those who have been asked by Test and Protect to isolate, following testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) or having been in close contact with someone who has tested positive.
These payments are designed to help people self-isolate for the required period to stop the spread of the virus, but who would face financial hardship due to being asked to self-isolate and will be targeted at those in receipt of Universal Credit or legacy benefits who are employed or self-employed.
The Local Self-Isolation Assistance Service is also being introduced to support people needing to isolate. As well as being able to self-refer for support through the existing National Assistance Helpline, local authorities will now proactively contact those being asked to self-isolate to offer help, advice and assistance including help to access essential food and medication or local support services.
The service will deliver an initial 30 minute call, followed up by two 10 minute calls during the period of self-isolation and will initially prioritise the most vulnerable individuals. This will ensure people are referred to the relevant services for support while maximising uptake of the Self-Isolation Support Grant for those who are eligible.
Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Self-isolation is essential to protect people and reduce the spread of COVID-19 but we do not want people to experience financial hardship, particularly those with no access to public funds, due to a loss of income as a result of doing the right thing.
“Whilst employers should do everything they can to allow people to work from home we know this isn’t always possible so this £500 grant is there to help.
“We know self-isolating can be tough, and want to do everything we can to support people throughout this challenging time. Our new assistance phone service will proactively contact people who have been asked to self-isolate and direct them to support that they may need, for example access to food or medicines, the Self-Isolation Grant or other financial support they may be eligible for, as well as other local services including community volunteering, emotional support and social work.
“This service will initially focus on those who are on the shielding list, people aged 70+, disabled people, and people in low income households. We are considering how we roll this service out to further groups to reach even more people and provide support for them to isolate.”
COSLA Community Wellbeing Spokesperson Councillor Kelly Parry said: “We are pleased that the Scottish Government, working in partnership with Scottish local government, have made available this grant to provide financial assistance to those on low incomes who need to self-isolate.
“Local councils are well placed to provide advice, support and assistance which will help reduce the social and economic impacts of the pandemic.
“Staying home to stop the spread of COVID-19 is the right thing to do to ensure that members of our communities who are most at risk and vulnerable to the effects of the virus are kept safe. This grant will assist those who will lose income as a result and are at most risk of financial hardship, including those with no recourse to public funds, stay home and reduce the spread of COVID-19.”
People will be informed on how to apply for the Self-Isolation Support Grant after they have been contacted by Test and Protect and asked to self-isolate through a follow up call from their local authority. People may make an application of their own accord prior to the follow-up call from their local authority.
Payments are available to eligible people who were told to self-isolate from 28 September onwards.
The Self-Isolation Support Grant does not cover people who are quarantining after returning to the UK from abroad, unless they have tested positive for coronavirus or have been told to stay at home and self-isolate by the Test and Protect Service.
Grants can be received more than once if people are asked to self-isolate on more than one occasion, as long as these do not overlap.
The Local Self-Isolation Assistance Service will deliver an initial 30 minute triaging call, followed up by two 10 minute calls through the individuals period of self-isolation. People contacted and informed of the need to self-isolate by contact tracers will be asked whether they wish to opt-in to their details being passed to local authorities to receive this new service. For people who are not in priority groups or are self-isolating but have not been contacted by contact tracing teams, the existing National Assistance Helpline is available to support them.
Clients may opt-out at this stage, or on any of the calls from local authorities if they choose to opt-in. If they opt-out, they can still access support by phoning the existing National Assistance Helpline.
Funding of £37.6 million was allocated to support people and families on low incomes in times of need in the 12 months to 31 March 2020 – an increase of 7% on the previous year.
Scottish Welfare Fund payments included £12.9 million in Crisis Grants – up 24% – and £24.7 million on Community Care Grants.
The fund received 296,870 applications for help, with the most common reason families gave being their benefits or other income had been spent – up 27% on the previous year.
Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “This is further evidence that the UK Government’s benefits cuts are hitting the poorest in Scotland the hardest, with more and more people struggling just to make ends meet and being pushed to rely on food banks, or suffer from the stress of debt and rent arrears.
“That’s without taking into consideration the significant financial impact that coronavirus (COVID-19)is having on some of those earning the least in our society.
“We took early action in March to more than double the Scottish Welfare Fund to £80.5 million this year in response to the expected impact of coronavirus, and we have made an additional £110 million available to support people struggling to access food during the pandemic.
“That funding will help local authority partners continue to support people at this time and we would encourage anyone in need of support to apply to the Scottish Welfare Fund.”
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.”
Extra support will be made available for people on low income benefits to pay for the cost of a funeral.
The Funeral Support Payment’s rate for expenses such as funeral director fees, a coffin, and flowers, is to be increased from £700 to £1,000 for all applications received from 1 April.
The Funeral Support Payment is made up of three separate parts: burial or cremation costs; travel costs; and a standard rate for other expenses – and it is this element which is being increased.
Introduced in September last year, the Funeral Support Payment replaced the UK Government’s Funeral Expense Payment in Scotland, greatly increasing eligibility. It is intended to help alleviate the burden of debt faced by those on low income benefits when paying for a funeral.
Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “At a time when families are struggling to come to terms with the death of a loved one, the last thing they need is extra financial stress.
“I am proud we are increasing the standard rate by 40% to £1,000 to support those paying for a funeral just months after introducing this important new payment.
“This increase, alongside the extended eligibility we have introduced, means the Funeral Support Payment is there to ease the pressures on up to 5,000 people annually at such a difficult time in their lives. So far the total average pay-out has been around £1,500.
“This benefit is part of the new Social Security system we are building from scratch for the Scottish people, with fairness, dignity and respect at its heart.”
The flat rate payment for other expenses may be used towards any other funeral expenses such as funeral director fees, a coffin, and flowers.
Those eligible for the Funeral Support Payment must be living in Scotland, have had the nearest relationship to the person who has died, be financially responsible for the funeral and be on a qualifying benefit or tax credit (e.g. Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Child Tax Credit, Disability or severe disability element of Working Tax Credit).
Around 5,000 people are expected to be supported annually by the payment.
