Changes to the benefits system have left a legacy of distrust and uncertainty among those who rely on them, a new report has suggested.
The report is the third in a longitudinal study into the impacts of welfare reform on claimants, carried out by the Employment Research Institute at Edinburgh Napier University, and the University of Stirling.
The study has carried out a series of three in-depth interviews with claimants in a variety of circumstances, over the last 18 months.
Many of the respondents reported that they were in a precarious situation, and that it was difficult to meet basic needs on benefits or low wages.
Respondents’ experiences of welfare reform to date had left them with a feeling of mistrust in the system, and a great deal of anxiety about future changes.
The study also asked respondents about sources of help and advice that they had consulted in dealing with benefits issues. Experiences of advice varied, with some services reportedly not working as well as they could.
Some were said to be under-resourced, over-subscribed, and of varying quality. However, many said that they had accessed good support, and some said that this had been vital in helping them to secure a successful application or appeal.
Helen Graham, a research fellow at the Employment Research Institute, said: “This report demonstrates the importance of good support and advice in helping people manage the changes to their benefits as a result of welfare reform.
"All who need it should have access to advice that is timely, accurate, delivered by well-trained and approachable staff, and available in multiple formats to suit differences in users’ preferences and ability to access.”
Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil said: “The Welfare Reform Tracking Study is further evidence that people are living in constant anxiety about changes to their entitlements and are already suffering from the effects of around £6 billion of cuts taken from Scottish Welfare expenditure over the last five years.
"This is hugely concerning as the UK Government should be looking to lift people out of poverty not push them further into it.
“Despite these frustrations we will do all we can to use our new powers to make our system fairer and simpler and work to improve the experience for people.
“We will work quickly to implement these changes and base our social security system on how best to support people and tackle inequalities and not on crude opportunities to save money.”
The full report is available here.