Welfare

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has expressed disappointment that Chancellor Rishi Sunak failed to confirm whether the temporary £20-per-week increase to Universal Credit will be made permanent beyond March 2021. Introduced in March this year as a measure to help people whose income was hi

The in-house welfare rights team at West of Scotland Housing Association (WSHA) has helped secure a £22k welfare benefits backdate for one of its tenants. On starting his new tenancy with WSHA, the welfare rights team initially provided Hamish McGregor support to apply for Universal

Almost 6,000 people received a Funeral Support Payment from the Scottish Government in its first full year, according to new statistics. Since it started making payments last September, Social Security Scotland has paid out £8.7 million to people who have lost a loved one.

The UK Parliament’s Scottish affairs select committee has issued a call for evidence regarding its inquiry into welfare policy in Scotland.

A new report from the Scottish Government has revealed the full impact of the planned withdrawal of emergency benefit measures, brought in by the UK Government to support people through the pandemic. Scottish Government analysis shows that if the UK Government takes away the £20-a-we

Child Disability Payment will be the next new benefit to be introduced by the Scottish Government. In an update to the Scottish Parliament yesterday, cabinet secretary for social security Shirley-Anne Somerville said Social Security Scotland will start taking applications from summer 2021 as part of

The new Scottish Child Payment is to open early for applications from Monday November 9. Social Security Scotland will be taking applications ahead of its introduction on Monday 15 February 2021 to help manage the expected demand.

People challenging disability benefit decisions will be able to claim a new Short Term Assistance payment under Scotland’s new social security system. Short Term Assistance will mean people continue to receive the amount of money they were getting before the decision was made to lower or stop

A woman who argued it was unlawful to distinguish between Statutory Maternity Pay and state Maternity Allowance when calculating how much a person should receive in Universal Credit has failed in her claim before an English court.

The amount paid out in crisis grants to people in need increased by more than three quarters in the early stages of lockdown, according to the latest Scottish Government figures. The Scottish Welfare Fund awarded £5.2 million in crisis grants between April and June 2020, up 77% on the sam

Families of disabled children will receive a new heating benefit from the Scottish Government by Christmas. The Child Winter Heating Assistance is a new £200 payment to help families of a child on the highest rate care component of Disability Living Allowance for Children to heat their homes.

As the Scottish Government share details of what its new disability benefits will look and feel like for those who interact with the new benefit system, cabinet secretary for social security and older people Shirley-Anne Somerville explains how a series of policy position papers will set o

A £30 million package of funding from the Scottish Government is being made available to local authorities to support people facing financial hardship as a result of coronavirus, including money to provide free school meals over the school holidays. Local authorities will be given flexibility

Young carers are being encouraged to check if they are entitled to further awards as the Young Carer Grant marks it’s second anniversary. The Young Carer Grant is a £305.10 payment available on an annual basis for 16, 17 and 18-year-olds who spend an average of 16 hours a week caring for

A starter payment should be made to people claiming Universal Credit (UC) for the first time to ensure that everyone has enough money for basics such as food and heating during the five-week wait for their initial monthly payment, a report by the Work and Pensions Committee has recommended. The