Social Security Communications and Engagement Partnership Group

Overview

The Communications and Engagement Partnership Group will provide a forum to bring together experts and practitioners in developing and delivering Scottish social security communications objectives. It will provide a network for the Scottish Government and its partners to engage in a meaningful, coordinated and on-going basis. Organisations are invited to participate based on their ability and capacity to reach a range of networks and audiences as well as for their knowledge and understanding of the groups who will be impacted by the new powers that they represent and support.

Objectives

The key objectives are:

1. Co-ordination, reach, messaging and signposting - To help build understanding of social security in civic and wider Scotland using existing networks and effective, consistent, factual messaging.

2. Sharing best practice - On reaching out to people, and communicating key milestones and activities with a view to ensuring that all those with an interest and who will be impacted by the new powers are fully engaged and well-informed.

3. Partnership - To share information, updates and future plans on the work of Social Security in Scotland to build a shared awareness of our complementary action and shared outcomes.

Meetings and format

• the Group will meet a minimum of 4 times a year (every 3 months). Additional meetings or correspondence may be required at various times throughout the lifespan of the group. This may include the formation of short life working groups.
• agreed dates for the forthcoming meetings will be published at the last meeting of the year for the following year
• the Scottish Government will organise, chair and provide secretariat at meetings
• members will have the opportunity to shape the agenda for each meeting, with a standing agenda item for updates on the work of the Social Security Directorate. The agenda will also reflect social security milestones
• the Scottish Government will send out any information which is appropriate to members in between meetings
• a platform for sharing information will be created and maintained by the Scottish Government
• an action and issues log will be set up and maintained by the Scottish Government
• terms of reference and minutes of meetings will be published on the Scottish Government webpage. The draft minutes will be published soon after the meeting, members will clear by email
• members whose organisations are represented on other Social Security Reference / Advisory Groups will commit to feedback and share relevant outcomes thus ensuring the most effective use of cross- working partnerships

Members

The organisations represented on this Group are listed in the table below. Additional members may be asked as necessary on an ad hoc basis and as agreed by existing members.

Member	Organisation
Polly Tolley	Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS)
Robert McGregor	COSLA
Euan MacKay	NHS Health Scotland
Marion Davis	One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS)
Peter Kelly	Poverty Alliance
Kirsty McKechnie	CPAG (Child Poverty Action Group)
Sheghley Ogilvie	SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations)
Jeremy Hewer	SFHA (The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations)
Lucy Mulvagh	The Alliance
Hazel Mollison	Age Scotland
Colin Lee	CEMVO (Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations)
Emma Trottier	Engender
Suzanne Munday	MECOPP (Minority Ethnic Carers)
Bill Scott	Inclusion Scotland
Michael McMahon	Disability Action Scotland (DAS)
Claire Cairns	Coalition of Carers representing national Scottish Carers organisations
Jane Moffat (Chair)	Scottish Government
Kirsten Sweeney	Scottish Government
Jacqueline Brown (Secretariat)	Scottish Government
Jo-anne Lawson	Scottish Government

Publications