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Parents and carers on low incomes will be eligible for a £500 support payment if their children are required to self-isolate.

The payment is an extension of Welsh Government’s Self-Isolation Support Scheme launched last month.

Previously, support was only available for people required to self-isolate themselves, meaning some parents and carers had to take unpaid leave to provide childcare.

The scheme’s extension means parents who must take time off work to provide childcare will be able to access funding.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “Working from home is not an option for everyone so when a child has to self-isolate, this can be a stressful period for parents and carers.

“A significant number of people are losing income because they are unable to work while looking after children who cannot go to school or their normal childcare setting because of coronavirus.

“Extending this scheme will help ease the financial hardship some parents are facing, helping them care for their children.”

To qualify for the scheme, parents must have a child attending a school or childcare setting up to and including Year 8 – or up to age 25 if the learner has multiple and complex additional needs.

That child must have then received a formal notification to self-isolate from contact tracers or their education or childcare setting.

Parents or carers who are not on benefits but meet the other criteria can apply to the scheme if they feel they are at risk of financial hardship.

People will be able to apply for the self-isolation payment via the council’s website from December 14 and payments will be backdated to October 23.

Hefin David, MS for Caerphilly, said: “This is welcome news. It’s very important that we support people through these difficult times.

“The only way to control the spread of the virus is for people to isolate when needed. We can’t expect people to do this without some element of financial support.”