Disability Access Funding

• What is Disability Access Funding?

  Disability Access Funding (DAF) is funding for early years providers to support children with disabilities or special educational needs. It aids access to early years places by supporting providers in making reasonable adjustments to their settings.

• Eligibility Criteria

  Children will be eligible for Disability Access Funding if they meet the following criteria:

  • the child is in receipt of child Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and;
  • the child accesses the funded entitlement at the early years provider

  Note:  4-year olds in primary and infant school reception classes are NOT eligible for disability access funding.

  • Local Offer
• Entitlement

  Providers with children that are eligible for Disability Access Funding will receive a one-off payment of up to £938 per year. Disability Access Funding is not based on an hourly rate and is an additional entitlement.

  Children do not have to take up the full 570 hours of early education they are entitled to in order to receive  Disability Access Funding. Children in receipt of Disability Access Funding will be eligible when they take-up any period of funded entitlement.

• Identifying eligible children and How to Apply

  Early years providers are encouraged to speak to parents in order to find out which children are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance.

  Parents of children in receipt of Disability Living Allowance are required to provide evidence and complete the Application for Disability Access Funding. This form can be emailed to the parent for completion and they will then need to return it to their childcare provider.

  Applications for Disability Access Funding need to be made via the Provider Portal.

  Parents who attend more than one provider need to be aware that only one payment can be made and they must complete the form for the provider that they wish to receive the funding.

  The parent declaration form will need to be completed each year to confirm eligibility.

• How early years providers will receive Disability Access Funding
  • Disability Access Funding will not be offset against any other funding which the local authority may ordinarily be providing for children eligible for Disability Access Funding.
  • If a child receiving Disability Access Funding moves from one provider to another, the new provider is not eligible to receive Disability Access Funding for this child for the same period already claimed by the previous provider. Disability Access Funding received by the original setting will not be recouped by the local authority.
  • Where a child lives in one authority area but attends a provider in a different local authority, the provider’s local authority is responsible for paying Disability Access Funding for the child and eligibility checking.
  • Disability Access Funding requests will be processed each half term.
  • Disability Access Funding is included with the headcount or amendment payments and will be shown on the financial breakdown reports that are issued via the provider portal.
  • A full annual allocation will be made following a successful application.  For three- and four-year-olds that are due to start school reception in September, a pro-rata amount will be paid.