CAS Response to Scottish Commission on Social Security call for views on draft Two Child Limit Payment (Scotland) Regulations

Banner2:

CAS Response to Scottish Commission on Social Security call for views on draft Two Child Limit Payment (Scotland) Regulations

CAS has responded to a call for views on proposed law to mitigate the two-child limit in Scotland. We provided evidence to the Scottish Commission on Social Security, the body charged with reviewing Scottish social security law.

CAS is looking forward to being core to the successful delivery of the mitigation of the two-child limit. Evidence from our network shows that this policy has the potential to transform the life chances of many children experiencing poverty. We welcome the proposed approach and believe that it can swiftly provide essential relief to families.

Consultation on the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper

Banner2:

Consultation on the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper

The UK Government is consulting on some of the proposed changes to welfare. We know that if these proposals are implemented as presented, they will cause harm to many sick and disabled people across Scotland. We also know that many MPs share our concerns. The CAS network has been working hard to provide MPs with the evidence they need to challenge and reshape the proposed reforms - please see our consultation response here.

Counting the cost: the impact of disability reform in Scotland

Banner2:

Counting the cost: the impact of disability reform in Scotland

A briefing from Citizens Advice Scotland in response to proposed welfare reforms by the UK Government. 

The proposed welfare reforms will be devastating for sick and disabled people across the UK. Cuts to critical financial support will drive poverty, present barriers to employment and opportunity, and deepen inequality.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) is deeply concerned that the UK Government is not sufficiently considering the unique impact of these proposed reforms on people in Scotland.

The Move to UC and Housing Costs

Banner2:

The Move to UC and Housing Costs

A Citizen's Advice Scotland Briefing.

This briefing provides an overview of the network's evidence of the impact of the managed migration from legacy payments to Universal Credit. It sets our recommendations for change. 

Download the publication below: 

Citizens Advice Scotland response to Ending the Need for Food Banks: Consultation on a Draft National Plan

Banner2:

Citizens Advice Scotland response to Ending the Need for Food Banks: Consultation on a Draft National Plan

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) is supportive of the proposed approach to ending poverty and the need for food banks. The twin emphasis on prevention and response ensures the reasons for food bank use are tackled at source, rather than focusing only on how emergency support is delivered, and overall CAS would agree that moving towards a cash-first approach to food aid is a positive step. Measures which enable people to choose their own food can restore dignity in emergency food provision, enable people to buy food they enjoy and choose the items that will make the most difference to themselves and their families.

However, there are additional dimensions to the need for food banks that CAS would call for further consideration of. These include:

  • The role of advice services in food bank referrals
  • Availability of social security support for different types of people
  • Debt as a driving factor in food bank use
  • Fuel poverty as a driving factor in food bank use
  • Housing costs as a driving factor for food bank use
  • Potential barriers to a cash-first scheme

CAS suggests six areas where further action could be taken to reduce the need for food banks:

  • Reducing the cost of living
  • Increasing social security support and benefit take-up
  • Encouraging fair work
  • Improving debt solutions and debt recovery
  • Making the Scottish Welfare Fund more accessible
  • Integrating advice services into Cash-First Partnerships

Download the publication below: 

Citizens Advice Scotland Response to the Work and Pensions Committee’s Call for Evidence on Health Assessments for Benefits

Banner2:

Citizens Advice Scotland Response to the Work and Pensions Committee’s Call for Evidence on Health Assessments for Benefits

Key Points

  • CAS is pleased to respond to this call for evidence on health assessments. We have long been calling for fairer processes which put people’s rights at the heart of it, and we want to see a fairer system of dignified, accessible, timely, and fair medical assessments that provide disabled people with the support they are entitled to.
  • Although there will be no new claims for PIP due to the full implementation of Adult Disability Payment across Scotland from 29 August, we have responded to the questions relating to the future of PIP as we have a wealth of data and experience on the administration of PIP.
  • CAS has restricted its responses to those where we have robust data to inform our responses.

Recommendations

  • A range of assessment types should be available, face-to-face, telephone and in person, and the client should be able to choose their preferred method. Outcomes for each method should be monitored to ensure parity.
  • Descriptors for both PIP and ESA should be reviewed to better reflect social and human rights models of disability and move beyond assessing a lack of functionality.
  • The use of lived experience panels and user groups involved in the design and development of any changes made to the claims and assessment processes.
  • Consideration should be given to the Social Security Scotland approach to assessment, in particular:
    The use of specialist assessors;
    • Bringing the assessment 'in-house';
    • Gathering evidence on behalf of the client; and
    • Making a medical assessment the last resort.

Download the publication below:

Our latest briefings on Universal Credit

Banner2:

Our latest briefings on Universal Credit

Social security continues to represent half of the advice work being undertaken by the Citizen's Advice network in Scotland. Universal Credit already represents one in three social security advice enquiries being handled by the network. The ongoing migration of people who are receiving older income-based social security payments to Universal Credit has been a very significant exercise and a milestone in the evolution of social security in the UK, while highlighting the urgency of change.  

This briefing presents insights into the impact the managed migration to Universal Credit process over the latest Quarter on the network and the people being supported by it.

Little is known about the impact of significant changes introduced in the last two years to the Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET). This second paper presents insights drawn from our unique advice provision data, reports from frontline advisers and two in depth telephone interviews with Universal Credit recipients.

Download the publication below:

Subscribe to Social security