If you have to take time off work to look after a child who has been told to self-isolate you might be able to get a payment of £500.
The payment is only available to those who are employed or self-employed and must be claimed within 42 days of the child’s first day of self-isolation.
To successfully claim the payment, you must meet all the following criteria:
- you are the parent or guardian of a child or young person in the same household and you need to take time off work to care for them while they self-isolate. This is limited to one parent or guardian per household for the child or young person’s self-isolation period.
- you are employed or self-employed.
- you cannot work from home while undertaking caring responsibilities and will lose income as a result.
- you meet all the other means-tested eligibility criteria for a Test and Trace Support Payment (either through the main scheme or the discretionary scheme).
- your child or young person is aged 15 or under, or 25 or under with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC), and normally attends an education or childcare setting.
- your child has been told to self-isolate by their education or childcare setting because they have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
When making your application you will need to supply evidence such as:
- the child’s eight-digit NHS Test and Trace ID number. This is for parents and guardians of children or young people who have received a notification directly from NHS Test and Trace telling them to self-isolate.
- a communication from the child or young person’s education or childcare setting confirming that they have to self-isolate. This is for parents and guardians of children or young people who have been told to self-isolate by their education or childcare setting because they have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive.
- a screenshot of a young person’s NHS COVID-19 App notification telling them to self-isolate AND evidence that the young person has an Education, Health and Care Plan. This is for parents or guardians of young people aged 16-25 who have additional support needs and who have been notified to self-isolate by the NHS COVID-19 App.
To make a claim, visit: https://www.knowsley.gov.uk/residents/apply-for-test-and-trace-support-payment