UK Welfare Reform in Scotland

The UK Welfare Reform Act 2012 will introduce significant changes to the welfare system.  Although welfare is a reserved matter for UK Government, some measures impact on devolved services delivered by the Scottish Government and local authorities such as Health, Social Care and Housing.

 

The Scottish Government is working with our stakeholders, partners and the UK Government to understand the impact of these reforms on people and services in Scotland.  We are also doing what we can to protect vulnerable Scots and support people make the transition. 

Latest

Making Advice Work - new Fund for advice services

The Scottish Government has announced, over recent months, an additional £7.9 million for advice and support services.  Of this funding, £5.1 million will go towards a new £7.45 million Making Advice Work Fund which will be administered by the Scottish Legal Aid Board.  The Fund is now open for applications and you can find full details of the new Fund on SLAB's website.

Welfare spend in Scotland could fall by up to £4.5 billion

Scottish Government analysis shows the impact of reductions in DWP expenditure across Scotland could be greater than previously estimated, with budgets possibly falling by as much as £4.5 billion in the five years to 2014-15.

Helping people and local authorities prepare for the changes

The Scottish Government has awarded £230,000 to three Council-led pilot projects to help mitigate the impact of the UK Government’s welfare reforms. You can read the full article here.  We have also published analysis on the potential impact of the online delivery of Universal Credit. 

Joint Statement with the Scottish Government and CoSLA

On 21 November 2012, the Scottish Government signed an agreement with CoSLA, to adopt a unified approach to supporting councils in their response to welfare reform.  You can read the joint statement in full here.

 

In this section

  • Overview

    This section provides an overview of the reforms.

  • What is the Scottish Government doing?

    Find details of what the Scottish Government is doing to better understand the impacts and consequences of welfare reform for groups, individuals and communities across Scotland.

  • Scottish Welfare Fund - Practitioner Guidance

    Find out about the new Scottish Welfare Fund - including background, advice and guidance and how to apply for the new Fund.

  • Scottish Welfare Fund - How to Apply

    The new Scottish Welfare Fund will be active from April 2013. You can find out more about the Fund including how to apply.

  • Passported Benefits

    You can find out more about what the Scottish Government is doing about Passported Benefits when the UK Government's reforms are introduced.

  • Tackling poverty

    Find out more about the Government's policies on Tackling Poverty in Scotland

  • Analysis

    Here you can access the latest Scottish Government on the the impacts of the UK reforms.

  • Expert Working Group

    Find details on the Expert Working Group on Welfare and Constitutional Reform set up to advise on how a fairer welfare system can be introduced in an independent Scotland.

  • Information Hub

    Access information on related sites and resources.

  • Contact

    Find out how to get in contact with the Scottish Government's Welfare Division.

Page updated: Friday, May 17, 2013