Lynn reflects on the fact that disability and caring have rarely featured in #GE2015 and the continued,stigmatisation of people in poverty.

Responses to, for example, the Oakley review on jobseeker sanctions highlighted the impact of increased,[xix] Policy in Scotland has not always picked this up e.g. the consultation on “Good Food Nation” published,-14_0.pdf [vi] http://www.scvo.scot/news-campaigns-and-policy/briefings-consultation-responses/independent-review-of-jobseekers-allowance-sanctions,/new-policy-entry/personalisation-and-independent-living [xiv] E.g. - Integration of Adult Health and,/policy-library/response-to-carers-legislation-proposals [xxii] http://www.scvo.scot/long-form-posts/

No Safety Net Along with many of our members, SCVO believes that this new policy, alongside other devastating,As in our response to the recent Oakley Review[iii], we would question the impact of this consultation,Cost Shunting In our response to Oakley, we highlighted the impact of benefits sanctions on people’s,[iii] http://www.scvo.scot/news-campaigns-and-policy/briefings-consultation-responses/independent-review-of-jobseekers-allowance-sanctions,#.U5rCSX-9KSN [xv] http://www.cpag.org.uk/content/3-year-benefit-ban-hits-120-disabled-people-under-new-sanctions-regime

Our short briefing highlights: The concerns of the sector as welfare reform continues to affect the lives,See SCVO’s response to the recent DWP sanctions review. ,Devastating impact of new regimes on lone parents.,See the response to the sanctions review for more details.,recent consultation on draft legislation for the Scottish Welfare Fund).

See SCVO’s response to the recent DWP sanctions review.,Lack of choice around goods supplied through Community Care Grants may work against independent living,That this wider debate is needed is perhaps indicated by the substantial interest in the Poverty campaign,xii http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/thousands-left-without-social-care-due-to-cuts.23652347,xiii http://www.scvo.scot/news-campaigns-and-policy/briefings-consultation-responses/independent-review-of-jobseekers-allowance-sanctions

Lynn blogs about the need for more compassion and understanding in advance of tonight's Dispatches: Benefits,Britain and Benefits Street.

Benefits sanctions might provide a short term fix but they're bad for job seekers and bad for the economy

SCVO briefing SCVO has provided the following briefing to MSPs in advance of Mr McMillan’s planned debate,The advent of a harsh sanctions regime, retrospective and often unjustified application of sanctions,SCVO’s response to the recent DWP (Oakley) review of sanctions highlights this issue.,It doesn’t matter which policy drove us to be in this situation - morally and economically, we must respond,commitment to enhance the Fund, but a full evaluation is needed to ensure that it doesn’t create a new

Allowance, with 4.8 million different people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance across the UK in the last,Tax We have a clear opportunity with new taxation powers under the Scotland Act for tax policy in Scotland,www.jrf.org.uk/publications/monitoring-poverty-and-social-exclusion-2013 [xviii] http://www.scvo.scot/news-campaigns-and-policy,/briefings-consultation-responses/independent-review-of-jobseekers-allowance-sanctions/ [xix] http://,[xxii] http://www.scvo.scot/news-campaigns-and-policy/briefings-consultation-responses/independent-review-of-jobseekers-allowance-sanctions

Creating a new layer of bureaucracy We have some concern that the Fund may present a new layer of bureaucracy,Independent review Many of our members will argue strongly for independent review of decisions about,question if we are doing enough to prevent people from reaching crisis point regardless of where the policies,References [i] http://www.scvo.scot/news-campaigns-and-policy/briefings-consultation-responses/independent-review-of-jobseekers-allowance-sanctions,/ [ii] Ties that Bind – Demos, 2014 [iii] http://www.scvo.scot/news-campaigns-and-policy/research/scvo-welfare-reform-mapping-report