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01  Voice · Regulator · Unpaid carers

Regulator

Karyn Dunning

Chief Operating Officer (interim), Social Security Scotland

Press coverage by month · bar height shows relative volume
Dec 2025Jan 2026FebMarAprMayJuneJulyAugSeptOctNovto date
1

Quoted in the press, across 1 topic since 27 Nov 2025

DUNDEE
OfficeSocial Security Scotland, Dundee, DD1 4BFSocial Security Scotland is based in Dundee Central: the organisation’s base, not a personal address.

02  Quoted on · 1 of 29 topics

Open the topic

Karyn Dunning: key facts

Kind of voice
Regulator
Role
Chief Operating Officer (interim)
Organisation
Social Security Scotland
Organisation based in
Dundee Central
Quoted on
Unpaid carers
Press coverage
Quoted in the press
Most recently quoted
23 Sept 2026
First quoted
27 Nov 2025

03  Profile

Who Karyn Dunning is

Karyn Dunning is a senior civil servant at Social Security Scotland, the Scottish Government executive agency that delivers devolved social security benefits. Press coverage in 2025 described her as deputy director for low-income benefits; her formal title was Deputy Director for Low-Income Benefits and Operational Improvement.

She joined the agency's Executive Team in December 2024. In January 2026 she was listed as interim Chief Operating Officer, and she gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament's Social Justice and Social Security Committee in that role in January and March 2026. She has said she left school with two GCSEs and worked in low-paid jobs before building a Civil Service career, and that she was awarded an MBE.

In the press she is quoted on the delivery of carer and disability benefit payments, including the Carer's Allowance Supplement.

Notable achievements

  1. 01

    Joined the Social Security Scotland Executive Team in December 2024 as Deputy Director Low Income Benefits and Operational Improvement, in a division formed by the March 2025 restructure. Source ↗

  2. 02

    Gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament's Social Justice and Social Security Committee as Chief Operating Officer of Social Security Scotland on Job Start Payment (5 March 2026). Source ↗

  3. 03

    Describes in her own words a Civil Service career that has taken her through every grade and in which she was awarded an MBE. Source ↗

04  The signal · where Karyn Dunning sits on unpaid carers

Leading

One of the voices most often quoted in the press on unpaid carers.

Placed by press coverage on this topic only, not across all topics.

  1. Helen Walker portraitHelen WalkerSector leaderChief Executive, Carers UKLeading
  2. Emily Holzhausen portraitEmily HolzhausenSector leaderDirector of Policy and Public Affairs, Carers UKLeading
  3. Kirsty McHugh portraitKirsty McHughSector leaderChief Executive Officer, Carers TrustLeading
  4. Jon Greer portraitJon GreerBusiness leaderHead of Retirement Policy (and Pensions Technical), Quilter plcLeading
  5. Elizabeth McPhersonSector leaderCEO of Carers Plus YorkshireLeading
  6. Karyn Dunning portraitKaryn DunningRegulatorChief Operating Officer (interim), Social Security ScotlandLeading
  7. Jacqui HyltonClinicianMidwifeLeading
  8. Suzie Walters-JeffriesSector leaderDevon Carers at WestbankLeading

Showing the leading voices and those placed around Karyn Dunning · See every voice on the topic →

05  On the record · press

What Karyn Dunning has said

By outlet · bar length shows relative volume
  • birminghammail.co.uk
  • cambridge-news.co.uk
  • glasgowtimes.co.uk

Where Karyn Dunning has been quoted

  1. DWP confirms rule change for PIP, Attendance Allowance, DLA, Carer’s Allowancebirminghammail.co.uk · 23 Sept 2026
  2. New DWP rules for PIP, DLA and Carer's Allowance claimantscambridge-news.co.uk · 4 Feb 2026
  3. Hundreds of Glasgow carers to get festive financial boost next monthglasgowtimes.co.uk · 27 Nov 2025

How we found the articles that name Karyn Dunning: we searched news for these terms.

  • unpaid carers
  • carer's allowance
  • carers allowance
  • carer's leave
  • carer's credit
  • Carers UK
  • Carers Trust
  • young carers

Also searched with “unpaid carers” in each of 8 national papers, and in the Guardian by editor tag, and in trade press by category. Every term for Unpaid carers

Verbatim

“It's vital disabled people and carers who move to Scotland take action to ensure they continue to get the financial support they are entitled to.”
Chief Operating Officer of Social Security Scotland · Unpaid carers · birminghammail.co.uk · 23 Sept 2026 · Read the article
“It's vital disabled people and carers who move to Scotland take action to ensure they continue to get the financial support they are entitled to.”
deputy director at Social Security Scotland · Unpaid carers · cambridge-news.co.uk · 4 Feb 2026 · Read the article
“As one of the first payments introduced by Social Security Scotland in 2018, I'm proud of the difference that Carer's Allowance Supplement has made for carers across the country.”
deputy director for low-income benefits at Social Security Scotland · Unpaid carers · glasgowtimes.co.uk · 27 Nov 2025 · Read the article

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics, not necessarily citing them directly.

06  Sources

References for this biography

  1. Carer's Allowance Supplement to be paid from December 4 (Barrhead News). Press quote from Karyn Dunning, described as deputy director for low-income benefits at Social Security Scotland, about the Carer's Allowance Supplement.
  2. Executive Advisory Body - Social Security Scotland. Her formal title was Deputy Director for Low-Income Benefits and Operational Improvement, and she sat on the agency's Executive Advisory Body.
  3. Social Security Scotland Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25. She joined the Executive Team in December 2024, ahead of the March 2025 restructure that created a new operational division.
  4. Social Justice and Social Security Committee, 22 January 2026 - SPICe paper. She was listed as interim Chief Operating Officer when she was due to give evidence on 22 January 2026.
  5. Social Justice and Social Security Committee, 5 March 2026. She was listed as Chief Operating Officer, Social Security Scotland, giving evidence on Job Start Payment.
  6. Path to Civil Service success - Social Security Scotland. Her own account of her background (two GCSEs, low-paid jobs, Civil Service career) and her MBE.
  7. Social Security Scotland - InfoCitizen. The head office is in Dundee at Agnes Husband House, 17 South Union Street, DD1 4BF. It also gives the general enquiries freephone number.

07  Contact & links

Staff page
socialsecurity.gov.scot/about/governance/our-executive-advisory-body

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.

Named officials of regulators, arms-length bodies and public agencies such as the CQC, NHS England or a local authority association. Citations are counted by an automated scan of UK press coverage and may be incomplete. Roles, biographies and contact details are researched and human-reviewed before they appear here; anything not yet reviewed is simply absent rather than shown unverified. This profile was last updated on 3 Nov 2026. See the methodology for how this page is built, or email contact@bridgeheadcommunications.com to correct anything on it.