Seldom Heard Groups Action Plan

How the Seldom-Heard Action Plan was Developed

Learning from the research reports was shared with relevant policy teams across the Scottish Government as a first step to developing a response to the commissioned research, as well as to inform ongoing policy development. A Short Life Working Group (SLWG) was then established to support the development of the Seldom-Heard Groups Action Plan. This Group brought together Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland officials, ensuring policy and operational delivery insights and perspectives informed the development of the Plan.

Stakeholders and third sector support organisations play an important role in representing and advocating for the interests of seldom-heard communities. To ensure that the outcomes and focused actions developed for this plan respond to the needs of seldom-heard groups, these were tested with key external stakeholders through the Scottish Government’s Benefit Take-Up Stakeholder Reference Group.

The following sections outline the stages of development of the Action Plan, including a thematic analysis of the research, development of an Outcomes Framework, and how stakeholder feedback helped shape and strengthen our approach.

Our Approach

This Action Plan does not respond to each individual recommendation in the published research as some of them are not entirely within the scope of the Scottish Government to address or will be addressed through other areas of work and ongoing policy development and delivery. The Action Plan is also designed to cover a focused period of 12 months in the run-up to the publication of the next Benefit Take-Up Strategy, due by October 2026. The actions in it are therefore focused and intended to generate learning for the Strategy, which will continue to draw on the findings of the commissioned research and its recommendations where an immediate timescale would not be sufficient to address these.

For this reason, the Action Plan takes a thematic and outcomes-based approach. The Scottish Government conducted a thematic analysis of the research and recommendations and developed six core themes, which encapsulate both the challenges and opportunities for improving benefit take-up in the run up to the next Benefit Take-Up Strategy. For example, the theme Staff Learning and Development responds to recommendations made in the research on the provision of training and resources to better equip staff to support seldom-heard groups, challenge stigma and employ culturally sensitive and trauma informed approaches. The six core themes are: Staff Learning and Development; Person-Centred Services; Data Collection and Evaluation; Cross-Organisational Collaboration; Language and Communication; and Accessible Support to Apply.

The six core themes guided the development of clear outcomes for the Action Plan, through creation of an Outcomes Framework, which can be found at Annex A.

Ultimately, this Action Plan sets out how the Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland will continue to address systemic barriers to take-up by building on the significant work already underway, while introducing new focussed actions in the immediate term. These will enhance our approach to benefit take-up in line with the research findings this Action Plan responds to.

The action tables in the ‘Our Action Plan’ section of this document highlight where actions correspond to evidence from the research and the relevant guiding principles of the Benefit Take-Up Strategy.

The Outcomes Framework

The Outcomes Framework was developed through the SLWG and, along with several key actions, was tested with the Scottish Government’s Benefit Take-Up Stakeholder Reference Group to gain further insights and expertise from members who represent seldom-heard groups. The Outcomes Framework shows how the Seldom-Heard Action Plan is expected to create change. It is guided by the key themes that emerged from the research and connects the actions that will be taken through delivery of this Plan with the outcomes to be achieved in the short, medium, and long term.

The Outcomes Framework is intended to ensure that the actions correspond to the outcomes and contribute to the long-term outcome of maximising benefit take-up for seldom-heard groups. Monitoring of these actions will take place over the lifetime of the Plan and the insights and lessons learned from this activity will be used to inform and set out the next Benefit Take-Up Strategy.

Role of the Benefit Take-Up Stakeholder Reference Group

Since 2019, the Scottish Government has convened the Benefit Take-Up Stakeholder Reference Group. The membership of the Group was refreshed in February 2025, to ensure representation from organisations representing the interests of seldom-heard groups and protected characteristics. The Group brings together valued stakeholders including third sector support organisations, public sector delivery partners and relevant social innovation enterprises with an interest in promoting benefit take-up. Through the Group, key stakeholders offer expert input on benefit take-up approaches.

Themes and Outcomes

Theme: Staff Learning and Development

Outcome: Staff are supported with regular training and resources to help them understand and meet the needs of seldom-heard groups. This includes learning about the barriers people face, how to challenge stigma, and how to provide kind, trauma-aware, and culturally sensitive support.

Theme: Person-Centred Services

Outcome: Social security services are designed and delivered in a way that meets the diverse needs of individuals, ensuring dignity, fairness, and respect in every interaction.

Theme: Data Collection and Evaluation

Outcome: We collect data on the different clients accessing Scottish social security payments. This helps us to better understand people's experiences, develop evidence-informed policies, and improve services. We regularly review our performance and evaluate our policies to see what is working well and what could be better so that we can keep learning and improving.

Theme: Cross-Organisational Collaboration

Outcome: The Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland work closely with other public services and support organisations. We identify ways to work together to support people to access their entitlements.

Theme: Language and Communication

Outcome: The Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland uses clear and welcoming language in everything we say and write. We avoid words that could confuse or enable stigma. Information is adapted to meet different needs, so that everyone, including seldom-heard groups, can find it, understand it, and feel confident using it.

Theme: Accessible Support to Apply

Outcome: People can access social security support in ways that suit them. This includes translated materials, different communication formats, and face-to-face or online support. Local and trusted community groups play a key role in helping people get the right support at the right time.