 Benefit sanctions can lead to a spiral of decline and potential destitution, often hindering people from getting back to work. That is the stark conclusion of the Scottish Parliament's Welfare Reform Committee in a report published today. Coming just a week after its report on food banks which saw the committee warn of the developing to Keynesian welfare approach, this report comments on the climate of fear around job centres rather than one that encourages people to engage with them and find their way back into employment. The committee believes sanctions must only be used as a last resort for those who have consistently and deliberately refused to engage with job seeking requirements without good reason. People are being sanctioned when they don't know the reason behind that. They're being sanctioned for trivial issues. We've had evidence of people being sanctioned because they spent too much time on a training course which is supposed to be their way into work but if they spend time on those courses they're being sanctioned because they're not available for work. So the system is failing. It's not achieving what it wants to do and it's forcing people into destitution. We are clear as a committee that the system needs to change from an exclusively punitive one to one with much more support for those who are going through the social security system. If someone fails to meet the conditions there should be conditionality but they should get greater support to assist them back into employment and we're not convinced that the system as is currently structured meets that standard. For more information please check the Parliament's website or get in touch via Twitter.