Published: 12/02/2021
PAYMENTS of £500 are available to Copeland residents financially affected by their child self-isolating – and applications are now open.
Copeland Council has a total pot of £91,000 to help low income residents in the borough who cannot work from home, and will lose – or have lost - money as a result of their child having to self-isolate.
Currently, Test and Test Support Payments are only paid to eligible individuals on a low income, who are instructed themselves to self-isolate through the NHS Test and Trace service, as per Government guidance.
The Additional Discretionary Support Payment Scheme allows Copeland Council to make discretionary payments to parents and guardians who work and will lose wages through having to care for a dependant who has been instructed to self-isolate and cannot attend school or a childcare facility.
Eligible residents will receive £500 per household, for each 10-day isolation period, and claims can be backdated to January 19, 2021.
Households must earn £26,000 per year, or under, to qualify. Copeland Council – and all districts in the county – are being provided with this funding via Cumbria County Council.
Mike Starkie, Mayor of Copeland, said: “It’s great to see more funding available for residents who may previously have fallen through the net.
“This new funding allows the Council to make sure that all of our residents are taken care of as the impacts of the current pandemic are still felt.
“If your child has been told that they must self-isolate, either through their school, or by the NHS Test and Trace Service, and you cannot work from home, and will lose money because if it, we may be able to help.
“The scheme is open to anyone who is on a low income and will lose earnings as a result of having to stay at home to take care of a dependent child or children, including the self-employed.
“I encourage anyone who thinks they may be eligible to go to our website and complete an application form and our team will make any verified payments as soon as possible.”
More information on the Additional Discretionary Support Payment Scheme – and an application form - is available at www.copeland.gov.uk/benefits
