Benefit take up
Cost of living crisis: find out what help is available
A key principle enshrined in the Social Security Act is that social security is an investment in the people of Scotland. Scottish benefits will support over half a million people and we want all who are eligible to take-up the financial support available to them.
Throughout this parliamentary term, we are delivering a programme of activity intended to raise awareness of Scottish benefits, and to ensure that people are receiving what they're entitled to.
We are working with local authorities, NHS boards, third sector organisations and a range of advice and support services to:
- better understand the barriers preventing people from claiming benefits
-
ensure we take every reasonable step to encourage people to receive their full entitlement
Benefit take-up strategy
We published the second benefit take-up strategy (October 2021) under the provision of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018. At the heart of this second benefit take-up strategy is the recognition that benefit take-up is part of a bigger picture, supporting a holistic Scottish Government approach to maximising incomes, which itself underpins the key commitments of tackling poverty and supporting recovery from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As well as highlighting progress since the 2019 strategy, this strategy is also built around a number of take-up initiatives.
These include:
- investing £10 million over the current Parliament to increase access to advice in accessible settings to maximise incomes and tackle poverty. This includes expanding Welfare Advice and Health Partnerships through the funding of £2.9 million over three years to place welfare rights advisors in up to 150 GP surgeries in Scotland’s most deprived areas, alongside an expansion of pilots providing advice in education settings
- rollout of Social Security Scotland’s local delivery network – 400 staff in 32 local authorities by the time the service is fully operational
- establishing a stakeholder take-up forum proactively identifying examples of best practice as well as settings in which they might be replicated
- working with stakeholders to co-design interactive and helpful resources to support the mainstreaming of existing good practices around benefit take-up
- a multi-channel financial wellbeing marketing campaign, covering free debt advice, affordable credit, and beginning with a focus on benefit take-up
Benefit take up campaign resources
We have produced the following resources during previous benefit-take up campaigns:
- Partner toolkit: you've earned it campaign
- Print-ready PDFs of the campaign posters (standard and empty belly), and social media graphics are available in our Social Security Assets Google Drive.
- "You've Earned It" Benefit Uptake Campaign – October 2017 Evaluation Report
Policy position papers
We have published a series of social security policy papers setting out our position on the development of the devolved benefits in Scotland.