Over 90% have good experience of Social Security Scotland, a new report has said

The ten Scottish social security benefits paid £108.9 million to people across the country in 2020/21, a new report has shown.

The payments, outlined in the Social Security Scotland 2020/21 Annual Report, include support for eligible families with young children, carers, people who need help paying for a funeral, young people entering the workplace and families with disabled children to provide help to heat their homes.

The annual Client Survey also published this week shows that people have a very positive experience of Social Security Scotland with 92% of people saying their overall experience was ‘very good’ or ‘good’. 94% of people who had been in touch with our client advisers also said they had been treated with kindness.

Minister for social security Ben Macpherson said: “Social security is a collective investment in the people of Scotland and building a fairer society for all. The investment that the Scottish Government provides through Scottish benefits and the work of Social Security Scotland is important because it tackles poverty and promotes equality. These payments go directly to people to help at key times in their lives – like when they’re having a new baby or starting a new job – and they also help to support carers.

“We are now delivering 11 benefits and seven of them are brand new - and the more complex devolved disability and carer benefits have started to be rolled out. When all Scottish benefits have been introduced, we will support 1.8 million children and adults – around a third of people in Scotland.

“What’s also positive in this annual report is that, as well as getting people the money they are entitled to, it’s clear that overwhelmingly people are having a very positive experience when they are interacting with this new public service. People can be assured that Social Security Scotland will be there when they need it, and is a service that they can rely on and be proud of.”

Chief executive of Social Security Scotland, David Wallace, said "I am proud to say that, despite the challenges Covid-19 presented, we continued to pay out benefits throughout the year and deliver high levels of service to our clients.

“We also introduced three brand new benefits – Job Start Payment, Child Winter Heating Assistance and our most significant benefits to date - Scottish Child Payment - all while the majority of our staff worked remotely.

“As we grow and become responsible for delivering more benefits, we will continue to put our clients at the heart of our work and ensure that people are treated with dignity, fairness and respect.”