Social Security Experience Panels: annual report 2019

Looking forward to 2020

This section will look at our plans for next year, and longer term the plan for transferring social security research to Social Security Scotland.

In 2020 we will continue our programme of work with panel members. We will continue work on specific benefits, with a new focus on the larger, recurring benefits still to come. This will include work on:

• Disability benefits
• Cold Weather and Winter Fuel Payments
• Carer’s Allowance
• Young Carer Grant

We will also continue to cover a range of topics to do with how Social Security works across all benefits. As usual, in early 2020 we will run an set of surveys and focus groups for all panel members around Scotland. We are in the process of finalising topics for these, but they are likely to include:

• Uptake of benefits
• Meeting clients’ needs

Our ‘About You’ survey of panel member demographics and feedback has been later than usual this year, in order to give new panel members a chance to participate. So we will report on this early in 2020.

We will continue to share our findings and be open about our approach with panel members, social security colleagues, external stakeholders and advisory groups, and colleagues across government and the wider public sector.

We will continue to work with our partner researchers in Social Security Scotland to make sure that they build on the work of the Experience Panels, and to make sure our research programmes complement each other well. Together we will continue to ensure that user voice is at the heart of social security in Scotland.