Social Security Charter Review: research findings

7. Research methods

This section provides information about the activities carried out in each of the strands of research.

7.1 Staff – focus groups

Research with Social Security Scotland staff was conducted through the People Panel. The People Panel is a cohort of almost 400 Social Security Scotland staff, selected to be close to representative in grade, job role and location of the overall agency workforce. Researchers work with the People Panel to find out more about colleagues’ views and experiences on a range of issues.

In May, five online focus groups were held with a total of 26 staff. Sessions lasted 50 minutes and were led by a researcher with support from a notetaker. Participants were divided into five groups based on their job role and seniority. Two sessions were held with staff who interact with clients as part of their job.

Participants were asked about their familiarity with the Charter and its role in their work. Questions also covered positive aspects of the Charter and its impact on Social Security Scotland’s culture, as well as any weaknesses or concerns. Participants also said whether the Charter was well-written, clear and accurate. Lastly, participants were asked if there were changes they would like to see or feedback they would like to provide for the core client group to consider during the workshops.

7.2 Staff – ongoing input

A group of around 35 officials in relevant areas across Social Security Scotland and the Social Security Directorate within Scottish Government were asked for regular input throughout the research process.

Feedback was sought on the research approach, emerging findings, and proposed changes to the content of the Charter and framework. This input was an important source of advice and guidance for the core client group who considered it as part of their discussions and development of proposed changes. Input from staff, particularly analytical colleagues, was central to drafting the proposed changes to the framework.

Feedback was collected via meetings, correspondence, input on shared documents, and through regular meetings of the working group.

7.3 Partner organisations

Partner organisations were invited to take part in research via a survey, interview, or by attending an in-person event. Researchers worked with Social Security Scotland’s National Engagement team to highlight the research using existing engagement and communication channels including a monthly stakeholder newsletter distributed to several thousand stakeholder organisations. This mirrored the approach taken to invite partner organisations to participate in the annual research carried out to report the Charter Measurement Framework. The research was also promoted to welfare rights organisations.

Between April and June, seven partner organisations took part in the research; five organisations responded to the survey and two took part in an interview. The low number of responses from partner organisations could indicate general satisfaction with the Charter. Respondents gave their views on how the Charter and framework were working, both what was working well and suggestions for changes.

Partner organisations were also involved in the review through the Research Advisory Group. As well as representation from SCoSS, researchers identified key partner organisations to approach to participate in the group. Organisations were selected to provide a perspective from the disability, carers and low-income communities, as the key client groups for Social Security Scotland. These were: Glasgow Disability Alliance, Carers Scotland, and the Child Poverty Action Group. The key purpose of the group was to provide comment, advice and support on the research including engagement with key groups such as partner organisations and clients from seldom heard groups.

7.4 Clients – survey

As noted above, research with people who have experience of social security was central to the original design of the Charter and framework in 2018 and 2019. A key difference for the review was that research would this time focus on involvement of clients who have experience of the Scottish social security system. Research with clients was conducted using the Social Security Scotland Client Panels.

Established in 2020, the Client Panels are made up of Social Security Scotland clients from across Scotland who have agreed to take part in research. Research with Client Panel members explores what people’s experience of Social Security Scotland has been like. The research informs decisions about the development and improvement of Social Security Scotland’s systems, processes and policies.

In May, all Client Panels members were invited to take part in a survey to establish their priorities and needs for the Charter. The survey asked respondents about their familiarity with the Charter, what the purpose of the Charter should be, and what are the most important themes for it to cover.

In total, 864 unique survey responses were received. Where possible, information provided by respondents in the survey was matched to demographic information supplied previously by panel members. Around three quarters (76%) of respondents were women. Over half (57%) of respondents had a disability or long-term health condition. Around half (52%) had caring responsibilities. Around a third (36%) were aged between 35 and 44. Most (83%) respondents live in an urban area. There was representation from all local authority areas among the respondents. Further demographic information about the respondents can be found at Annex B.

7.5 Clients – workshops

Alongside the invite to take part in the survey, a subsection of Client Panel members were also invited to take part in a series of workshops. Panel members were selected for this sample to ensure a broad representation of experience across the benefits delivered by Social Security Scotland. The sample was also chosen for certain demographic characteristics including age, gender, ethnicity and their locality.

Of the interested respondents, 29 panel members were selected to take part. Over the course of the workshops, 16 participants took part in at least one session, with 15 participants taking part in at least three. These participants are referred to as the ‘core client group’ in this report.

Where possible, information from workshop participants was matched to demographic information previously supplied by panel members. Detailed information is not given to preserve anonymity for those who took part. The following overview is included to provide some context.

More women than men were part of the core client group. The youngest participant was 23 and the oldest was 68. Members of the group included participants who: had a disability or long-term health condition; had caring responsibilities; were from an ethnic minority group. Most participants lived in an urban area. Most participants had experience of Adult Disability Payment or Child Disability Payment. Some had experience of carers benefits such as Carer’s Allowance delivered by DWP, and Young Carer Grant delivered by Social Security Scotland. Some participants had experience of Scottish Child Payment.

Workshops took place online between July and October and each lasted for two hours. Workshops were made up of small group discussions as well as inputs from researchers and guest speakers. The overall aim was to facilitate a detailed consideration of the content of the Charter and agree a set of proposed revisions. The core client group also discussed the framework. Given its complexity, discussions were less detailed on the measures themselves but did consider the approach to the review and how the framework could be communicated to clients. Annex C provides an overview of the workshop approach and content.

Researchers supported the group to have a positive experience. Participants were assisted to feel comfortable using the features of Microsoft Teams and agreed ways of working to guide their small group discussions. Participants received a £50 Love2shop voucher as a thank you for their participation in each workshop. Expenses were paid to cover any additional costs incurred for participating for example, to provide respite care or childcare.

7.6 Clients – seldom heard groups

Seldom heard groups are groups of people that may be less likely to take part in research or be members of panels like the Client Panels. People in seldom heard groups may have particular experiences that mean they may face barriers when engaging with public services.

Research was carried out in two strands. Researchers carried out a review of existing evidence to identify known needs of seldom heard groups and prominent issues.^[15] The second strand of research involved primary research with clients from seldom heard groups. This research was designed to assess what barriers participants face when engaging with organisations like Social Security Scotland. It also explored what these clients need the social security system to be like, and how these needs are, or could be, represented within the Charter.

Recruitment was conducted through two channels. Invitations were sent to around 600 Client Panel members to take part in an interview or focus group discussion. Using information previously provided by panel members, invitations were sent to clients with the following characteristics: digitally excluded, a first language that isn’t English, Gypsy/Travellers, refugees, and veterans.

Researchers also worked with Social Security Scotland’s National Engagement team to recruit participants via partner organisations. Partners were asked for help to promote an invitation to members of their communities who may be interested in taking part. This communication was sent to partner organisations and members of Social Security Scotland external reference groups. In addition, researchers attended a Gypsy Roma Traveller conference at Dynamic Earth to highlight the research and speak to community members about their experiences and thoughts on the priorities for the Charter.

Most participants expressed an interest in an interview rather than a focus group discussion. Between August and September, 18 interviews were completed, of which 15 were conducted by phone and three via video call. Participants were provided with a Love2shop voucher as a thank you for their participation. As with the workshops, expenses were paid to cover any additional costs incurred for participating for example, to provide respite care or childcare.

Where possible, information from interview participants was matched to demographic information previously supplied by panel members. Detailed information is not given to preserve anonymity for those who took part. The following overview is included to provide some context.

More women took part than men. Most participants were aged over 45. Some participants had a disability or long-term health condition and some had caring responsibilities. Participants were from a range of seldom heard groups, including: people with English as a second language, those from ethnic minority communities, refugees, people with recent experience of homelessness, people who experience digital exclusion, and people living in rural locations.