Welfare

A total of £46.9 billion was spent last year on public services to help tackle poverty, deliver fair pay deals, and support people displaced by the war in Ukraine, provisional figures have shown. The 2022-23 Provisional Outturn compares actual spending with the funding commitments set out in t

At a time when unclaimed welfare benefits throughout the UK reached a figure of £18.7 billion, Argyll Community Housing Association’s (ACHA) Welfare Rights team has secured almost £3.8 million for 1,268 households across Argyll and Bute in the last 12 months.

A new report which details the Scottish Government's progress to reduce child poverty has highlighted that too many children in Scotland still don’t have access to the basic essentials, according to IPPR Scotland.

Housing minister Paul McLennan has called on the UK Government to increase in local housing allowance rates (LHA) to avoid a surge in homelessness. Used to calculate Universal Credit payments for private tenants, LHA has been frozen in cash terms since 2020 and the freeze is due to continu

Third sector organisations are to be paid a fee for helping provide supporting information for people applying for Child Disability Payment or Adult Disability Payment, the Scottish Government has announced. The £33.50 fee will be paid when they are asked by Social Security Scotland to complet

The Scottish Child Payment is now being received by the families of more than 300,000 children and young people, according to official statistics. New figures show that 303,000 children were receiving the payment at the end of March.

Iain Hardie explores the impact of the UK’s Universal Credit rollout on housing insecurity, examining research findings that suggest an increase in housing problems and approaches for assistance due to the policy implementation, as well as discussing the key aspects of Universal Credit that c

At least 630,000 families with children have been pushed on to Universal Credit since before the pandemic, new figures from Action for Children suggest.

An estimated 20,000 additional people will become eligible for additional help to buy healthy foods when income thresholds are removed for Best Start Foods payments. The Scottish Government benefit provides help to pregnant women or their partners as well as families with children aged up to three y

Thousands of families of disabled children and young people received an additional £214.10 to help heat their homes this winter, according to the latest official statistics for Child Winter Heating Assistance. More than 26,000 payments worth £5.7 million were made for winter 2022/2023, &

A major new study into the effect of Universal Credit on social housing tenants has revealed the detrimental impact it is having on lives and how it is driving people into debt and poverty.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has called for changes to the childcare element of Universal Credit to be extended to the main element of the benefit.

Twelve Scottish Government benefits including Carer’s Allowance Supplement and Best Start Grants will be increased by 10.1% on 1 April, backed by investment of around £430 million. The Scottish Child Payment was increased by 150% in 2022 to £25 per eligible child per week.

More than £3.2 million of funding has been made available to help support people in Dundee struggling with housing costs.

Support for community groups bringing people and communities together to tackle isolation has been launched.