Carer Benefits Advisory Group minutes: March 2025

Attendees and apologies

 Present

• Angela Bathgate, Social Security Scotland Communications
• Angela Toal, Child Poverty Action Group
• Anna Cowan, Carers Trust
• Anne Baldock, One Parent Families Scotland
• Catriona Kirkpatrick, Engender
• Mike Brown, Social Work Scotland
• Salena Begley MBE, Family Fund
• Sharon McGuire, Scottish Government (SG) Carer Policy
• Alice Crawford, Dawn Kane, Euan Geddes, Jane Sterry (Chair), Robin Briggs, Victoria Boal (Secretariat), Scottish Government Carer Benefits Policy

Apologies

• Ali MacLeod Health and Social Care Partnership
• Claire Cairns, The Coalition of Carers in Scotland
• Fiona Collie, Carers Scotland
• John Cunningham COSLA
• Paul Traynor, Carers Trust
• Roisin Connolly, Connecting Carers

Items and actions

Actions and minutes from previous meetings, and updates

Officials provided an update on an issue raised in a previous meeting about the inclusion of Carer Support Payment (CSP) in some Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) legislation which would provide for how backdated awards of the benefit should affect Universal Credit and Pension Credit. Officials confirmed that DWP are looking into this and considering what action may be required. Officials asked members to get in touch in the meantime if they become aware of any clients directly affected by the issue. 

Officials also confirmed that funding for raising the CSP earnings threshold in line with Carer’s Allowance was included in the recent Scottish budget. Regulations to provide for this alongside uprating of CSP and other benefits are currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament, and subject to Parliamentary agreement would come into force in April this year.

An update was also provided on the case raised in November regarding understanding of the full-time education and backdating rules. Officials responded to this by email, and also confirmed that they were running two additional stakeholder roadshows in March focused on the education rules for Carer Support Payment. The member who initially raised this case study confirmed that the case referenced was resolved without appeal.

Members highlighted the importance of investing in infrastructure to support carers, raising concerns over the rising pressures on carer centres. It was queried whether SG could use 2022 census data to consider the number of carers in different areas Scotland and conduct an exercise examining the distribution of carer centres across Scotland in light of this. Officials from Carer Policy advised that they derive a lot of data from carer centres, and have found that predominantly carers attend centres in their own catchment areas. It was proposed that looking at this analysis might highlight whether there is a lack of availability (e.g. in rural areas). 

Members questioned whether there was any consideration being given by SG to paid carers’ leave. Officials advised that carers leave is reserved to the UK Government, however there was a commitment made in the employability bill that they would test carers’ leave and examine if it could be implemented.

Members also highlighted changes being made to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). This is now being extended to those on lower incomes, as well as being available from day one of sickness rather than day three. It was speculated that this may have a positive impact on carers.  

There were no comments on the recent Equalities event, minutes or updates paper.

Action: Officials to speak to analysts about the information from the census and from carer centres and whether they can share this with members.

Carer Additional Person Payment (CAPP) – process when care for the primary cared for person ends and CAPP is in payment

A recap of the process that officials are working toward for this was provided. Where care being provided to the primary cared for person (the person for whom the carer is receiving CSP) ends due to bereavement, the carer could be supported to make a new application by Social Security Scotland, including through information provided to them in the notification following bereavement.

The carer would be prompted as to whether they would like to make a new application, and signposted to resources to help them make that decision. The aim would be to ensure income maximisation for both the carer and cared for person.

Content on mygov.scot will be updated to reflect this, and ensure that carers are aware of their options. Officials confirmed that the process would take into account feedback from user research and testing and once live feedback would be used to continuously improve information, guidance and processes. There would be the option to extend this ‘supported application’ process to more situations in future.

Members queried whether this would require legislative changes. Officials confirmed that it would not; instead this would be reflected in Social Security Scotland guidance. 

Updates on live benefits and evaluation

Young Carer Grant (YCG) - move to email notifications and communicating improvements

From September 2025, YCG award notifications will be sent by email. Letters will still be used where no email address is provided, or the carer has indicated that they would prefer letters.

Officials are also exploring utilising email and text for re-application reminders. The default option would be email, then text messages and finally letters. Denials and requests for more information will still be sent via letter.

Work is also ongoing to continue to improve the signposting is information provided; with recent updates to signposting texts testing well. Signposting information for YCG has been shortened to not include telephone contact information given feedback from user research about clients’ communication preferences. Members queried whether including telephone contact information may still be useful for some young carers or those supporting them. Officials will continue to monitor this to ensure there are no barriers to applying for YCG. 

Carer Support Payment

The most recent statistics were published on 18 February 2025, which were the first to include a period following national rollout of the benefit. The next statistics will be published in May 2025 and will cover until the end of March 2025. 

The deadlines for the ‘special backdating rules’ for CSP have passed for all local authority areas; however carers may still be able to be eligible for this if they have a ‘good reason’ for missing the deadline. Members requested examples of what would be considered a ‘good reason’ and officials confirmed that they would provide more detail. 

Officials updated that there has been an issue identified with regulations around earnings assessment for CSP. Earnings regulations are complex, and aim to mirror DWP legislation. The identified issue is that while it is intended that a carer’s earnings in any given week will affect their entitlement in the following week, drafting provides that their earnings in any given week will affect their entitlement in that same week. The issue is not expected to impact entitlement for clients in the majority of cases, and will be addressed through a new amendment to be included in the current draft amendment regulations for CSP. A draft has been referred to the Scottish Commission on Social Security (SCoSS) for their consideration. Until the amendment comes into force, where it is identified that any clients have been affected, action will be taken to address this, and in new cases where the issue would have an impact, Social Security Scotland will make determinations in line with whichever approach would result in the more generous outcome for the carer. 

Actions: Members requested examples of a carer who will still be able to claim CSP under the special backdating rules. Officials to investigate this and provide more details.

CSP: evaluation

An update was provided on behalf of officials in Social Security Analysis, Forecasting and Evaluation (SSAFE). Officials confirmed that they have had volunteers for the Research Advisory Group as requested last year, for the initial phase of the CSP evaluation. Fieldwork is due to begin in April, with the report due to publish in autumn. Officials will continue to update the group as the research progresses.

CSP: questions

Members highlighted that the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) website stated that they were no longer providing a Dependants’ Grant, and that this was due to the introduction of CSP and extension of this support to students, and asked whether there was further information on this. Officials noted that they were aware of changes to the Dependants’ Grant, it was not their understanding that this was linked to the extension of Carer Support Payment, but confirmed they would pick this up with SAAS colleagues and provide a further update.

Actions: Officials to discuss the removal of the Dependants’ Grant with colleagues and provide an update.

Case Transfer

Officials provided an update on the progress of case transfer, noting that: 

• as of 31 December 2025, more than 45,000 awards had been successfully transferred from Carer’s Allowance to CSP, and a total of over 116,000 awards had been selected for transfer
• more than 251,000 Personal Independent Payment (PIP) awards and more than 3,100 Disability Living Allowance (DLA) awards had completed transfer. Content on mygov.scot and social media is now live, highlighting that all PIP awards have been selected for transfer.
• Attendance Allowance to Pension Age Disability Payment case transfer has also begun, while Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance is due to launch at the end of March 2025
• all relevant benefits are on track to be completely transferred over to Social Security Scotland by the end of 2025.

Officials explained that an issue has been identified with the way that DWP systems share information regarding Carer’s Allowance and CSP, which is impacting a small number of carers’ wider support, such as Universal Credit or Housing Benefit. The DWP are continuing to investigate this, and have issued advice to the relevant teams on how to access the correct data in these instances. Carers affected by this issue are encouraged to contact DWP, or their local authority where relevant, who can manually intervene to resolve this for carers.

Officials also explained another issue where DWP have been reducing the payment of ‘New-Style’ Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) by the value of Carer’s Allowance or CSP, where these benefits should instead be reduced by the value of ESA paid, which has created issues following case transfer. However, a process has been agreed with DWP to resolve these payment issues to ensure carers are receiving the correct payments from the right sources, and Social Security Scotland will contact affected carers to explain the changes in their payments.

Members noted it was helpful to receive this update and that they had previously supported clients affected by the ESA issue when they were receiving Carer’s Allowance, so were pleased to note that this was being resolved.  

Any other business & close

Members queried the information in the updates paper Carer’s Allowance Supplement (CAS) qualifying dates and asked when this would begin to be paid alongside CSP. Officials confirmed that there will be a decision on this made relatively soon, as the timetable for delivery of the priority improvements including the CAS changes were dependent on agreement with DWP, with timings to be confirmed as soon as possible.

Officials also queried whether it would be helpful to hold a meeting in May following the laying of the regulations to answer any questions. Responses from members were mixed.

Officials also raised the question as to whether members would find having June’s meeting as a hybrid meeting helpful. Responses from members were mixed.