Parents and guardians of children who need to self-isolate during the pandemic are to get a £500 payment.
The news comes days ahead of children being sent back to school in England from March 8. And children in Wales should be back in school by Easter.
Thousands of children may have to self isolate of pupils in their classes, bubbles or year groups test positive for Covid.
This can mean parents and guardians having to take time off work - or facing other expenses.
The eligibility criteria for the Government's Test and Trace Support Scheme has now been updated to include "a parent or guardian who is staying off work to look after a child who is self-isolating", reports The Mirror.
Work and Pensions Minister Justin Tomlinson announced the development at the Commons on Tuesday.
Mr Tomlinson said: "Beyond the welfare safety net, we have also introduced a number of unprecedented packages of support to put money directly into the pockets of those who are in the most need.
"We are providing financial support to self-isolate to those on low incomes through the £500 Test and Trace Support Scheme, alongside £35m being made available to local authorities for discretionary payments to support those on low incomes who cannot work from home if they are required to self-isolate, because they have tested positive for coronavirus or have been identified as a contact of someone who has.
"We have worked with local authorities to monitor the effectiveness of the scheme since it launched in September 2020 and have listened to feedback from charities and support groups on the front line and therefore I welcome the changes to the eligibility criteria to include a parent or guardian who is staying off work to look after a child who is self-isolating.
"And we will also be making an additional £20m available for discretionary payments every month from March until the end of the scheme, which has been extended until the summer."
