Various reports from organisations
A new report from Scottish Women’s Aid reveals a hidden but serious problem across Scotland: coerced debt. This is a form of economic abuse where an abusive partner builds up debt in someone else’s name—often without their knowledge or through pressure and control. The research shows this is not rare, but a common tactic used […]
Hidden crisis of coerced debt (Scotland, 2026) Read More »
✅ What advisers should know – claimant impact (DWP Follow‑up) Sixtieth Report of Session 2024-26 Response to Select Committee report on service performance Why this matters for claimants Bottom line:Improvements are promised, but advisers should expect continued variability in service quality and remain prepared to challenge decisions, escalate complaints, and support vulnerable clients assertively. Government
DWP Service Improvements: What Advisers Need to Know Read More »
Assessing the link between conditionality and poor quality employment By Max Mosley, Tom Stephens 10 February 2026 Successive central governments have designed benefit programmes with high levels of conditionality. The programmes have required claimants to actively look for work, in order to keep accessing social security. While some level of conditionality is not unusual compared to other
Pushed into the wrong job? Read More »
Date published: 27 January 2026 This report sets out the nature of poverty in the UK, and evaluates changes under the last Conservative-led Government. It also sets out the scale of action necessary for the current Government to deliver the change it has promised. This report studies a range of data sources and published insights
Delivering money and welfare rights advice in community settings positively impacts individuals’ financial wellbeing, finds a new report from the Improvement Service. This is particularly true for people who are less likely to engage with services delivered in more traditional settings. The report, Community-based Advice Provision in Scotland, looks at how councils are supporting individuals to
Community-based advice reduces stigma and improves wellbeing Read More »
Early lessons from the introduction of Adult Disability Payment in Scotland 8 December 2025 When the Scottish Government introduced the Adult Disability Payment (ADP) in 2022 to replace Personal Independence Payment (PIP), it set out to do things differently. [i] Although the two benefits have the same eligibility criteria and are paid at the same rates, Social
Delivering dignity? Read More »
In Scotland, we believe in justice and compassion. We want to see everyone with enough to live a decent life – and the opportunities to flourish – through an economic system that prioritises people and the planet. We know that this is possible. That is why the 2026 Scottish Parliament election is so important. With
Poverty Alliance: 2026 Scottish Parliament election manifesto Read More »
Insights into Adult Disability Payment: Evidence from Citizens Advice Scotland Citizens Advice Scotland has today released the second edition of Insights into Adult Disability Payment: Evidence from Citizens Advice Scotland a short and important publication that both identifies the challenges facing disabled people across Scotland and explores solutions. Key findings from the briefing include: Our advice
Insights into ADP: Evidence from CAS Read More »
Published 8 December 2025 Recent years have seen a divergence in welfare of Scotland compared to other UK nations. The Scottish Government has used its devolved powers on social security to introduce a package of five Family Payments, the centrepiece of which is the new Scottish Child Payment (SCP). Introduced in February 2021, and increased
Published 10 December 2025 The Scottish Child Payment (SCP), introduced in 2021, provides cash transfers for families with children receiving Universal Credit (UC) or related benefits. The eligibility link to UC can create a potential cliff-edge at that threshold of eligibility – the decision to work one more hour can potentially result in a large
Does The Scottish Child Payment Weaken Work Incentives? Read More »
