Carer benefits evaluation: phase 1 - annex A - mixed methods research

2. Clients’ experiences of case transfer

Introduction

This chapter explores the experiences and views of the case transfer process among clients whose benefit has moved from Carer’s Allowance with DWP to Carer Support Payment with Social Security Scotland. It is organised under the following headings: communications; prompt, safe and secure transfers; re-applications; and views on the transfer process.

Communications

Informing clients of the transfer

Clients were informed by letter that their benefit would be transferred from Carer’s Allowance with DWP to Carer Support Payment with Social Security Scotland. Most interviewees recalled receiving Social Security Scotland’s ‘intention to transfer’ letter. Some also recalled receiving a letter from DWP informing them of the transfer.

Views of the Social Security Scotland letter were broadly positive. Most felt it explained the process clearly.

“The letter was really easy to understand, and it explained that there'd be no gaps in entitlement or payment.” (Case transfer client)

“Communication ahead of the change was clear and easy to understand.” (Case transfer client)

Clients generally felt comfortable about the transfer and understood what would happen.

Eighty-eight per cent of survey respondents (70) understood what they had to do during the transfer or were reassured that no action was required. A high proportion of survey respondents (85%, 67) also understood when they would get their first payment of Carer Support Payment, 88% (70) knew who to report a change of circumstances to and when, and 71% (54) were aware how to request a redetermination or appeal (Figure 2.1).

“I wasn't really bothered. It didn't confuse me or anything.” (Case transfer client)

“I didn’t have to do anything, I was told well in advance so it wasn’t something that made me worry.” (Case transfer client)

However, some felt anxious about the prospect of their benefit being transferred. This was mainly due to uncertainty caused by the change and concern that something might go wrong with the process.

“It's that official letter that panics people, even though they can read and understand, they just want somebody to say, ‘it's all right, you don't have to worry or do anything’.” (Support organisation)

“I was anxious because you are always thinking something will go wrong.” (Case transfer client)

“I think there were probably some people with natural nervousness.” (Social Security Scotland staff member)

A few said aspects of the communications were unclear and were unsure about how the process would work, when the transfer would happen and if they had to take action. This added to feelings of anxiety and confusion for some.

“I did get a bit panicky, because I thought to myself, the way that the letter was worded, I wasn't sure whether it would be paid normally on the same dates that I was due to get paid.” (Case transfer client)

“[The letter] was basically saying your payment is stopping with this part of it, but the way I read it was as if you had to reapply.” (Case transfer client)

Some described the communications from Social Security Scotland as too lengthy and suggested the letter could have been more concise.

“More clarity for me sometimes means less information. Too much information and the points get lost." (Case transfer client)

“The letters that Social Security Scotland send out, often they have to repeat themselves a lot… some people probably just switch off... It’s quite complicated.” (Case transfer client)

“Sometimes there's too much information in the letters… [Clients] don’t always read it.” (Social Security Scotland staff member)

A few suggested that crucial information could have been more prominent in the letter. Most notably, interviewees felt that an explanation of the five-week gap between the last Carer’s Allowance payment and the first payment from Carer Support Payment (a theme explored later in this chapter) should have been emphasised, with reassurance that the client did not have to take any action.

“When you got to the end [of the letter], it said, in my recollection, ‘you don't need to do anything else, but it will process itself’. You might want to start off with that.” (Case transfer client)

“I think they could have put on that your next payment will be five weeks [after the last Carer’s Allowance payment]”. (Case transfer client)

“Page one of our letters, [clients] probably obtain and read that information. But then pages two, three, most likely maybe aren't read. I think one of the lessons learned for us was how we go about writing our letters and how we go about ensuring the relevant information is right at the beginning.” (Social Security Scotland staff member)

Some interviewees reflected that more vulnerable clients, for example people who experience mental health conditions, learning disabilities, neurodivergence, dementia, low incomes or literacy issues, might need extra support to understand the process. This might include targeted, simplified communication about the transfer.

“[The letter] was clear for me but not for my partner. They are autistic so they don't really understand. I just, I'd explained it to them.” (Case transfer client)

“The process is straightforward, but [our vulnerable clients’] understanding of the process wasn't straightforward. So, that just meant that we had to give them a little bit more support… once we explained it to them, they seemed to take it on board… anybody that's vulnerable in any sense, then they needed that bit more guidance.” (Support organisation)

Signposting to and awareness of support with the transfer process

Social Security Scotland signposts clients to sources of support with the transfer through information in the notification letter, and most research participants knew who to contact if they needed help or support with the transfer process. Among survey respondents (Figure 2.2), 80% (63) knew who to contact for help or support, 84% (65) knew how to contact Social Security Scotland if they had any questions, and 71% (57) understood which external organisations they could contact for support.

“[The letter] stated that if there were any issues, I could directly contact them through online chat, over the phone, or make an arrangement to speak to them in person.” (Case transfer client)

“[Social Security Scotland contact details were] very clearly stated on the letter that I received.” (Case transfer client)

Uncertainty about whether to contact Social Security Scotland or DWP with questions was evident among a few, however, as were examples where there appeared to be confusion within the agencies as to who should be responsible for different cases. This added to feelings of anxiety and confusion for some clients.

“I had to phone DWP to find out that I had to phone Social Security Scotland. And it wasn't that clear.” (Case transfer client)

“First of all I contacted Universal Credit when it went wrong. And they put me on to Social Security Scotland and then they put me on to DWP who put me back on to Universal Credit. I just went in circles so it wasn't clear at all.” (Case transfer client)

Some staff called for better communication and information sharing between Social Security Scotland and DWP to address this.

“The bigger issue was communication between us and DWP because that caused problems. I know a lot of clients had phoned us during case transfer when really, it was DWP they had to speak to, whatever the issue was, and we had to send them back there and they were like ‘Well, I phoned them already and they told me to phone you’." (Social Security Scotland staff member)

“I think there was a lot of confusion at that stage between what elements were with what department, whether it was with us or with DWP… we did find that at times we were pushing back to DWP… or DWP were pushing clients our way. And then we're pushing them back again. So I think there was a lot of back and forth during that phase, which made it difficult.” (Social Security Scotland staff member)

A fifth of survey respondents (20%, 16) reported they were unaware of external organisations they could contact for support with the case transfer process. Discussions with interviewees indicated that, in general, people were aware they could contact Social Security Scotland for support, so it was not necessary to contact external organisations about the case transfer process.

Signposting to and awareness of wider support available to carers

Over half of survey respondents (57%, 46) recalled receiving information from Social Security Scotland about wider support services available to carers. Interviewees explained that this was related to support services such as carers centres and other benefits they might be eligible for.

“They do actually state in the letters you may be entitled to different benefits, double check your council tax. It's very clear which I found very good, because if you don't know about anything you would never find out… It's not very easy to find.” (Case transfer client)

Others, however, did not recall receiving this information and over two-fifths (44%, 35) said they did not receive clear information on wider support services available to them as a carer. This indicates that details of external organisations supporting carers could be made clearer in communications from Social Security Scotland.

“I can't remember anything about that in the letters.” (Case transfer client)

“I don't remember getting anything. I am a major critic of the system and how poor it is at informing carers and parents with children with disabilities about what's out there locally and nationally.” (Case transfer client)

Prompt, safe and secure transfers

Overall, clients agreed the transfer was safe and secure, and said they received the right payments at the right time, with no gaps in payment. Figure 2.3 shows that over three quarters of survey respondents (78%, 62) agreed the process was safe and secure with no breaks in payments, and 78% (62) confirmed they received payments on a like-for-like basis after the transfer process. Eighty-seven per cent (69) received their award within a reasonable timescale and 83% (66) confirmed their award started on the date Social Security Scotland said it would.

Interviewees agreed that the transfer took place seamlessly and was safe and secure.

“It was smooth with no interruption to my payments." (Case transfer client)

“It was a seamless process that I was kept fully in the loop with by regular communication.” (Case transfer client)

“From our point of viewed it just flowed and it happened. We were expecting complications but they never came.” (Case transfer client)

“We wanted to ensure that seamless journey for the client and to try and minimise contact required and give them that smooth journey into Social Security Scotland. I would say that in general, that was met. (Social Security Scotland staff member)

As shown in Figure 2.3, most (87%, 69) said the transfer took place in a reasonable timescale. Only three (4%) disagreed that the transfer took place in a reasonable timescale and seven (9%) were unsure. However, six survey respondents (7%) reported experiencing a delay, with three of these saying that they were not informed about the delay or its causes. While this is a small number, it indicates that there may be scope to ensure that clients are informed about any delays that occur, with an explanation of the cause, to alleviate concerns.

“It felt like it took a long time... It scared me. So I was like, oh, well, why is it taking so long?... It just feels like the process wasn't smooth enough at the end. I'll be honest with you, I don't know if I was ever out of pocket. That’s terrible. So I can only guess that it actually carried on.” (Case transfer client)

Due to differences between the payment schedules of Carer’s Allowance and Carer Support Payment, some clients had an extra week between their payments following transfer of their benefits. DWP pay Carer’s Allowance three weeks in arrears and one week in advance, whereas Social Security Scotland pays Carer Support Payment four weeks in arrears. For some clients this meant that there was a gap of five weeks between their last Carer’s Allowance payment and first payment from Carer Support Payment. This confused clients who were used to receiving the payment every four weeks. This information was included in the notification letter, but was unclear for some clients. Social Security Scotland staff noted that this was a common query from clients who got in touch about the transfer.

“The way the payment cycles work, if you're on a four-weekly payment with DWP, they pay three weeks in arrears and one in advance, whereas we pay four weeks in arrears. So when people transfer over, it means they're five weeks from the last payment from them to the first payment from us. That's a big driver [for clients] to contact [Social Security Scotland].” (Social Security Scotland staff member)

A few clients also commented on this theme. They described financial worries and complications with direct debits because of the extra week between payments.

“It would have been nice to have a heads up about how long I would have to wait from one payment ending to the next payment starting… I felt like one of the weeks I was very short on money because I didn't have that heads up to keep something behind to make sure that I could survive that week. But it is what it is and we survived.” (Case transfer client)

“I found it hard to manage that extra week and had to adjust direct debits to suit the new payment date.” (Case transfer client)

Difficulties with Universal Credit payments following the transfer were described by some clients. Some believed that miscommunications between DWP and Social Security Scotland had resulted in gaps in payments and larger-than-expected deductions from Universal Credit. These issues were resolved quickly for some, but others experienced difficulties, including confusion over whether the responsibility for addressing the problem lay with Social Security Scotland or DWP.

“The DWP system and the Scottish system used different computers, so it made it look to Universal Credit as if I was getting two lots of Carer’s Allowance, so they then took that amount away from my Universal Credit which meant I had almost no money at all that month.” (Case transfer client)

“Everything was absolutely fine until something happened and the payment stopped and I missed it. I think the Universal Credit came over, but the care element didn't. But it was fixed in hours when I spotted I'd no longer been getting paid for this and I called up Social Security Scotland.” (Case transfer client)

“The worst of it was they took away the Universal Credit for the both rather than just the one and then it's a wait to get it backdated so we had a month of less money than we should have had which you budget for. And then suddenly we were getting, I can't remember, it was £250 less. We got it in the end but it was just so awkward.” (Case transfer client)

Similarly, a staff member noted confusion among some clients who are classed as underlying entitlement cases. Clients with underlying entitlement are those who are entitled to Carer Support Payment but receive no payment because of other benefits they receive. Clients with underlying entitlement may still be able to get more from other benefits due to being classed as a carer, meaning that it can still be advantageous for clients to have Carer Support Payment awarded in this way.

This staff member highlighted some clients who were told their Carer’s Allowance would be transferred to Carer Support Payment were confused because they did not receive any payment. This resulted in some telephone enquiries to Social Security Scotland.

“A lot of clients did get in touch to find out what was going on, especially clients who only had an underlying entitlement claim. They'd maybe applied with DWP years and years and years ago. But once they then hit state pension age, they stopped getting a payment and a lot of those clients assumed that they just didn't have the benefit anymore, even though it was still open. There was a bit of confusion or a bit of explanation needed for those clients specifically.” (Social Security Scotland staff member)

“[Social Security Scotland] would send a covering letter to the cared-for person saying that, this person's claiming this, it might affect your benefits. And they're like, ‘oh, my goodness’… It could have been dealt with a bit better… They could have said that we understand you are not paid Carer Support Payment, but you do have an underlying entitlement, which may give you credits on other means-tested benefits. But there wasn't anything like that.” (Support organisation)

Only one client reported difficulties related to their pension during the case transfer process.

“l never received Carer’s Allowance after it changed as you would not listen to me about my superannuation pension.” (Case transfer client)

Re-applications

A principle of the case transfer process is that no client should have to reapply for Carer Support Payment if their benefit was transferring from Carer’s Allowance. No research participants reported having to reapply and, unprompted, a few interviewees expressed their appreciation for that, mainly because it meant they did not have to complete an application form or provide any supporting information. This enabled them to focus on their caring role and other responsibilities knowing their payments would continue.

“It was quite quick. It was all done in the background. But apart from that, there was nothing else. We didn't have to apply it for it again or send information. So it was convenient that way.” (Case transfer client)

“It's helpful you don't have to reapply, give your evidence again and supporting medical evidence, things like that. But I take it they only have that in the system and they just transfer internally. So it helps that way.” (Case transfer client)

“I didn't have to do anything, so I could focus on caring for my mother more.” (Case transfer client)

However, one staff member said that some Carer’s Allowance clients applied for Carer Support Payment because they did not realise they already received it. This indicates that some clients were confused as to whether they had to apply for Carer Support Payment.

“They put applications in, but they don't realise they already get Carer's Allowance, so you just phone them outbound and ask to withdraw that and just explain that they actually still get the payment.” (Social Security Scotland staff member)

Views on the case transfer process

This chapter has highlighted aspects of the case transfer process that research participants felt presented challenges or could be enhanced. These included making aspects of Social Security Scotland’s communications clearer, clarifying whether clients should contact Social Security Scotland or DWP, increasing awareness of wider support available for carers, the issue where there was a gap of five weeks, rather than four, between the final Carer’s Allowance payment and first payment from Carer Support Payment, and difficulties with Universal Credit.

Other suggestions for improving the process, each identified by a handful of clients, include:

• Greater clarity in the notification letter about the expected date of the client’s first payment from Carer Support Payment.
• Faster processing times.
• Reducing waiting times on Social Security Scotland’s telephone helpline.
• Providing alternative options for sharing supporting information with Social Security Scotland for those lacking IT skills.

However, overall feedback was generally positive. More than three-quarters of clients (78%, 63) described the process as very good or good (Figure 2.4).

“The transfer process was perfect and it was all done. You know, I was informed, but it was all done behind the scenes and it was seamless.” (Case transfer client)

Interviewees reported that the process was delivered with dignity, fairness, and respect. They described the value of clear communications, the smooth nature of the process, the fact that they did not have to take any action, and the helpful, respectful staff.

“[Social Security Scotland] are very professional and they're thorough but fair.” (Case transfer client)

“You are very much treated with respect and dignity.” (Case transfer client)

“As far as I'm concerned, the due diligence was all done to make sure that there is little to no interruption with the benefits they're expecting and everything goes over smoothly. And that, you know, we are keeping them up to date with everything that's going on as it happens.” (Social Security Scotland staff member)

Chapter summary

Overall, clients reported a positive experience of their benefit being transferred from Carer’s Allowance to Carer Support Payment. Social Security Scotland communications were seen as clear and the transfer was completed seamlessly for most clients. Some experienced challenges, such as difficulty in understanding the process, especially around the five-week period between the last Carer’s Allowance payment and the first payment from Carer Support Payment. This indicates that some aspects of the communications could perhaps have been clearer. Some clients also described issues in the transfer process, which caused difficulties with their Universal Credit payments, although these were resolved quickly in most cases.