Social Security Scotland – Flagship Exemplar of Inclusive Service Design

Social Security Scotland is a flagship exemplar of how technology can prove central to realizing the vision of a new 21st century Scottish digital nation.

As one of the first major central government functions devolved for local implementation in Scotland, it was a test of the nation’s operational capability, and also of the aspiration to build a more socially inclusive country.

The Scottish Government aimed to create a digital-first system aligned with its principles of dignity, fairness, and respect, and the department was tasked with administering 11 devolved benefits, including the Scottish Child Payment, Adult Disability Payment, and Carer’s Allowance Supplement, transitioning from the UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Devolving Social Benefits

The devolution of social security powers to Scotland through the Scotland Act 2016 marked a significant shift in the United Kingdom’s governance structure, enabling the Scottish Government to establish its own social security system. Social Security Scotland, launched in September 2018, is a pioneering agency tasked with administering devolved benefits, embodying a person-centered approach rooted in dignity, fairness, and respect.

The agency required a robust, user-friendly technological framework to handle applications, assessments, payments, and case transfers for over 500,000 existing claimants while introducing new benefits.

By 2023, Social Security Scotland was delivering a range of benefits, including the Scottish Child Payment, Carer’s Allowance Supplement, and Adult Disability Payment, with plans to complete the rollout of all devolved benefits by 2025. The agency’s innovative benefits have had tangible impacts, such as reducing child poverty through the Scottish Child Payment and supporting carers with additional payments.

Digital Transformation and Inclusive Service Design

Social Security Scotland offers a powerful success story not only of implementing a large, complex enterprise IT project but even more so best practices for ensuring digital inclusion is a key factor of the service delivery it enables.

Social Security Scotland implemented a bespoke Case Management System (CMS) to process applications, manage assessments, and issue payments. Built on a modular, cloud-based architecture, the CMS integrated with payment platforms and allowed real-time updates, ensuring scalability as caseloads grew.

They adopted an agile development methodology, allowing rapid prototyping and testing of digital tools.
Early launches of benefits like the Carer’s Allowance Supplement provided valuable data to refine the CMS and portal. Regular “lessons learned” reviews, as noted in Audit Scotland’s 2019 and 2022 reports, ensured continuous improvement.

Effective data sharing with the DWP was critical, given shared clients and the need for seamless transitions. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2019 outlined data-sharing protocols, supported by a secure Application Programming Interface (API) framework.

This allowed Social Security Scotland to access DWP data for existing claimants while maintaining separate governance structures. For example, the transfer of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) cases to Adult Disability Payment relied on API-driven data flows, minimizing disruption.

The agency also invested in data analytics to monitor performance and user satisfaction. Dashboards provided real-time insights into application volumes, processing times, and payment accuracy, enabling proactive issue resolution. By 2022, Audit Scotland reported that 98% of payments were issued on time, reflecting robust data management.

Digital Inclusion

The technology implementation was heavily informed by the Social Security Experience Panels, comprising 2,400 individuals with lived experience, who provided critical insights into benefit design and delivery.

Their input shaped the online portal’s design, ensuring intuitive navigation and accessibility. For example, feedback highlighted the need for simplified forms, leading to iterative updates that reduced application abandonment rates.

The Scottish Government also collaborated with advocacy organizations and the Disability and Carers Benefits Expert Advisory Group to refine digital tools for disability benefits. User testing sessions, conducted in 2019 and 2020, identified pain points, such as complex language in forms, which were addressed through plain-language rewrites and visual aids.

The Scottish Government also established the Disability and Carers Benefits Expert Advisory Group to guide eligibility criteria and processes, particularly for complex benefits like Disability Assistance. Consultations, such as the 2019 Disability Assistance consultation, further refined policies, ensuring they were responsive to public input.

By 2023, Social Security Scotland’s technology infrastructure supported the delivery of £3.5 billion in benefits to 1.4 million people, with 98% of payments issued on time. Critically it also began the process of delivering on Scotland’s ambition of a modern, inclusive and socially-oriented nation – The Scottish Child Payment, enabled by automated payment systems, reached 140,000 children by 2022, contributing to a measurable reduction in child poverty.