Coronavirus (COVID-19): social care staff support fund guidance

Guidance for social care workers and employers about the Social Care Staff Support Fund, that aims to ensure social care workers do not experience financial hardship if they are ill or self-isolating due to coronavirus.

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Eligible workers

The Fund is for social care workers contracted to deliver care and support in the social care sector as defined by section 47 of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010

Independent Living Fund (ILF) recipients who are using their ILF award to employ Personal Assistants or social care workers should continue to apply to ILF for relevant additional costs rather than through this Fund.

Workers in the following categories are eligible:

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

This includes staff who are working in the following roles:

Adult care homes

Social care staff working in adult care homes who are providing essential care for adults, elderly and vulnerable people.

Residential child care, including secure care

Staff working in residential childcare who are providing care to children.

Care at Home (including Housing Support)

Care at home workers providing essential support to people so that they can live independently in their homes. This includes housing support workers working in homelessness, addiction services and mental health.

Other registered social care workers

This includes workers doing needle exchange, working in homeless services, doing drug and alcohol recovery work in the community, working in drop-in and day services or offender accommodation.

Auxiliary and catering staff

Auxiliary and catering staff working within care homes or day care facilities.

Casual social care staff

Workers doing casual work for local authorities or social care providers and are paid by them directly.

Personal Assistants

People who are employed directly by the person they support with a direct payment (self-directed support option 1).

Mental Health Officers

Mental Health Officers (MHOs) who are working with vulnerable people to support and protect them within a support service.

Non-registered social care workers

This includes building-based or community-based day social care resource workers / project workers who provide community-based preventative/early support services for adults and children.

Social workers and related paraprofessional roles

Social workers across older people, adult mental health and learning disability,  children’s services, criminal justice services.

The above do not include social care agency workers or self-employed.

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