Examining outcomes associated with Social Security Scotland spending: an evidence synthesis

Social Security Scotland now delivers 14 benefits that support around 1.2 million people in Scotland. This report synthesises evidence relating to the outcomes associated with social security spending administered by Social Security Scotland, and highlights opportunities for further research.


9. Endnotes

1. Scottish Fiscal Commission (2023) Scotland’s Economic and Fiscal Forecasts – December 2023

2. The new Carer Support Payment will begin to replace Carer’s Allowance in Scotland in 2024-25.

3. Scottish Government (2022) Scottish Child Payment: interim evaluation

4. New Child Poverty modelling figures were published after this review was completed. The latest figures state that in 2024-25, the Scottish Child Payment alone is projected to impact the relative child poverty rate by 6 percentage points, meaning it will keep 60,000 children out of relative poverty in that year (Child poverty cumulative impact assessment – update)

5. Scottish Government (2022) Scottish Child Payment - estimating the effect on child poverty and Scottish Government (2023) Tackling child poverty delivery plan - annual progress report: annex b - cumulative impact assessment update

6. Principally from the interim evaluations of SCP, BSG and BSF

7. Scottish Government (2023) The Scottish Government's Medium-Term Financial Strategy

8. Scottish Government (2023) Scottish Budget 2024 to 2025: distributional analysis

9. Institute of Fiscal Studies (2023) Analysis of Scottish tax and benefit reforms

10. Scottish Government (2020) Scottish Child Payment: Equality Impact Assessment

11. Scottish Government (2022) Best Start Foods: evaluation

12. Scottish Government (2020) Best Start Grant: interim evaluation

13. SCP / BSG / BSF evaluations

14. Scottish Government (2022) Young Carer Grant: interim evaluation

15. Scottish Government (2022) Job Start Payment Evaluation

16. Social Security Scotland (2019) Our Charter

17. Scottish Government (2023) Take up rates of Scottish Benefits November 2023

18. Social Security Scotland (2023) Social Security Scotland - Client Survey 2022-2023

19. Scottish Government (2017) Responsibility-for-benefits-overview

20. Scottish Government (2017) Social security principles and a rights based approach

21. Scottish Government (2016) Creating a Fairer Scotland

22. Scottish Government (2023) Social Security business case February 2023

23. Scottish Government (2023) internal Scottish Government analysis

24. Scottish Government (2021) Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018: benefit take up strategy - October 2021

25. Scottish Government (2023) Scottish budget 2024-25 Annex A3

26. Audit Scotland (2022) Social security: Progress on implementing the devolved benefits

27. Child Poverty Action Group (2017) Two-child limit for Universal Credit: 200,000 more children put in poverty

28. Scottish Government (2022) Scottish Child Payment - estimating the effect on child poverty

29. Fitzpatrick, S et al. (2023) Destitution in the UK 2023 Jospeh Rowntree Foundation

30. The Trussell Trust (2023) Emergency food parcel distribution in Scotland: April 2022 - March 2023

31. Scottish Government (2022) Child Winter Heating Assistance: evaluation report

32. Scottish Government (2023) Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2019-22 (last accessed: 14 November 2023

33. Scottish Government (2017) Young Carers: review of research and data

34. Principally from the interim evaluations of SCP, BSG and BSF.

35. Scottish Government (2020) Carers Allowance Supplement: evaluation

36. Cantillon, S and Kirk, E (2020) Scotland’s Progressive Rhetoric: Devolution and Carer’s Allowance Social Policy and Society, 19(3), 396-413

37. Francis-Devine, B and Orme, S (2023) Income inequality in the UK House of Commons Library

38. Increasing SCP to £25 per week and expanding eligibility to children aged up to 16 years.

39. Hoynes, H., Schanzenbach W, D. and Almond, D. (2016). Long-Run Impacts of Childhood Access to the Safety Net American Economic Review, 106(4), pp. 903-934

40. Richardson E, et al. (2021). The contribution of changes to tax and social security to stalled life expectancy trends in Scotland: a modelling study. J Epidemiol Community Health 2021;75:365–70

41. Seaman, R et al (2023) Social security cuts and life expectancy: a longitudinal analysis of local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales J Epidemiol Community Health Published Online First: 07 November 2023

42. Sperber, J. F. et al. (2023). Unconditional Cash Transfers and Maternal Assessments of Children's Health, Nutrition, and Sleep: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open, 6(9), PMCID

43. Broadbent et al. (2023) The public health implications of the cost-of-living crisis: outlining mechanisms and modelling consequences The Lancet Regional Health Europe 2023:27 100585

44. Richardson, E et al. (2018) Income based policies in Scotland: how would they affect health and health inequalities (NHS Health Scotland)

45. Personal communication from authors; publication planned 2024

46. Foster, H, and Stamatis E (2020). Stress and well-being of unpaid carers supporting claimants through disability benefit assessments. Health & Social Care in the Community, vol. 28, no. 5, 2020, pp. 1525-1534

47. Social Security Scotland (2023) Client Survey 2022-2023 Summary Report

48. Scottish Government (2019) Social Security Experience Panels: Personal Independence Payment Health Assessments

49. Birt, C et al. (2022) Poverty in Scotland 2022 (Joseph Rowntree Foundation)

50. Scottish Government (2023) Social isolation and loneliness: Recovering our Connections 2023 to 2026

51. IPPR Scotland (2023) Tipping the scales: The social and economic harm of poverty in Scotland

52. Social Security Scotland (2023) Scottish Child Payment: high level statistics to 30 September 2023

53. Bailey, et al., (2020) Is the Social Safety Net a Long Term Investment? Large-Scale Evidence from the Food Stamps Program. The Review of Economic Studies , rdad063

54. Scottish Government (2022) Funeral Support Payment Evaluation

55. Engender (2017) Gender Matters Roadmap

56. Scottish Government Equality Evidence Finder

57. Equality and Human Rights Commission (2023) Equality and Human Rights Monitor: Is Scotland Fairer?

58. Scottish Government (2023) Social Security Scotland Client Diversity and Equalities Analysis for June 2021 to March 2023

59. UK Government (2018) Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018

60. Scottish Government (2021) Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018: benefit take-up strategy - October 2021

61. Scottish Government (2023) Take-up rates of Scottish benefits: November 2023

62. Scottish Government (2022) Social Security Experience Panels: Seldom heard voices

63. Social Security Scotland (2023) Measuring our Charter 2022-23

64. Social Security Scotland (2019) Measuring Our Charter: Are Social Security Scotland and Scottish Government delivering what Our Charter promised?

65. Scottish Government (2021) Social Security Scotland client diversity and equalities analysis December 2020 to May 2021

66. Scottish Government (2019) Social Security Scotland: our charter

67. Dorling, D (2023) Scotland is showing us the route to a fairer society (The Scotsman 19 August 2023)

68. BBC News (2023) Child poverty: Could Wales cut rates by copying Scotland? (last accessed: 29 November 2023)

69. Fitzpatrick, S et al. (2023) Destitution in the UK 2023 Joseph Rowntree Foundation

70. Ditchburn, S (2023)Why aren’t more people talking about the Scottish Child Payment? David Hume Institute (last accessed 29 November 2023)

71. HM Treasury (2020) The Green Book: appraisal and evaluation in central government

72. Scottish Government (2022) Devolution of disability benefits: evaluation strategy

73. Scottish Government (2021) Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 - benefit take-up strategy - October 2021: measuring take-up of low-income benefits

74. Scottish Government (2023) Take-up rates of Scottish benefits: November 2023

75. Scottish Government (2022) Scottish Child Payment - estimating the effect on child-poverty

76. Evaluations of policy changes such as the provision of supporting information for ADP and SCP have also been completed but these are not discussed in detail here as they relate mainly to delivery

77. Scottish Government (2023) Social Security Scotland Client Diversity and Equalities Analysis June 2021 to March 2023

78. Scottish Government (2020) Social Security Programme Business Case

79. HM Treasury (2023) The Green Book (publishing.service.gov.uk)

80. Scottish Government (2023) Social Security Programme Business Case

81. Scottish Government (2019) Income supplement: analysis of options

82. Scottish Government (2022) Scottish Carer's Assistance: consultation Supporting documents - Multi Criteria Analysis

83. Scottish Government (2021) Devolution of disability benefits: evaluation strategy

84. Scottish Government (2019) Devolved benefits: evaluating the policy impact

Contact

Email: Tom.Lamplugh@gov.scot

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