WE want everyone involved with Scotland’s social security system to be treated with respect and dignity. These principles are so important to us, we ensured they are in law and have worked to achieve this since we established Social Security Scotland in September 2018.

Since then, we have introduced 10 benefits and provided support to thousands of people. From the game-changing new Scottish Child Payment, which could support over 160,000 families, to the Young Carer Grant that helps young people – we are there to support people when they need it most. But we aren’t just introducing new benefits, we are also replacing current ones. And when we do, it will be in a very different way to the system that many people have been familiar with through the Department of Work and Pensions.

To achieve this, we have listened to those who have experience of the current UK system and designed a service aimed at providing a positive experience that is based on dignity, fairness and respect.

Everything we do, from developing the policy behind a benefit, to the application process, has been developed by working with those with lived experience to ensure we get it right from the very start.

From a standing start, and in the face of a global pandemic, the progress has been remarkable. We have ensured strong foundations by putting staff in place and building the necessary systems and processes to underpin each of our benefits.

We will continue to take this approach as we get ready to introduce our new disability benefits. Child Disability Payment will start this summer with a pilot in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross, and the Western Isles council areas, ahead of a national roll-out later in the year. We want to remove barriers for people, not put them in their way. So, if you are entitled to a benefit, then it’s your right to get it – on time and in full.

And the good news is that from feedback we have received, this approach is working. 90% of clients who took part in our first client survey rated their overall experience with Social Security Scotland as “very good” or “good”. We will not get complacent – we understand client satisfaction is very high now, but we still face key challenges and we will continue to listen.

What people can expect from social security has changed significantly in a short period of time across Scotland and it will continue to evolve into the service users want. No-one should ever experience stress and anxiety when accessing the support they are entitled to.

I am confident the Scottish Government has laid the foundations of a system that will stand the test of time, can be fully relied upon and will give people the peace of mind that they have a new public service they can rely on and they deserve.