SCoSS Charter Sub-Committee Meeting

Date: 22 July 2026
Time: 11:00
Venue: Virtual (Microsoft Teams)

Minutes

Present—

  • Dr Mark Simpson (Chair)
  • Dr Marilyn Howard (Member)
  • Ed Pybus (Member)

Apologies: None

In attendance (SCoSS Secretariat)—

  • Andrew Strong (Head of Policy and Scrutiny, SCoSS Secretariat);
  • Christopher Galloway (Analysis and Participation Support Officer, SCoSS Secretariat);
  • Keith Rae (Senior Policy Manager, SCoSS Secretariat)

    Apologies: None

    1. Welcome and declaration of interests

    The Chair, Mark, welcomed the Members to the sixth meeting of the SCoSS Charter research sub-committee in 2026. No interests were declared.

    2. Matters arising from previous meeting

    Members agreed the May Charter sub-committee meeting minutes, which will be presented at the next Board meeting for approval before being published on the SCoSS website.

    3. The Lines Between reports update

    Members noted the publication on 12 June of two reports produced by The Lines Between, examining experiences of the Scottish social security system among people for whom English is a second language, and decision-making for Adult Disability Payment. The reports were promoted through SCoSS social media channels and have received positive stakeholder feedback. SCoSS will seek views from Scottish Government officials before developing a formal response.

    Members discussed arrangements for future meetings with Social Security Scotland to consider the findings of the two reports. Initial discussions have taken place with Social Security Scotland, and meetings will be arranged once the appropriate officials have been identified. The Secretariat agreed to draft correspondence to Social Security Scotland to progress and finalise meeting arrangements.

    Members discussed whether to engage external stakeholders following publication of the reports. It was agreed that SCoSS should first meet with Social Security Scotland to consider its response before deciding on any further stakeholder engagement.

    4. Charter research – feedback and future priorities

    The Secretariat presented a paper summarising findings from stakeholder engagement sessions hosted by SCoSS in June, which explored issues experienced by clients of the Scottish social security system and identified potential areas for future SCoSS research. Members discussed the findings and considered a range of possible topics for further work.

    It was agreed that the Secretariat would refine and prioritise the options before presenting to the Board at its August meeting.

    5. Any other business

    Members agreed that the next Charter Subcommittee meeting would take place on Monday 10 August.

    Next meeting: Monday 10 August 2026

    Meeting closed at: 12:30

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