Punitive sanction regime is forcing thousands of Scots children into destitution
Scots children are paying the price for the UK government’s welfare reforms - with thousands on the receiving end of its punitive sanction regime.
A Freedom of Information (FoI) request by the Church of Scotland shows that 3,600 Scottish families with dependent children were affected by benefit sanctions between June 2012 and May 2013.
At least 6,460 Scottish children were affected during this time, the charity found.
The Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre now believe that, based upon these figures, a further 3,023 households with dependent children could have been affected by adverse sanction decisions between October 2013 and September 2014.
An MSP is now calling for an urgent inquiry into the sanction regime.
Kevin Stewart, of the SNP, said thousands of children were continuing to pay the price for welfare sanctions – collateral damage that was not acceptable.
“Children cannot possibly be held responsible for whether their parents are sanctioned or not, but as things stand thousands of them are paying the price,” he said.
“It is just another example of a sanctions regime that time after time has shown itself to be grossly unfair.
Children cannot possibly be held responsible for whether their parents are sanctioned or not - John Dickie
“There must be an independent inquiry into Westminster’s sanctions regime that seems to be running out of control.”
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) initially disputed the existence of figures showing the extent to which benefit sanctions were affecting children, despite having answered a previous FoI on the subject, claimed Stewart.
John Dickie, head of Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, said the figures are in line with the organisation’s own evidence it had gathered as part of its “early warning system.”
He said: “We have collated evidence of parents sanctioned for failing mandatory activity because they didn’t have access to a computer, for being ten minutes late for interviews, for failing to bring the right documents to appointments and for missing appointments due to childcare crises.
“It can’t possibly be right to push children into acute hardship, often without warning, for such spurious reasons.”
Dickie added: “In the face of such clear evidence it is vital that the UK government urgently reviews its approach to sanctions, but here in Scotland more can also be done to ensure families have the information they need to avoid sanctions, the advice they need to challenge sanctioning decisions, the knowledge to ensure they are considered for hardship payments, and finally the ability to access Scottish Welfare Fund support if crisis looms.”
The DWP said claimants should do everything they can to find to work in return for benefits pointing to research showing more than 70% of claimants are more likely to follow rules if they know they risk having their benefits stopped.
A spokesperson added: “The most common reasons for a Jobseeker's Allowance sanction include failure to actively look for work, failure to take part in an employment programme and not having a good reason for missing a meeting at the Jobcentre.
“Claimants can always ask for us to look at the sanction decision again, and we have a well-established system of hardship payments where needed for vulnerable claimants.”
Sanctions forced me to a foodbank to feed my kids
David McPate was sanctioned twice after Jobcentre advisers said he wasn’t doing enough to findwork.
His partner Clare has two children under five and, as a result, saw their benefit payments halt.
For a week thefamily of four, who live in Falkirk, was wholly reliant on foodbank handouts and were given a smallcash payment from the local church to help with electricity.
David said: “The decision to sanction me was basically done as a punishment because I answered back to the adviser.
“He became irate when I said I was doing everything I could to find work and that I couldn't do anything more.
"He said it wasn't enough and would put forward a recommendation to sanction me, even though I told him my family would starve.”
David said that week was the worst he has known in the three years he has been claiming benefits.
“I wasn’t worried about myself; it was the kids. How do you tell a four year old there is no food? They just expect it to be there, for the house to be warm.”
His payments were reinstated immediately upon appeal but the episode is a lesson on how the system works, says David.
“You have to whistle their tune, jump when they say jump. Otherwise they’ll just punish you.
“That’s what it’sabout. They are in control and you are at their mercy. "
"It’s a wholly unfair andimmoral system.”
