Social Security Scotland is celebrating one year of providing in-person support designed to help people access devolved benefits. The service is now available for free in all 32 local authorities across the country.
Scotland’s welfare department aims to make its services as accessible as possible to ensure nobody misses out on support they may be entitled to claim. People can book face-to-face meetings with an adviser at home or at a preferred location in their local community, or they can choose to do it over the phone or by video call.
Social Security Scotland is keen for people to be aware that they can pick a venue and time most convenient for them, but can also rearrange appointments easily if something pops up that can’t be postponed. This means people can apply for any of the 12 benefits administered by Social Security Scotland online, by phone, through the post or in person - making benefits easier to access.
A Social Security Scotland client reflected on how the commitment to providing personal support made a positive change to them in the Agency’s recent annual Client Survey.
They said: “She asked if I had any issues filling in forms. I’m actually dyslexic, so somebody phoned me and he filled out the form for me. That was really helpful, getting someone else to fill it in, iIt was a video call and it was an hour. He was on his computer and he was speaking to me as well as typing it all in for me. That was really good.”
The team of local delivery advisers can answer queries about Social Security Scotland benefits, help people to complete online or paper application forms, offer other support such as identity and document verification and help with submitting change of circumstances information.
They can also help refer people or provide information on other relevant services including the Scottish Government’s free independent advocacy service.
Commenting on the milestone, Social Security Minister Ben Macpherson, said: “We are committed to ensuring that people can access benefits easily and get extra support to do so if they need it at a place and time convenient to them.
“Providing this across the country is an important principle for us and ensures anyone who would prefer to apply in person for one of our payments can do so. This is a key way we are doing things differently in delivering Scottish benefits.”
Payments administered by Social Security Scotland
- Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment – one-off payment of up to £642.35 from 24 weeks in pregnancy up until a baby turns 6 months for families who get certain benefits.
- Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment – one-off payment of £267.65 when a child is between two and three years and six months for families who get certain benefits.
- Best Start Grant School Age Payment – one-off payment of £267.65 when a child would normally start primary one for families who get certain benefits.
- Best Start Foods – a pre-paid card from pregnancy up to when a child turns three for families on certain benefits to help buy healthy food.
- Carer’s Allowance Supplement – an automatic payment of £245.70 made twice a year to people who get Carer’s Allowance through the DWP on certain dates each year.
- Funeral Support Payment – money towards the costs of a funeral at a difficult time like this for people on certain benefits who are responsible for paying for a funeral.
- Job Start Payment – £267.65 for 16 to 24 year olds who have been on certain benefits for six months or more to help with the costs of starting a job.
- Young Carer Grant – an annual payment of more than £326.65 for people 16, 17 or 18 who care for people who get a disability benefit from the DWP for an average of 16 hours a week or more.
- Child Winter Heating Assistance - a £214.10 payment to help young people and families of a child under 19 to heat their homes. Children and young people can get the payment if they get the highest rate care component of Child Disability Payment or Disability Living Allowance for Children, the enhanced daily living component of Personal Independence Payment or the enhanced rate of the daily living component of Adult Disability Payment.
- Scottish Child Payment - a unique to Scotland benefit that gives qualifying parents and carers £100 every four weeks to help towards the costs of looking after each child under 16.
- Child Disability Payment - a payment providing extra money to help with the costs of caring for a child with a disability or ill-health condition. It replaces Disability Living Allowance for children in Scotland that was previously delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions.
- Adult Disability Payment - a payment providing extra money to help people who have a long-term illness or a disability that affects their everyday life. It replaces Personal Independence Payment people in Scotland previously delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions.
Find out more about each devolved benefit online here.
Booking an appointment
Face-to-face support will be by appointment only and is available from venues in local communities, in people’s homes, in hospitals, in prisons and via video call. Phone appointments are also available.
People can book an appointment with a Client Support Adviser by contacting Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222.
To keep up to date with the latest benefits news, join our Money Saving Scotland Facebook page here, or subscribe to our newsletter which goes out four times each week - sign up here.
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