Benefit Take-Up Strategy 2026-2031: island communities impact assessment

1. Introduction and the objectives of the Benefit Take-Up Strategy

The aim of this Island Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) is to identify the potential impact the Benefit Take-Up strategy 2026 will have on people who live in island communities.

This impact assessment should be read in conjunction with the other impact assessments: Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA), Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) and the Fairer Scotland Duty Assessment.

Introduction

The Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018^[1] places a statutory duty on Scottish Ministers to actively promote and maximise the take-up of Scottish social security benefits. This duty reflects the Scottish Government’s commitment to ensuring that people who are entitled to support are aware of it, feel able to apply for it, and can access it through a system designed around dignity, fairness and respect.

To fulfil this responsibility, the Act requires Ministers to publish a Benefit Take-Up Strategy every five years. These strategies outline the Government’s approach to increasing benefit take-up, identify barriers that may prevent people from accessing their entitlements, and set out specific actions aimed at addressing these barriers.