Scotland Welfare Rights Conference 2026

About this course

Our annual face to face conference returns to the University of Strathclyde's Technology and Innovation Centre, 99 George Street, Glasgow, G1 1 RD on Thursday 4 June 2026. 

About the conference

CPAG in Scotland’s annual Welfare Rights Conference is the key event for advisers and others to stay updated on Scottish and UK social security. Meet leading experts, policy makers, and politicians to learn about the latest developments, and join us in debates on both UK and Scottish benefit reforms and their likely impact on child poverty.

The conference features workshops on Scottish benefit appeals, child disability payment, carer support, support for kinship carers and care-experienced young people; as well as on changes to the health element of universal credit, dealing with UC overpayments and the implications of ending the two-child limit. We look forward to a lively and informative day!

There will also be an exhibition area with a variety of helpful organisations to engage with. 

Programme 

You can attend two from a choice of seven expert workshops, both selected at the time of booking.  Once you have added your booking to the shopping cart, proceed to the checkout where you can select an AM and PM workshop. 

A conference booking also includes refreshments, lunch and all conference materials. 

Workshops

Carer support – a practical update 

Frances Ryan Welfare Rights Adviser, CPAG in Scotland

Angela Toal Welfare Rights Adviser, CPAG in Scotland

Over a quarter of unpaid carers care for more than one person. Yet until now there was no recognition of this in the benefits system. From March 2026, a new carer additional person payment is introduced in Scotland along with other improvements to benefits for carers. This workshop will focus on income maximisation, including how advisers can help people understand their options when caring is shared in the family, and how to help disabled carers manage the complex interactions with universal credit.    

Changes to the LCWRA element 

Will Hadwen freelance and CPAG in Scotland Welfare Rights Adviser

Henri Krishna Welfare Rights Adviser, CPAG in Scotland  

There are now two rates of the universal credit limited capability for work-related activity (LCWRA) element.  ‘Pre-2026 claimants’ and people meeting new criteria get a higher rate. Others get a significantly lower rate. This workshop will cover the new rules to help advisers make sure clients are awarded the correct amount. We will examine:  

• Who are pre-2026 claimants or otherwise get the higher rate 
• Who gets the lower rate 
  
• What has not changed 
• How the changes are working in practice 
  

Child disability payment and ‘severe mental impairment’

Steven McAvoy Welfare Rights Adviser, CPAG in Scotland

Simon Osborne Welfare Rights Adviser, CPAG  

There is a ‘severe mental impairment’ route to the higher rate of the mobility component of child disability payment. The rules set the bar high and create a test involving both mental impairment and behavioural problems. But caselaw, including some recent decisions, clarifies how the rules should be applied, including for children with conditions like autism and ADHD. This workshop will explore the ‘severe mental impairment’ route covering:  

• What do the rules say? 
• Caselaw – how the rules should be applied 
• Guidance and practice – experience and tips for advisers 

Dealing with UC overpayments 

Jon Shaw Welfare Rights Adviser, CPAG in Scotland

Universal credit overpayments continue to create hardship for claimants, with little sign of improvements in the speed and accuracy of decision making. This workshop will look at:  

• When overpayments of different benefits are legally recoverable 
• Methods of recovering UC overpayments
• How to help clients ask the DWP to waive recovery of an overpayment
• Legitimate expectation and the possibility of legal challenges to recovery

Participants are encouraged to share their own experiences of successfully getting benefit debts written off.   

End of the two-child limit – what next?   

Kirsty McKechnie Early Warning System Project Manager, CPAG in Scotland  

Mark Willis Welfare Rights Adviser, CPAG in Scotland

The abolition of the two-child limit was a welcome victory for compassion and fairness. However, not all families will fully benefit from its abolition. This workshop will cover the impact of lifting the two-child limit for families getting a universal credit transitional element. It will also explain the interaction with the benefit cap, exemptions and mitigation through discretionary housing payments. There will be an opportunity to discuss what more can be done at UK level or through devolved powers in Scotland. 

Kinship care, care-experienced young people and benefits – an update

Alison Gillies Welfare Rights Adviser, CPAG in Scotland

The social security system presents challenges and complexities for kinship carers and for care-experienced young people. For advisers, it can be difficult to keep up with the interactions of social security and other support such as local authority payments and bursary funding. This workshop offers an opportunity to take stock of relevant issues and developments. We will cover: 

• The new care leaver payment 
• Universal credit and Scottish child payment for kinship carers 
• Interaction between benefits and other support 

Scottish benefit appeals - processes, issues and tactics  

Liam Casey Welfare Rights Adviser, CPAG in Scotland

Moira Escreet Welfare Rights Adviser, CPAG in Scotland

There are now thousands of appeals each year to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland, mostly following unsuccessful adult disability payment (ADP) applications, with some from people who moved from UK benefits. Appeals have a good chance of success, especially with good advice. This workshop covers what to expect when challenging a Scottish benefit decision, including procedural rules before, during and after an appeal. We will review recent caselaw on process issues and discuss strategies for achieving the best outcomes for clients. 

Exhibition space

We will have an exhibition space hosting exhibitors showcasing their work, products and services. 

The exhibition package includes;

• One exhibitor place
• Attendance at all conference sessions including an AM and PM workshop
• A 4 foot table, table cloth and chair
• Lunch and refreshments

The cost of an exhibition package is £415 (plus VAT). Please note each additional person wishing to attend must book a separate delegate place. If you are interested in exhibiting at our conference please email [email protected]

'Great meeting colleagues from various services who are experiencing the same issues'

'I found the speakers in both AM and PM very insightful'

'The workshops were fantastic'

'Found the exhibition useful to meet other organisations and share contacts'