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The Social Care Staff Support Fund – open now for those who have been shielding

The shielding element of the Social Care Staff Support Fund is now open to applications. The Fund will close on 24th February, so please ask your employer to apply now if you are eligible.

This is a new fund to support social care workers who have been shielding in the period March to October 2020 and were not placed on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

The fund will enable employers to claim additional wages for social care workers amounting to the difference between 80% of their expected income and the actual wages they received.

You can find more information on the Shielding Fund at Inspiring Scotland’s webpage: https://www.inspiringscotland.org.uk/social-care-staff-support-fund/. This includes eligibility criteria, the application form and potential impacts on benefit entitlement.

There is also a stand-alone guidance note on this page which has been agreed with Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) and applicants are asked to state that they understand the potential implications on any benefits payments. CAS can offer further advice to anyone who requires it.

Any social care employer with a UK administered payroll including charities and businesses can make a claim under this fund.

The fund is being managed by Inspiring Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government and opened for claims on 11 January 2021 and will close for claims on 24 February 2021.

Who can claim?

Any social care employer with a UK administered payroll including charities and businesses can make a claim under this fund.

The Fund has been established for a group of workers who, due to the nature of their work or work environment, have been advised to shield themselves or are unable to carry out his or her duties due to the risk of contracting coronavirus.

Its purpose is to ensure that social care workers do not experience financial hardship.

Workers in the following categories are eligible:

  • support service
  • care home service
  • offender accommodation service
  • housing support services

The Scottish Government website has also been updated to include this information and link to Inspiring Scotland’s website: Coronavirus (COVID-19): shielding social care workers support scheme – gov.scot (www.gov.scot).