Social Security Experience Panels: disability benefit names - visual summary

Professional Advisors

Finally, respondents were told that an alternative to ‘specialist advisors’ is ‘professional advisors’. We asked respondents what they liked and disliked about the name professional advisors.

The most common theme was for respondents to say that the name professional advisors is ‘fine.’ A few said that they prefer it to specialist advisors but did not say why.

Like the word ‘specialist’, many respondents said they liked that the word ‘professional’ shows knowledge and expertise.

• “This also makes it look like they are using professional knowledge and understanding to help and support people to the best of their ability.”

The most common thing respondents said they disliked about the name professional advisors was that it is broad and vague.

• “Professional in what? Disability comes in many forms and a specialist opinion is what I would be looking for.”
• “Professional advisors could be anything or anyone. It's too opaque.”

Many respondents said the word ‘professional’ does not necessarily show expertise, qualifications or specialist knowledge in health conditions.

Some felt ‘professional’ describes a personal quality or behaviour rather than a job role.

Some respondents said that they expect all Social Security Scotland staff to be professional. There is no need to set apart only these advisors as being professional.

Some respondents said professional advisors sounds ‘formal’ and ‘corporate.’

• “The word professional should be in relation to all staff, their practice and behaviour and not a name for their role or job.”
• “It's not a good description. All the staff are supposed to be professional. 'Professional' does not mean 'Specialist'. The point of having 'Specialist Advisors' is that they should be specialists in specific fields so that they can help with difficult applications.”
• “Bureaucratic. Managerial. Cold.”