UNISON campaigned hard to make sure that social care workers did not have to survive on statutory sick pay, should they have to self-isolate because of coronovirus.
The Social Care Staff Support Fund is the result. The Fund came into force on 27 May 2020 and is due to expire on 30 September 2020, although Ministers may decide to extend it.
The Fund guarantees that any care worker who self-isolates, in line with the public health guidance, will receive their usual pay during that period. Care workers need to make a request to their employer for their pay to be topped up, and the employer can make a claim to be reimbursed through the Fund.
This briefing explains the intentions and the financial entitlements of workers under the Social Care Staff Support Fund.