Automated decision making

Sometimes Social Security Scotland may use automated decision making to reach a decision about your benefits.

Your personal data allows an electronic system to make a decision about a benefit without any human intervention. Social Security Scotland only use automated decision making where the outcome provides a favourable decision for you.

Social Security Scotland use automated decision making for the following benefits.

Scottish Child Payment

For Scottish Child Payment, automated decision making happens in the following way:

1. You submit your application.
2. The computer will automatically check the award criteria.
3. If the award criteria are met, then the award will be made automatically.
4. If the criteria are not met the case will be handed off to a case worker for manual assessment.

Best Start Grant – Early Learning Payment and School Age Payment

For these benefits, automated decision making happens in the following way:

1. The computer will check whether there is a current award of Scottish Child payment.
2. If there is no current award of Scottish Child Payment, no further action will be taken to award the relevant Best Start Grant automatically.
3. If there is a Scottish Child Payment award, the computer will automatically check the award criteria.
4. If the award criteria are met, then the award will be made automatically unless you have opted out of being automatically awarded the payment.
5. If you opted out of automatic payment or Scottish Child Payment is not currently awarded, you will need to make a manual application.
6. Manual applications are handled by case workers.

Winter Heating Payment and Child Winter Heating Payment

For these benefits, automated decision making happens in the following way:

1. The computer will automatically check the award criteria.
2. If the award criteria are met, then the award will be made automatically.
3. If the criteria are not met, no automatic award will be made.
4. If the criteria are not met the case will be handled manually by a case worker.

Carers Allowance Supplement

For Carers Allowance Supplement, automated decision making happens in the following way:

1. The computer will automatically check the award criteria.
2. If the award criteria are met, then the award will be made automatically.
3. If the criteria are not met, no automatic award will be made.
4. If the criteria are not met the case will be handled manually by a case worker.

Benefits moving from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to Social Security Scotland

The following benefits are moving from DWP to Social Security Scotland:

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to Adult Disability Payment
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (Scottish Adult DLA)
• Attendance Allowance to Pension Age Disability Payment

For all these benefits, automated decision making happens in the following way:

1. The computer will automatically check the personal details and the award information shared by DWP.
2. If the details meet the criteria and match, the match applies where personal information is already held for another Scottish Assistance payment, then the award will be made automatically.
3. If the data does not match, no automatic award will be made.
4. If the data does not match, the case will be handled manually by a case worker.

Carer Support Payment

For Carer Support Payment, automated decision making happens in the following way:

1. The computer will automatically check the award criteria.
2. If the award criteria are met, then the award will be made automatically.
3. If the criteria are not met, no automatic award will be made.
4. If the criteria are not met the case will be handled manually by a case worker.

If you want to know more about how your personal data is used in decision making, visit the Privacy notice and Data protection - Social Security Scotland page.