By George Putting people front and centre
Last week was another busy one for me as Paisley’s MSP and – as the days start to get longer and we slowly head into spring – I’m looking forward to getting out and about more within our town and seeing first hand all the good that’s going on right here.
I’ve always said my reason for doing the job I do is because I believe so much in our town and its people.
And all I want is for my home to be the best it possibly can be and be the best place for our children to learn, thrive and grow.
With that in mind, I am always delighted by how much the SNP in government are doing for Scotland’s children.
And, although I’m biased, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say the Scottish Government are doing more than any government in the UK to bring about positive change for our young people and implement policy that has the real potential to change lives and make the everyday struggles families across the country face just that little bit easier.
In my column last week, I highlighted the success of the Scottish Child Payment since its inception in tackling child poverty in Scotland.
This week I’d like to highlight how the developing Social Security Scotland system is continuing to further benefit children across our communities through a whopping £130million that’s been distributed to thousands of families with disabled children since the launch of the Child Disability Payment.
Replacing the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in Westminster, the Child Disability Payment helps parents and guardians to support their children to the best of their ability and assists young people to live their lives to the fullest.
In contrast to the DWP’s DLA payment – and indeed many of the benefits overseen by the UK Government – the Scottish social security system has been designed in partnership with those who have experience of applying for benefits previously.
The thoughts, opinions and personal circumstances of these people have been taken into account so as to facilitate the Scottish Government to build a system that is easier to access, and where people are treated with dignity, fairness and respect at all points of access.
This is something I am particularly proud of as I’ve heard far too many negative stories from many of you who have sought out my office for help after being left confused, frustrated and quite often demoralised by the out dated model on offer by our counterparts down in London.
Dealing with health problems is often hard enough, especially when it is your child needing extra support or care.
Therefore, I would advise anyone who thinks they, their child, or someone they know may be eligible for Scottish Government benefits to check and apply – and, rest assured, the process will be made as easy as possible with dignity and equality at the heart of the process. For me, that is what sets Scotland aside from the shambles of what’s going on down in Westminster.
People are always placed front and centre and we will do everything we can to ensure every child in our communities, including here in Renfrewshire, has the same start in life alongside fair and transparent access to any benefits they or their families may need to help them along the way.