Online option favoured by 90% of Child Disability Payment applicants

Around 90 per cent of clients applied online during the first five weeks of the Child Disability Payment pilot, according to the latest official statistics..

This online option has been made available for the first time anywhere in the UK to disability benefit applicants as part of the pilot covering Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and Western Isles. Phone, post and face-to-face (Covid-19 restrictions permitting) options are also available as part of our commitment to inclusive communications.

The new benefit, administered by Social Security Scotland, provides extra money to help with the costs of caring for a child, or young person with a disability or terminal illness. It replaces the UK Government’s Disability Living Allowance for children.

Those already receiving Disability Living Allowance for children do not need to make a new application as we will contact them ahead of their award being automatically transferred.

Applications are made in two parts and figures show that 88% of Part One applications were made online, with 11% choosing to apply by telephone between 26 July to 31 August 2021.

Applications for Child Disability Payment will open across Scotland from 22 November 2021.

Minister for Social Security Ben Macpherson said: “It is very encouraging to see a high percentage of applications being made online.

“Our Experience Panels told us of the challenges families can typically experience in accessing benefits. By listening to families and stakeholders, we knew from an early stage in designing Child Disability Payment that having an easily accessible online option would be highly valued by families.

“I am pleased to see there have already been a number of successful applications approved for payment in a very short period of time. Many more families will soon benefit from the approach taken by Social Security Scotland as Child Disability Payment is rolled out nationally.”

Background

• Child Disability Payment provides money to help with the extra care and mobility costs children and young people with a disability may have, up to the age of 18.

• People can find out more and apply through mygov.scot or by calling 0800 182 2222.

• Those already receiving Disability Living Allowance for children do not need to make a new application as we will contact them ahead of their award being automatically transferred. This will happen in a phased approach from mid-October. We aim to have the transfer process completed for everyone in receipt of Disability Living Allowance for children by spring 2023.

• We will begin by transferring the cases of those aged 16 or over in receipt of Disability Living Allowance for children and those with a terminal illness first. All other clients aged up to 16-years-old will have their award transferred from spring 2022.

• Child Disability Payment will continue to be paid at the same rates and on the same payment cycle as their previous Disability Living Allowance for children award.

• To enable people to apply in the way that suits them best, it will be the first disability benefit in the UK that can be applied for online, as well as being available by post, phone, or face to face (COVID-19 restrictions permitting).

• This publication is published 12 weeks after the Child Disability Payment pilot was launched, in line with the publication schedule used for the previous new and devolved benefits. It therefore covers the first five weeks that the Child Disability Payment was launched.