Literature Review: Decision-making for Adult Disability Payment

In creating a new social security system in Scotland, the Scottish Government wanted to deliver benefits in a way that supports and respects those applying. Section 1 of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 sets into law an approach to guide Social Security Scotland. They provide eight principles that provide core tenets about what social security in Scotland will look like. They also created a charter, ‘Our Charter’, which explains how these principles are put into practice and what clients can expect from their interaction with Social Security Scotland.

The charter sets out four goals:

• A people’s service: We are here to help you get everything you are entitled to.
• Processes that work: We will design services with the people who use them.
• A learning system: We will encourage feedback and empower people to deliver the best service possible.
• A better future: We will invest in the people of Scotland – making a positive difference to all our lives.

This chapter provides TLB’s independent perspective on the ‘Our Charter’ obligations.

6.1 A people’s service

The first goal of the charter considers the experiences of clients as they interact with Social Security Scotland’s staff and help guide Social Security Scotland as they hire and train staff. According to the charter, interactions with Social Security Scotland should be driven by kindness, consideration, trust, and support. Clients should feel that they have been listened to, that their experiences are considered and that the right amount of time has been given in consideration of their case and application. Where possible, staff should refer clients for further assistance and be transparent about decisions made.

For those ADP clients who have provided feedback about their experience with case managers, they describe their experiences as kind, respectful, understanding and patient.¹Scottish Government, “Disability benefits policy evaluation: Decision-making,” Scottish Government, Scotland, 2026. ²Social Security Scotland, “Client Survey – Adult and Child Disability Payment October 2024 March 2025: Summary Report,” Social Research, Scotland, 2025. While contact with case managers has been minimised through greater use of supporting information, compared to face-to-face PIP assessments, high approval ratings for consultations suggest that staff are largely providing the level of care that aligns with the charter.

Staff knowledge and experience remain a concern for some ADP clients. Qualitative research shows that specialist knowledge of disabilities rather than general medical knowledge would be preferred to ensure that decision-makers are most qualified to make accurate awards.³E. Harris, “The Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment,” Scottish Government, 2024, Edinburgh. ⁴Scottish Government, “Adult Disability Payment Regulations: Analysis of Consultation Responses,” Scottish Government, Edinburgh, 2021. ⁵ Social Security Scotland, “Client Survey – 2023-2024: Summary Report,” Social Research, Scotland, 2024.

6.2 Processes that work

Social Security Scotland and the Scottish Government are committed to creating a system that is simple and provides clear communication. They commit to communication processes that reasonably meet client needs and engagement that is as stress-free as possible. Part of this goal is to be achieved by providing pathways for challenging award decisions that do not meet client expectations, including redeterminations and appeals. There is also a commitment to provide STA as it helps the system function properly, allowing eligible people who want to challenge a decision the ability to do so without financial repercussions.

Evidence gathered in this rapid review shows that Social Security Scotland has come a long way to align with these charter goals, although there are still areas for growth and improvement. There has been strong support for changes to the application and consultation processes. As noted above, clients and those who assist them felt that greater dependence on supporting information and a reduced need for consultations has improved the outcomes for many. However, there are still concerns around the eligibility criteria for ADP, particularly around the mobility component and the points-based system⁶E. Harris, “The Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment,” Scottish Government, 2024, Edinburgh. ⁷Scottish Government, “Disability benefits policy evaluation: Decision-making,” Scottish Government, Scotland, 2026. ⁸ D. Heap, “Goodbye to PIP, but hello to what? Disability, social security, devolution and policy change in Scotland,” Policy Press, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 170-180, 2024. ⁹ Scottish Government, “Adult Disability Payment: Consultation on the Mobility Component,” Scottish Government, Edinburgh, 2023. ¹⁰MS Society, “Send your MSP a message: scrap the PIP 20m rule,” MS Society, 2021. ¹¹ Scottish Government, “Adult Disability Payment Regulations: Analysis of Consultation Responses,” Scottish Government, Edinburgh, 2021. .

The length and difficulty of the application was mentioned in the evidence analysed.¹²E. Harris, “The Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment,” Scottish Government, 2024, Edinburgh. ¹³Audit Scotland, “Adult Disability Payment,” Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, 2025. ¹⁴ Social Security Scotland, “Client Survey – 2023-2024: Summary Report,” Social Research, Scotland, 2024. ¹⁵ E. Young, “From advice to action: Improving access to disability payments,” Citizens Advice Scotland, Scotland, 2025. ¹⁶ L. Judge and L. Murphy, “Delivering dignity? Early Lessons from the Introduction of Adult Disability Payment in Scotland,” Resolution Foundation, 2025. However, the Scottish Government response to the Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment acknowledges that the application has been created specifically to be more person-centred in terms of the data collection process.¹⁷Scottish Government, “Scottish Government Response to the Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment Final Report,” Scottish Government, Scotland, 2026. Although long, Social Security Scotland staff felt it enabled a decision-making process that aligns with charter goals. The Independent Review of Adult Disability also acknowledges the application improvements while highlighting the continued struggle faced by those applying.¹⁸E. Harris, “The Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment,” Scottish Government, 2024, Edinburgh.

Further research is needed to understand how trends in official statistics around redeterminations show alignment with the charter expectations. For example, ADP generally has a very low rate of redetermination, in comparison to PIP.¹⁹Resolution Foundation, “Reforms to Scottish disability payments suggest that the system can be kinder without being costlier,” Resolution Foundation, 2025. However, when a client requests a redetermination, there is a strong likelihood (almost 50%) that the decision will be made in favour of the client.²⁰ Social Security Scotland, “Adult Disability Payment Statistics March 2025 to 31 October 2025,” Social Security Scotland, Scotland, 2025.

It is important to note that redeterminations, unlike mandatory reconsiderations for PIP, ask a new decision maker to consider the application. While Social Security Scotland strives to get decisions right the first time, as described in the charter, a low rate of redeterminations could reflect that. The higher rate of redetermination allowed could speak to the subjectivity involved in considering cases in a manner that is person-centred and based on trust, as is described in research with Social Security Scotland staff.²¹Scottish Government, “Disability benefits policy evaluation: Decision-making,” Scottish Government, Scotland, 2026.

This does not deny that some clients described negative experiences with the application and redetermination process.²²E. Harris, “The Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment,” Scottish Government, 2024, Edinburgh. High levels of approval of Social Security Scotland among those who agree with their award decisions and low levels of approval among those who disagree is highlighted in 2026 qualitative research published by the Scottish Government.²³Scottish Government, “Disability benefits policy evaluation: Decision-making,” Scottish Government, Scotland, 2026. This could also speak to the mixed experiences of people who lodged appeals with ADP.²⁴Social Security Scotland, “Client Survey – Adult and Child Disability Payment October 2024 March 2025: Summary Report,” Social Research, Scotland, 2025.

Short-term assistance was a benefit provided to help support clients challenge decisions they are unhappy with without facing financial hardship. The award does not have to be repaid. However, the uptake of the award has been slow.²⁵ Social Security Scotland, “Adult Disability Payment Statistics March 2025 to 31 October 2025,” Social Security Scotland, Scotland, 2025. There is little data to understand why that is happening, but improved uptake of the award would help Social Security Scotland ensure they are making a positive impact to those clients who would like to question their award. As a new report from CAS highlights, interest in STA is quickly growing, which follows a spike in uptake reported in official statistics.²⁶Citizens Advice Scotland, “Insights into Adult Disability Payment: Evidence from Citizens Advice Scotland Quarter3 2025-2026,” Citizens Advice Scotland, Scotland, 2026. While there is not enough data to determine why there has been low uptake so far, further understanding about client awareness and experience of STA would help Social Security Scotland ensure they are meeting this charter goal.

6.3 A learning system

Improvement and learning are built into the charter. ‘Our Charter’ encourages clients and those who help them to provide feedback to ensure Social Security Scotland is continually improving. It notes the importance of representation, hiring a diverse and inclusive workforce with shared experiences to clients. It also emphasises the importance of working with other organisations to ensure services and policy work together.

While this evidence review does not consider the hiring practices of Social Security Scotland, it does consider the value external organisations and partners play in the success of ADP applications. The Scottish Government through an independent review held stakeholder panels and focus groups with voluntary sector advocates to learn about how it could improve the decision-making process.²⁷E. Harris, “The Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment,” Scottish Government, 2024, Edinburgh. In 2026, the Scottish Government published qualitative research – focus groups – with people with lived experience to facilitate learning and understanding around their experiences to help shape policy.²⁸Scottish Government, “Disability benefits policy evaluation: Decision-making,” Scottish Government, Scotland, 2026.

6.4 A better future

‘Our Charter’ acknowledges that social security is for everyone. Part of the goal is ensuring that principles reflected in the charter are embedded in policy and that they promote pride in social security as a public service. This includes assistance in developing policy to ensure people do not face discrimination and that the awards advance equality. It also considers improvements to uptake of benefits to make sure that all people eligible are accessing social security.

This evidence review is focused on the decision-making process for ADP. In the design of the award, Social Security Scotland attempted to move toward a decision-making process that centres dignity, fairness and respect. The effectiveness of the Scottish Government’s Benefit Take Up Strategy could be seen in the increases for submitted applications. Alongside advertising campaign to raise awareness of ADP, a decision-making system renowned for being fairer and more considerate could make people more aware and willing to apply.²⁹Audit Scotland, “Adult Disability Payment,” Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, 2025.

The STA award is unique internationally in that it provides an applicant for social security the financial freedom to query an outcome with which they disagree. While uptake is low, it is growing rapidly. As mentioned in Chapter 5, more research should be conducted understand why this is the case.

6.5 Summary

The evidence suggests that ADP reflects a clear shift toward a more person-centred and rights-based approach compared with PIP. Many clients report positive experiences of being treated with dignity, fairness and respect during the decision-making process, which directly aligns with ‘Our Charter’. However, there is still room for further changes that inspire further alignment. For example, greater research is needed to ensure that no barriers to the award exist for certain groups, whether those groups are defined by primary disabling condition, an intersectional identity or lived experience, such as poverty. Recommendations for further research to ensure that Social Security Scotland’s decision-making practice aligns the goals set out in the charter are provided in the concluding chapter.