Smart card technology from Scotland’s national Customer First programme is helping 380,000 Young Scots get the services and benefits they want.
Young Scot is the national youth information charity for 11-26 year-olds, offering an array of services to help young people make informed decisions and choices.
At its core is the Young Scot National Entitlement Card, a smartcard giving the owner a “passport” to a range of entitlements and rewards, including the option to open a basic bank account. Customer First is the engine room for this successful part of the Young Scot programme.
“Young people have benefited greatly from our partnership with Customer First by being able to have multi-function cards which can access many different services, including local authority and Young Scot services,” explains Young Scot Chief Executive Louise Macdonald.
“It means they don’t have to carry six or seven separate pieces of plastic with them just to get the services they're entitled to; this is a major service enhancement for young people."
The card carries the nationally endorsed Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) hologram. This allowed Young Scot to pioneer with Lloyds Banking Group the card’s use as a secure and valuable item for access to a basic bank account. The Scottish Committee of Clearing Banks has now also accepted this as proof of identity in opening a basic bank account.
The National Entitlement Card is increasing the number of young people joining Young Scot and engaging with local services.
“This has helped connect them as young citizens to local government through services such as leisure, library and school meals, as well as other public sector partners and retailers across the country," Louise says. "It is a major engagement tool for young people in Scotland both locally and nationally, linking young people into consultation and participation activity.”
Young Scot feels the card has so much potential that it is looking at further developments with a specific focus on shared services and rewards.
“If we were not working in partnership with Customer First, then Young Scot would have to purchase and distribute its own cards, which would almost certainly be less technologically advanced," Louise concludes. "Young Scot alone would not have the ability to bring councils and other services together to create the necessary technical standards to allow the development of smartcard technology."
What Products?
Young Scot works in partnership with Customer First through the National Entitlement Card Programme Office in Dundee. Customer First provides the card management system, centralised production facilities and systems integration expertise which delivers major economies of scale.
FACT
CUSTOMER FIRST TECHNOLOGY ALSO ENABLES TRANSPORT SCOTLAND TO DELIVER ITS NATIONAL ENTITLEMENT CARD SCHEME FOR THE OVER 60S AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
Number Crunching
1.5 million - the number of Scots using the National Entitlement Card.
380,000 - the number of Young Scot cards now being used.
150,000 - the number of 16-18 year-olds who get discounted travel using their cards
Customer First is a £34.5m Scottish Government-backed programme to deliver more convenient and responsive public services, encourage online access to services and ensure that at least 75% of core service requests can be handled at first point of contact. It has been developed in partnership with local government and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE), under the auspices of the Improvement Service.
