Eight years ago, Citizens Advice Scotland set up a special service to support people claiming Universal Credit (UC) for the first time. The Help to Claim (HTC) service has recently reached a major milestone: our advisers have now provided support to over 100,000 people.

I’ve been lucky to work on HTC for just over two years now, and I feel great admiration towards my colleagues. They have worked tirelessly to make sure that every one of those 100,000 people received a compassionate and quality service.

You might be wondering, why do we need a special project like this at all?  Unfortunately, the application process for UC is lengthy and complex. Many people also have particular problems, which can add to the complexity. Pairing this with the fact that many find themselves in need at short notice –........

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