Social Security Charter Review: research findings

12. Findings from phase one

This section summarises the key findings from the first phase of research with staff, partner organisations, and clients described in sections 8-11 above. These findings were used to inform the next phase of research. Findings were shared with the core client group at workshops and were used to help inform their discussions and to develop proposed changes to the Charter and framework. The findings were also used to refine questions used in interviews with clients from seldom heard groups.

12.1 Feedback about the Charter and implementation

Findings from research carried out in phase one confirmed key themes identified in the scoping activity. There was positive feedback about the Charter overall and the content appeared to reflect priorities. Staff thought the Charter gave focus to the values of dignity, fairness and respect and had a strong influence on organisational culture. Most staff also thought the Charter was positive for clients, and promoted a focus on supporting clients’ needs. Overall, feedback was also positive from partner organisations about the impact of the Charter and its role in setting a standard to hold the Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland to account.

There were some concerns about implementation of the Charter commitments. Some staff participants said the Charter was “aspirational” and had not yet been fully delivered. Staff said implementation had been let down by poor processes, a lack of staff training and support, and missed opportunities to build on lessons learned. There was also some concern from partner organisations that client experiences with Social Security Scotland did not always “match up” with the commitments in the Charter. Partner organisations were concerned about different aspects of delivery, particularly application processing times. Some client survey respondents left comments about negative experiences with Social Security Scotland which they felt did not reflect the Charter commitments.

12.2 Priorities

Findings from phase one identified key priorities for the Charter. Firstly, there was support for the Charter to set out how social security is delivered and what clients can expect from the system. Almost all client survey respondents (97 per cent) said it was important that the Charter reflects how Social Security Scotland works. There was strong support for the Charter to let clients know what they can expect from the Scottish social security system (90 per cent) and how the service should be delivered (66 per cent). Staff participants suggested that the Charter should include more information to help clients understand how processes for supporting information work in practice.

Accountability was also identified as a priority. Client survey respondents said timescales and updates were vital for clients. Respondents also said the Charter should include information about how the commitments are being met. Some said it should also provide information for clients to provide feedback about their experience with Social Security Scotland. Partner organisations were more negative than positive about whether clients know how to challenge the Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland if they do not live up to the Charter commitments. However, over three quarters (78 per cent) of client survey respondents felt very confident or confident they would know how to raise an issue if they felt their rights weren’t being met. Partner organisations said more information should be shared about how the monitoring of performance was used to improve service delivery.

Findings show that culture was also a priority for the Charter. Almost three quarters (72 per cent) of client survey respondents said the Charter should built trust between clients and Social Security Scotland. Around two thirds (63 per cent) said the Charter should set a culture in Social Security Scotland that puts clients at the centre. Respondents said the most important theme for the Charter to cover was how clients are treated and supported. Second, respondents said it was important that the Charter sets out what staff are like. Barriers relating to stigma and discrimination were highlighted in the evidence review about seldom heard groups. The evidence described various experiences with the social security system where staff were unwelcoming or insensitive about their particular circumstances.

Lastly, communication and support for clients was identified as a key issue and common barrier among seldom heard groups. This included limited choice of communication methods, digital exclusion, and a lack of translation and interpretation.

12.3 Communication and format

There were several key themes in the findings about the format of the Charter and the framework, and how they are communicated.

Firstly, there was mixed feedback about the awareness of the Charter and the framework. Among staff participants, familiarity varied although most remembered taking part in training about the Charter when they first started at Social Security Scotland. A third (33 per cent) of client survey respondents said they were familiar with the Charter. Around half (49 per cent) of these respondents said they heard about the Charter via a leaflet with their decision letter. The review of evidence from seldom heard groups found that low awareness of the social security system was a common barrier across all groups. Partner organisations thought there was low awareness of the framework among clients.

Overall, feedback was positive about the way the Charter is written. Partners said it was clear and about the right length. Staff participants also thought it was clear and liked that it is available in different formats. Views were mixed among client survey respondents about the ideal length of the Charter. About a third thought that it was important that the Charter was detailed, even if this meant a longer document. Roughly equal proportions said the Charter should be short or it was important to find something in the middle. Staff participants raised a concern about including more detail in the Charter which would make it longer and potentially less accessible.

On the types of documents client survey respondents would read about the Charter, over half (57% per cent) said they would likely read a visual summary and just under half (48 per cent) said a document of up to 5 pages of writing. Only 4 per cent said they would read a document longer than 10 pages. Over half (56 per cent) of client survey respondents felt that the most appropriate way to give clients a copy of Our Charter was with every decision letter. The majority said information about the Charter should be available online.

Staff participants said it was important to consider different communication needs and to use effective strategies to help clients engage with the Charter. Client survey respondents said it was important the Charter was written in plain English to ensure it was easy to read and understand. Some respondents said visual elements such as images and icons could help clients engage with the content of the Charter. The use of visual communication was also raised by staff participants.

Some client respondents said that the language used in the Charter should be specific and avoid vague, unclear statements. Some also suggested that there should be further explanation of terms used in the Charter and links to information about other forms of support for clients. One staff participant said some of the language used in the Charter should be updated to reflect that maturity of Social Security Scotland.

There was mixed feedback from partner organisations about both the length of the framework and about how easy it is to understand. There was generally positive feedback that the framework brought together information from various sources into one place.