Will the new £500 isolation support schemes announced by the Welsh Government be available to parents unable to work due to a child being unable to attend school after being asked to isolate/subject to school closures due to COVID-19 outbreaks?
The Welsh Government’s Self-Isolation Support Payments scheme is now operational. Information about the scheme is available on the Welsh Government website here and applications can be made via local authorities.
To be eligible for a payment, people must either have tested positive for coronavirus or have been contacted by our NHS Wales Test Trace Protect service and told to self-isolate because they are a close contact of someone who has tested positive. The other scheme criteria are set out on the website.
The scheme is designed to remove the financial barriers some people face when asked to self-isolate by the NHS Wales Test Trace Protect service or because they have tested positive.
This scheme is not currently open to parents of children who are unable to attend school, unless the parents meet the criteria. The scheme is under close review, allowing us to learn from experience as the first applications are made and, if necessary, make adjustments to take account of the needs of children and other vulnerable people.