Scotland’s social security family wins public sector accolades
Credit: Andrew Perry
Scotland’s social security family has won two prestigious, national awards.
The awards were given out at the 10th annual Holyrood Communications Scottish Public Service Awards held at the Scottish Parliament.
Social Security Scotland’s Health and Social Care Operations received the Policy into Practice Award for its work on integrating health and social care practitioners into the civil service.
Social Security Scotland is unique in employing qualified nurses, social workers and allied health professionals as civil servants, while allowing them to retain their professional registrations. The skill and experience of our health and social care professionals is vital for generating a complete picture of our clients’ needs when applying for disability benefits.
The Digital Public Services Award, supported by Leidos, went to the Scottish Government’s Social Security Directorate for its online Adult Disability Payment application process. Social Security Scotland has the first ever online benefit application system designed specifically for disabled people and those with long-term health conditions.
Stephen Kerr, the Scottish Government’s Social Security Director, said: “I’m immensely proud of our all teams who were nominated in this year’s Scottish Public Sector Awards. To win the Digital Public Service Award and to be finalists for the Programme and Project Management Award for our work on Adult Disability Payment is incredible. It really demonstrates that good, person centred digital public services can have a lasting and positive impact on people’s lives.
“The care, dedication and collaboration of teams who worked tirelessly to design and deliver a different adult disability assistance service, for and with the people of Scotland was truly exceptional. So, a huge well done and thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey for all the hard work. You should be hugely proud of everything you’ve achieved.”
Gayle Devlin, Social Security Scotland’s Deputy Director Health and Social Care said: “I was delighted to accept this award. This is a testament to the dedication and skill of our practitioners. Their professional backgrounds are incredibly valuable in delivering our person-centred approach.
“Our practitioners have a depth of experience that allows them to support managers in making the right decisions for people applying for disability benefits on a day-to-day basis.
“We deal with vulnerable people and our professional practitioners help develop the mutual trust which is at the core of our approach to benefits.”
The Holyrood Communications Scottish Public Service Awards are organised by Holyrood magazine in partnership with the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government. The awards were created to celebrate the contribution the public sector and its partners make to Scottish society.