Welfare

Six Scottish social security benefits will be increased by 6% from April 1. Social security minister Ben Macpherson has announced the rise in support for low income households and carers in light of the increasing cost of living pressures.

Views are being sought on plans to improve support for Scotland’s community of unpaid carers through the introduction of a new benefit. Under Scottish Government proposals, Scottish Carer’s Assistance will replace Carer’s Allowance, currently delivered by the Department of Work and

Housing benefit advisor Bill Irvine details a case where DWP had refused to include a 'housing costs element' (HCE) in the award of Universal Credit to a tenant.

Hillhead Housing Association’s Welfare Rights Service have been granted £18,800 from Cash for Kids to support children of low income families of Hillhead & Caledonia Housing Associations in the Hillhead/Harestanes area of Kirkintilloch. Cash for Kids was chosen as a key partner of th

Over 658,000 Carer’s Allowance Supplement payments have been made to 126,055 carers since this additional payment, unique in the UK, was introduced in September 2018. In total, £188 million has been paid to carers since launch and just under 82,000 eligible carers received a payment in D

Eligible parents are being urged to apply for Scottish Child Payment on the first anniversary of its roll-out. The payment of £10 per week, unique to Scotland, began in February 2021 as a direct measure to tackle poverty. It provides regular, additional financial support to parents and carers

The new Adult Disability Payment will open for applications in three pilot areas from 21 March 2022. Legislation unanimously approved by the Scottish Parliament means that working-age disabled people, those with a long-term health condition and people who have a terminal illness should apply for dis

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has issued a warning about increasing demand for energy advice as new figures from across the CAB network shows the impact of the autumn price cap increase. In December 2021, CAB advice given in relation to utilities, the majority of which relates to energy, increased

Over 13 million people in England have no access to a local authority crisis support scheme, according to a report published today by End Furniture Poverty. The campaigning charity says there are now 32 local authorities no longer offering support with one in five English local authorities not opera

Disabled people are now able to access a new advocacy service to get help applying for Scottish social security benefits. The support is available to disabled people applying for any of Social Security Scotland’s current and future benefits including Child Disability Payment and Adult Disabili

Fast-tracking sanctions for Universal Credit claimants just four weeks after their first claim will only exacerbate the problem for those seeking work, Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has warned.

The Scottish Child Payment will need to be quadrupled to help the Scottish Government to avoid missing its child poverty targets, the Poverty and Inequality Commission (PIC) said today.

The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has imposed fines against Mastercard, allpay, Advanced Payment Solutions, Prepaid Financial Services and Sulion after concluding that the five parties infringed competition law by agreeing not to compete or poach each other’s customers in the prepaid cards m

The introduction of Adult Disability Payment and extension of Scottish Child Payment to children under 16 will see a major increase in the number of people eligible to receive Sottish benefits in 2022. The Scottish Child Payment will increase to £20 from April, giving increased support to 111,

Projects that support low-income households will benefit from a funding boost through the Scottish Government’s Winter Support Fund.