Campaign Pack
Our campaign pack outlines what the campaign is about and how you can get involved to help us ensure no older person misses out on the social security they are entitled to.
Download the campaign pack
Find out how to get involved in our campaign
About the pack
Our "Check in, Cash out" campaign aims to raise awareness and increase take-up of the social security support available to help older people live well.
People working with or supporting older people can use the contents of our campaign pack to boost awareness of the available social security by prompting discussions, sharing resources, promoting the positive impact of claiming, and directing people to Age Scotland for entitlement checks and more information.
Social Security Spotlights
Throughout our campaign, we will feature several individual payments and themes in more depth as "spotlights". These will run for two months at a time.
- Pension Credit: February and March
- Council Tax Reduction: April and May
- Older carers: June and July
- Attendance Allowance: August and September
- Energy: October and November
- Looking out for older family and friends: December and January
Social Security for Older People
There are various social security payments available for older people depending on their income and circumstances. Most of these are administered by the UK Government or your local authority, but in the coming years more will become the responsibility of the Scottish Government.
Entitlement to social security could depend on a range of factors including:
- a person's age (and sometimes their partner’s age)
- whether they are working or retired
- if they have ill health or a disability
- if they are a carer
- their income (and sometimes their partner’s income)
- their savings
Some social security benefits can “passport” the recipient towards additional help towards specific things, such as housing costs; help if you have ill health or a disability; support if you’re a carer and reducing bills such as council tax and utilities.
Social Media Toolkit
We've produced supporting images and graphics which you can use on social media to share the campaign
How to support our campaign
Help us to reach as many older people as possible to make sure no one misses out on social security.
Request a campaign materials pack
This is available for free and includes leaflets, posters, information guides and other resources for distribution in your area or the groups you work with. Order one by contacting campaigns@agescotland.org.uk.
Newsletters, local media, blogs, and websites
Help us by promoting the campaign through your own communications channels such as newsletters, emails and websites. You can find draft copy below and in our campaign pack.
Share on social media
Sharing our posts about the campaign on Twitter or Facebook will really help us spread the word. You can supporting images and draft posts on this page. Just get in touch if you're looking for something more bespoke: campaigns@agescotland.org.uk
Request a Campaign Materials Pack
Our free campaign materials pack includes leaflets, posters, information guides and other resources for distribution in your area or the groups you work with. Get in touch to order your pack today.
Newsletter copy example
Age Scotland’s “Check in, Cash out” campaign is seeking to raise awareness and take-up of social security among older people.
The charity is encouraging older people to check in to see if they could be entitled to cash out by contacting its free helpline on 0800 12 44 222 or using its free information and advice guides.
While there are a range of social security payments available to help older people, millions of pounds worth of support is not being claimed every year in Scotland. Consequently, many older people are missing out on money which could make a big difference to their quality of life, health, and wellbeing.
Age Scotland’s campaign aims to tackle some of the barriers preventing people from claiming – which include lack of awareness, stigma, digital exclusion and not knowing where to find advice.
The campaign is encouraging people to contact the Age Scotland Helpline for a free entitlement check to find out what support is available for them and to get help claiming it. The charity is also urging people to use its free information and advice guides to find out more about social security or attend one of its free two-hour training sessions.
In addition to pointing people towards these sources of information and advice, the charity will “spotlight” several individual payments and themes in more depth throughout the year in the long-running campaign.
Check in to see if you or a family member could be entitled to cash out by calling Age Scotland’s Helpline on 0800 12 44 222 (Monday – Friday, 9am to 5pm) or visiting www.age.scot to read Age Scotland’s free information and advice guides.
Benefits calculator
Use our free and anonymous benefits calculator to find out if you could be entitled to extra help