Tier 4 and support bubbles

With the announcement on Saturday 19 December 2020 that much of the South East of England and other parts of the country were to be moved into Tier 4, many spinal cord injured (SCI) people will have felt very isolated and cut off.

However, under the  tier 4 rules, it is still permitted to form a “support bubble” if you live alone. This is permissible, even if you have carers who provide support. The key points about creating support bubbles are:

Who can make a support bubble

Not everybody can form a support bubble. However, on 2 December 2020, the rules changed to widen eligibility for forming one.

You can form a support bubble with another household of any size if:

• you live by yourself – even if carers visit you to provide support
• you are the only adult in your household who does not need continuous care as a result of a disability
• your household includes a child who is under the age of one or was under that age on 2 December 2020
• your household includes a child with a disability who requires continuous care and is under the age of 5, or was under that age on 2 December 2020
• you are aged 16 or 17 living with others of the same age and without any adults
• you are a single adult living with one or more children who are under the age of 18 or were under that age on 12 June 2020

HOWEVER, YOU MUST NOT FORM A SUPPORT BUBBLE WITH A HOUSEHOLD THAT IS ALREADY PART OF ANOTHER SUPPORT BUBBLE.

For full details on support bubbles, please visit:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-a-support-bubble-with-another-household