Social Security Scotland provides benefits to help cover the extra costs that having a disability can bring. 

Adult Disability Payment and Child Disability Payment are available to children, teenagers and adults who are disabled, have a long-term health condition or are terminally ill.  

Social Security Scotland takes a very different approach to providing benefits than the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). 

The starting point for Social Security Scotland is trust in what people tell them about their needs. It treats people with dignity, fairness and respect and views access to benefits as a human right. 

The Scottish Government provided £20 million to pay for an independent advocacy service to help disabled people access the benefits they’re entitled to. VoiceAbility is independent and can support people throughout the whole application process. 

While most people applying to the DWP for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) undergo a face-to-face assessment, this isn’t how Social Security Scotland works. 

The organisation aims to make a decision based on the information in the application alongside any supporting information.  

This should include one piece of supporting information from a professional that broadly confirms the applicant’s disability, conditions or needs.  

Supporting information can take many forms, for example prescription lists, care plans and appointment letters – documents many applicants already have at home. 

It can come from a range of professionals who are familiar with the applicant and their conditions, disability or needs, including support workers, nurses, counsellors, occupational therapists and GPs.  

Applicants who have supporting information to hand are encouraged to provide it directly along with their application.  

This is normally the fastest way to get it to Social Security Scotland and reduces requests to busy professionals. 

Unlike the DWP, Social Security Scotland can collect supporting information on the behalf of people who request this. Applicants can let Social Security Scotland know on the application form whether they’d prefer this, and whom we should reach out to. 

This means Social Security Scotland staff get in touch directly with professionals to request supporting information.   

This is normally by letter, though staff will sometimes call a professional if they have not heard back from them to check if they received the request. 

Craig, a health and social care professional who works in Social Security Scotland said: “When designing our disability benefits we consulted with disability groups.  

“The feedback was that the face to face interviews adult applicants had with the DWP were very unpopular, so we stepped away from this approach.  

“Supporting information helps us to build up a picture of how a person is affected by their disability. I worked as a nurse for 20 years and I can use a prescription list to help form a picture of the conditions that affect a person.  

“Sometimes the list may highlight a condition that isn’t mentioned on the application. In a case like this, the supporting information means we can do better for this person because we’re able to put together their whole story.” 

A leaflet and video have been produced to provide guidance on supporting information.  Social Security Scotland hopes these will help people understand supporting information better and encourage them to provide it whether they’re an applicant or professional.  

For more information visit www.mygov.scot/disabilitybenefits