Social Security Scotland wins Happy to Translate award

Social Security Scotland has been awarded Member of the Year at the Happy to Translate Awards 2021 which recognises exceptional commitment to promoting inclusivity in communication and services.

Happy to Translate is a national scheme for language and communication assistance. The charity supports organisations across Scotland to engage with customers who speak little or no English. We have been a member since August 2020.

The annual awards celebrate members’ efforts in ensuring information and services are accessible to clients who face language barriers. This year, it also acknowledged the work that has taken place to help people navigate challenges through the COVID-19 pandemic.

We have been recognised for our commitment to meeting our clients varied communications needs by making interpreter-assisted calls available to people who phone our helpline and proactively translating our information on benefits into 11 languages used in communities across Scotland.

Katrina McEntegart, Happy to Translate said:

“The Happy to Translate Awards are a wonderful opportunity to recognise and celebrate the commitment and efforts our members make to ensure their services are available to all who need them.

“In the short time that Social Security Scotland has been in operation, they have placed equality and inclusion at the heart of their service design, ensuring that those who face communication barriers can access their services, in a manner and format that suits them. Social Security Scotland has demonstrated their commitment to equality and inclusion by designing information and services for all users with a wide array of communication needs. It’s a great example of best practice and they are deserved winners of the award for Happy to Translate Member of the Year 2021.”

David Wallace, Chief Executive of Social Security Scotland said:

“I am delighted that our commitment to promoting inclusivity has been recognised by Happy to Translate. It's important people understand what Social Security Scotland offers, that they can communicate with us in a way that suits them and access the support that they need.

“We aim to be a leader in inclusive communications and I am very proud of my colleagues who have continued to deliver a very high standard of service to the people of Scotland.”

People can access translated information on all of our benefits via our stakeholder resources section on the website