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Literature Review: Experiences of the Scottish social security system among people for whom English is a second language

This literature review, commissioned by the Scottish Commission on Social Security and produced by The Lines Between, examines the experiences of people for whom English is a second language in navigating the Scottish social security system.

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Contents

1. Introduction

1.1 Overview

The Scottish Commission on Social Security (SCoSS) recently published research on how people with communication needs access the Scottish social security system. People whose first language is not English were not included in the research, but the need to research the experiences of this group were identified.¹ This led to SCoSS commissioning The Lines Between to conduct a rapid evidence review of existing research on language use in Scotland, and the type of barriers faced by people whose first language is not English when accessing social security. The review focuses on language barriers where these are reported.

SCoSS plays an essential role in the development and delivery of a Scottish Social Security system based on fairness, dignity and respect by providing independent scrutiny of legislation and practice. Their full functions are set out in the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018.² SCoSS is separate from the Scottish Government and carry out their work independently of both Scottish Ministers and the Scottish Parliament. Since their formation in 2019, their role has provided independent scrutiny of social security legislation and regulations. SCoSS also has a remit to assess the extent to which any or all of the expectations set out in the Scottish social security charter are being fulfilled, and making recommendations if those expectations are not met For that reason, the evidence was considered alongside Social Security Scotland’s charter, ‘Our Charter’, to support SCoSS’s statutory role in evaluating the Scottish social security system’s compliance with the commitments outlined in their charter.

The research, analysis and reporting sought to address the following questions:

Which parts of the Scottish social security system do people whose first language is not English find difficult?
What evidence exists concerning awareness of Scottish social security benefits where a person’s first language is not English?
What data exists on the numbers of Scottish social security applications being denied where a person’s first language is not English?
Is there comparable data on the experiences of people whose first language is not English from other social security systems?
Which languages are likely to be particularly prevalent among a) the Scottish population overall and b) social security users in Scotland?
What challenges do Scottish social security application forms pose to people whose first language is not English?
What challenges do the concepts contained within Scottish social security benefits (such as Adult Disability Payment) pose to people whose first language is not English?
What needs, rights and expectations of Gaelic speakers are relevant to their interactions with the Scottish social security system?
What evidence exists on the extent to which the social security charter expectations are being met in this area?

People whose first language is not English have been identified in previous research as being more likely to experience barriers to claiming benefits, due to issues such as access to information, forms and support in an appropriate language. The recently published independent review into Adult Disability Payment also highlighted that the language used to describe certain concepts e.g. mental health conditions, was a barrier for some people from minority communities, as was stigma. The review also noted no data appeared to exist on the numbers of applications being denied where a person’s first language is not English.

Scottish Government research with seldom heard groups (broadly defined as mobile populations, vulnerable groups, end of life and carers and care experienced people) to inform its 2021 benefits take up strategy also found seldom heard groups are likely to experience reduced access to, or take-up, of the Scottish benefits to which they are entitled. Barriers identified in the first benefit take up strategy in 2019 are reflected throughout this report. These span psychological barriers (e.g. stigma, fear of authority, experiences of trauma), learning barriers (e.g. complexity of the social security system, lack of support to apply and inaccessibility of information on benefits) and compliance barriers (e.g. application difficulties, challenges providing supporting information and decision-making delays).³

In exploring experiences with social security systems among people whose first language is not English, a wider body of literature may be considered relevant. For instance, language issues when accessing public services are likely to be relatively consistent across countries. In addition, the broader experience of people whose first language is not English are likely to have relevance when considering social security, for instance, poverty, discrimination or marginalisation. A wider scope is also necessary for this study, given the lack of literature about the experiences of Scottish social security among people whose first language is not English.

Other groups may have communication or accessibility needs, such as people with low literacy ability or disabled people with communication needs, as identified in the SCoSS research. While these groups may experience similar issues when engaging with social security systems, such issues are generally not due to having English as a second language. As a result, literature sources focusing on accessibility per se have not been included. Similarly, while the experiences of refugees and people with no recourse to public funds are mentioned in the review, the full literature on those with unresolved immigration status was not included given their highly limited access to the system. As a result of their specific circumstances, their experiences have not been included in case this skewed the findings.

Recommendations are made based on the evidence found, along with identification of areas that that could be further addressed by the Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland.

1.2 Identification of evidence

A deliberately broad approach was taken to identifying relevant literature to include in this study, not least given the lack of directly relevant literature as noted above. The search included:

Peer-reviewed academic literature
Official statistics and government reports (e.g., Social Security Scotland, Scottish Government, DWP)
Grey literature, including stakeholder reports, unpublished studies, and submissions from advocacy groups.

The following types of evidence areas were deemed within scope of the review:

Published in, or after, 2015. Where an article or report was exceptionally relevant, researchers accepted an earlier publication date. This occurred in 16 instances.
Included evidence published in Scotland and the UK, and, in cases of exceptional relevancy, internationally
Research with clearly identifiable sources or primary research with clearly identifiable methods.
Research that examines barriers experienced by minority ethnic communities when either in accessing or using public services, focusing mainly on social security systems in the UK and where language is likely to be an issue.

Research that included first-person accounts and lived experience of the Scottish social security system was prioritised. In practice, almost all literature included in the study was from the UK, with a small number of sources covering Europe and Anglo-America.

Alongside the iterative search, key stakeholders as identified by SCoSS were contacted in a Call for Evidence. In total, 12 stakeholders were invited to provide further relevant sources of literature.

Each source identified was reviewed and coded using a framework driven by the research questions and directly informed by the Social Security Charter. In total, researchers reviewed 237 sources. While several sources were deemed out of scope, these sources are provided in a ‘Continued Reading’ section in Annex A.

1.2.1 Framing the Review in Relation to ‘Our Charter’

The following steps were taken to ensure the review aligned with the Charter: Policy Focus: The review was explicitly framed in relation to the expectations outlined in Our Charter, with all findings mapped to Charter principles, including dignity, fairness, and respect.

Inclusivity: The perspectives of people with lived experience of disability and those involved in redetermination processes are included, drawing on stakeholder engagement and qualitative evidence.

1.3 Summary of evidence

In total, 149 resources were included in the review. The evidence was published between ranged from 1990 to 2025. Just under half of these related to Scotland, with over four in ten considering the UK as a whole or other parts of the UK, such as England and Wales only. The remainder related to evidence from further afield, notably Europe and Anglo-America.

Over a third of publications considered social security specifically and over four in ten addressed language use or ethnic minorities. Just over one in six addressed public sector services and the remainder were more overarching in nature, such as addressing concepts like racism or poverty. Almost two thirds of the reports on social security considered the Scottish social security system.

Under one half of the evidence included in the review was published by the public sector and over a quarter was academic i.e. published in a peer reviewed journal or book. Just under one in six of the reports were produced by the third sector and a few were produced by other organisations such as think tanks. As a result, a wide body of literature was included, from a variety of sources and on numerous topics.

1.4 Report outline

Chapter 2 presents data on languages used among the Scottish population overall, and among social security users in Scotland.

Chapter 3 presents evidence on awareness of Scottish social security among people whose first language is not English, experiences of the application process and the forms used to apply for social security.

Chapter 4 explores parts of the Scottish social security system people whose first language is not English find difficult, including concepts used and applications denied.

Chapter 5 identifies what needs, rights and expectations of Gaelic speakers are relevant to their interactions with the Scottish security system.

Chapter 6 provides a commentary on the extent to which social security charter expectations are being met in relation to people whose first language is not English.

Chapter 7 presents an overview of gaps in data.

Chapter 8 provides conclusions and recommendations for further action by the Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland, to address evidence gaps and fulfil expectations of the social security charter.