Table 2. Potential rights based vision and principles Current Vision & Principles Rights Based Vision & Principles Commentary on proposed changes Vision: Social Security is a human right The fact that social security is a right should be at the Social Security is important to which all people in Scotland are core of the vision for the Scottish social security powers. to all of us and able to entitled at times when circumstances support each if us when we deprive them of their capacity to fully need it realise their rights (Legality) Or Social Security is a basic human right to which all people in Scotland are entitled to access when required (Legality) Principle 1: The social security system (law, The principle relating to human dignity should feature as the Respect for the dignity of policy and practice) will treat primary principle if the true intention of the new ethos is to be individuals is at the of everyone (applicants, recipients and that of dignity and respect. From the Commission’s everything we do staff) with human dignity grounded in experience of exploring the use of a human rights based human rights. approaches in other public sector settings it has been of key (Human dignity) importance that the rights of everyone are recognised and valued. It is clear from a number of whistleblowing reports that many staff at the DWP struggled with the culture of sanctioning to target and effectively treating people in such a way as to degrade them. Therefore, in the case of a new Scottish social security agency, it would be critical for the ethos of the new agency to reflect the importance of respect for the human dignity of their staff as much as the applicants and recipients. Principle 2: Social security is an investment in Social security is indeed an investment in everyone in everyone, provided without Scotland. Emphasising the role that social security plays in
Table 2. Potential rights based vision and principles Current Vision & Principles Rights Based Vision & Principles Commentary on proposed changes Vision: Social Security is important to all of us and able to support each if us when we need it Social Security is a human right to which all people in Scotland are entitled at times when circumstances deprive them of their capacity to fully realise their rights (Legality) Or Social Security is a basic human right to which all people in Scotland are entitled to access when required (Legality) The fact that social security is a right should be at the core of the vision for the Scottish social security powers. Principle 1: Respect for the dignity of individuals is at the of everything we do The social security system (law, policy and practice) will treat everyone (applicants, recipients and staff) with human dignity grounded in human rights. (Human dignity) The principle relating to human dignity should feature as the primary principle if the true intention of the new ethos is to be that of dignity and respect. From the Commission’s experience of exploring the use of a human rights based approaches in other public sector settings it has been of key importance that the rights of everyone are recognised and valued. It is clear from a number of whistleblowing reports that many staff at the DWP struggled with the culture of sanctioning to target and effectively treating people in such a way as to degrade them. Therefore, in the case of a new Scottish social security agency, it would be critical for the ethos of the new agency to reflect the importance of respect for the human dignity of their staff as much as the applicants and recipients. Principle 2: Social security is an investment in everyone, provided without Social security is indeed an investment in everyone in Scotland. Emphasising the role that social security plays in