Social Security Experience Panels: change of circumstances and debt repayment - report

Summary

Contacting clients about changes in circumstances

Half of survey respondents (50 per cent) said Social Security Scotland should ask them about any changes of circumstances once a year. Less than one fifth (19 per cent) felt that they should be asked every six months. Less than one-tenth of respondents (9 per cent) said that clients should be contacted every three months. Only 4 per cent thought that Social Security Scotland should make contact about changes of circumstances every month.

Of the 18 per cent that answered 'other', some suggested that the frequency of contact about changes of circumstances should depend on the client's situation. Others thought that the frequency of contact should be agreed between the client and Social Security Scotland. Several said they would not want any contact at all.

Three-fifths of total respondents (59 per cent) said that they would not want a reminder about changes of circumstances separately from existing communication from Social Security Scotland. Two-fifths (40 per cent) said that they would want a separate reminder.

Of those that indicated that they would want a separate reminder about changes of circumstances, over a third (36 per cent) indicated that they would want that separate reminder once a year. Just under a third (31 per cent) wanted to be reminded every six months. Over a fifth (21 per cent) wanted a reminder every three months, compared to one tenth (12 per cent) who wanted to be reminded once every two years.

Over half (51 per cent) said that they would like the reminder in a letter, while over a third (35 per cent) wanted it through email. Over a tenth (14 per cent) said that they would want to receive reminders through a text message.

Focus group participants said that they wanted information about how to notify about changes of circumstances to be clear and easy to understand. They also wanted it to be friendly in tone.

Clients reporting changes to Social Security Scotland

Half of respondents (51 per cent) said that they would want to notify Social Security Scotland about changes of circumstances online and over a fifth (22 per cent) said that they would like to use the telephone. Of those who answered 'other,' some wanted to make contact both over the phone and online. A few respondents said that they would want to make contact via their social worker.

Focus group participants listed a number of reasons why they would not want to report changes of circumstances to Social Security Scotland. These included:

• Fear and uncertainty about the consequences of notifying about a change – this included worrying about having to be reassessed or losing money.
• Lack of faith in the system.
• Not knowing when to report if they had a condition that was fluctuating.
• Not wanting to wait for long periods of time to talk to someone over the phone.

Participants suggested making processes around changes of circumstances clearer. This would help clients know how reporting changes could impact them. Some who didn't like waiting for a phone operator suggested an online call-back booking system, where clients could request that a client advisor gave them a ring at a time that they had specified. Others suggested an online portal where quick changes - such as address or name - could be inputted by the client.

Minimising stress

Many focus group participants discussed how the language and tone of communication about changes of circumstances could create stress for clients. Many thought there was an opportunity for Social Security Scotland to be more compassionate with clients. Some thought that steps could be taken to offer more reassurance to clients when they were contacted about changes of circumstances. Others thought that by establishing regular and friendly contact, there were chances to build up trust and reduce the likelihood of clients panicking when they received any correspondence.

Others suggested that continuity and being able to deal with the same staff member each time would also reduce the stress of interacting with the system. As part of this, several participants felt that face to face contact was valuable and calming. This would mean that clients would not have to retell their story again and again.

Others commented that stress could be minimised if Social Security Scotland remained mindful of how contact and reporting around changes of circumstances were linked to the hardships and the uncertainties in clients' lives.

Some participants also emphasised that flexibility and co-designing solutions with Social Security Scotland would help to remove stress around changes of circumstances.

Agency error - under and overpayments

Focus group participants generally felt that if a client had been underpaid, they should be notified as soon as possible and be paid the amount that was owed to them. Some also thought that it was important that Social Security Scotland was able to admit that it had made a mistake. Some commented that they would want to be notified in a letter.

If a client had been overpaid, many participants similarly thought that clients should be notified as quickly as possible. Others also said that it was important that Social Security Scotland avoided harm when it approached clients about an overpayment.^[2]

Over a third of survey respondents (37 per cent) felt that a person should be expected to notice an overpayment of £100 if they were receiving a single payment (for example, a Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment). Over a quarter (28 per cent) felt individuals should be expected to notice an overpayment of £50.

When asked about what amount of overpayment a person would be expected to notice, focus group participants provided a number of answers. Some thought that a decimal place error would be noticeable (e.g. receiving £1000.00 rather than £100.00). Others thought that a double payment would be noticeable. Many, however, suggested that it would depend on the individual, and there was no single amount that should be considered to be 'noticeable.'

Recovering debt

Most participants agreed that when a client had made an error or committed fraud, debt should not be written off entirely. Some made the point that recollecting overpayments was an important element of discouraging future fraud. Some participants did comment that there should be scope to write off the client's debt if an overpayment had occurred because of an error by Social Security Scotland rather than the client.

Participants generally felt that individual circumstances should be taken into account when Social Security Scotland decided whether or not to pursue a debt. Many participants suggested that things like mental health and household incomes should be taken into account to avoid potential harm. Several participants suggested that decisions about whether or not to pursue a debt should be made on the basis of whether it was cost-efficient to get the money back.

Over three-quarters of survey respondents (77 per cent) said that they would want Social Security Scotland to speak to DWP about any previous debt that they may have. Over a tenth of respondents (14 per cent) said that they would want to be responsible for notifying Social Security Scotland about any debt they had. Respondents generally felt that if Social Security Scotland and DWP were to share information this would mean that errors and duplications would be less likely to take place. A few respondents also suggested that if it was left to individuals to notify Social Security Scotland about any debt they had, this may offer an unhelpful incentive for clients not to report honestly.

Over two-thirds (62 per cent) thought that repayments should be made monthly. This was considerably higher than those who said that repayments should be made fortnightly (20 per cent) or weekly (18 per cent).

Over three-quarters of respondents (78 per cent) said that 5% was the smallest percentage of an individual's benefit that should be used to make a repayment. Over two-thirds (69 per cent) felt that 10% was the largest percentage of an individual's benefit that should be used to make a repayment.

Almost all respondents (94 per cent) felt that a client should have the option to pay above the standard repayment rate if they wished to.

Some focus group participants suggested that Social Security Scotland and clients should be able to work together to create a repayment plan that was manageable for both parties.