Recommendation 63

To successfully support people experiencing poverty many of these agencies require good collaborations and communications with the DWP and Social Security Scotland. Professor McKeever, Ulster University, emphasised the need for a ’better systemic approach’142 at the organisational level ‘of what each organisation needs to make the system work more smoothly’.143 When asked about their communications with the DWP, Kirsty McKechnie from the Child Poverty Action Group highlighted that it had ‘less contact with the UK Government [than the Scottish Government] which is sometimes regrettable’.144 They went on to say that information about the operation and delivery of benefits ‘has not been forthcoming’145 from the DWP and that this has a knock-on effect on how the organisations can advise claimants. They also stressed the point that if the communication with these organisations was timely and clear then this could ‘take some of the pressure off the DWP.’146 Marion Davis of One Parent Families Scotland agreed with this point of view saying ‘our experience is that DWP do not engage well in terms of communicating about key changes’,147 going on to say that new information ‘seems to appear on the DWP website when it is going live. It is not giving time for advice staff to digest and prepare for the impact.’148 They concluded by saying they would ‘welcome more 137 Q105 138 Q105 139 Q120 140 Q106 141 Q107 142 Q7 143 Q7 144 Q72 145 Q72 146 Q72 147 Q74 148 Q74 Welfare policy in Scotland 29 consultation’149 from the DWP on changes to the benefits system. This echoed evidence from Suzanne Lavelle at Southside Housing Association who told us it was ‘difficult for RSLs [Registered Social Landlords] to plan support services for tenants’150 to support people through the Universal Credit migration process due to shifting DWP timelines and limited communication of roll-out delays. Kirsty McKechnie from the Child Poverty Action Group reasoned that this lack of communication between the DW