Early Years and Childcare

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1. What is the Disability Access Fund (DAF)?

The Equality Act 2010 ensures that Local Authorities and settings must not discriminate, harass or victimise disabled children and must make reasonable adjustments. Local Authorities must ensure that children with a Special Education Needs and/or Disability entitled to a place are found suitable provision.

From April 2017, the Government introduced the Disability Access Fund (DAF) this is new funding for early years childcare providers to support children with disabilities or special educational needs.

DAF is to support access to early years childcare provision by supporting providers in making reasonable adjustments to their settings and/or help build inclusive capacity (this may be for the child in question or to benefit children as a whole attending the setting).

The Local Authority will notify all early years childcare providers with details on how to claim this funding.

2. Eligibility

Children aged over 9 Months old, Two, Three and Four Year Olds will be eligible for DAF if they meet the following criteria:

• the child is in receipt of child Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and;
• the child receives Free Early Years Entitlement (FEYE) funding.

Note: 4 year olds in primary and infant school reception classes are NOT eligible for DAF.

3. Entitlement

Providers who offer early years funded childcare for eligible children aged over 9 Months old, Two, Three and Four Year Olds will be entitled to receive a lump sum of £910.00 DAF per year.

DAF is not based on an hourly rate and is an additional entitlement.

Children do not have to take up the full 570 hours of FEYE funded childcare for the provider to receive the DAF payment.

Children will be eligible to receive the DAF payment where they meet the criteria and they take-up any period of FEYE funding. It cannot be used to pay for additional hours.  

 Providers should discuss with parents/carers, how they intend to use the DAF payment to support their child’s needs.

4. Identification – Eligible Children

Early years childcare providers are responsible for identifying eligible children. Providers are encouraged to speak to parents/carers in order to find out who is eligible for DAF.

Parents/carers of children qualifying for DLA are required to provide the original DLA Award Letter for providers to copy to document evidence of this entitlement.

The DAF payment will not be awarded until the signed DLA proof is received.

5. Declaration Form – Procedure

• DAF Declaration Form from 1.9.24

The following procedures must be followed:

Parents/Carers with legal responsibility

• You should discuss with your provider how they intend to use the DAF payment to support your child’s needs
• Complete the Declaration Form
• Hand the Declaration Form to your provider with the child’s original DLA Award Letter

Provider:

• Take a copy of the child’s original DLA Award Letter and return the original to the parent/carer
• Sign and date the copy
  • ‘I confirm that this is a true copy of the DLA Award Letter and I have seen the original……………….(Signature and Date)’
• The DAF Declaration Form and proof of DLA must be returned by email to: DAFApplication@halton.gov.uk

6. Payment of DAF

• DAF Procedure-Flowchart 1.9.24

The Local Authority will fund all early years childcare providers providing a place for each child eligible for DAF within their Borough at the fixed annual rate of £910.00 per eligible child.

DAF will not be offset against any other funding which the Local Authority may ordinarily be providing for children eligible for DAF.

DAF is payable as a lump sum once a year, per eligible child and is payable to the provider. It will be paid again during the anniversary term the following year, as long as the child is still in receipt of DLA and still claiming FEYE.

If a child eligible for DAF is splitting their FEYE funding across two or more providers, the Local Authority will ask parents to nominate the main provider. The Local Authority will then pay this provider the DAF for the child.

If a child receiving DAF moves from one provider to another the new provider is not eligible to receive DAF for this child until the anniversary term of the previous payment, e.g. if payment was made in summer term, the anniversary term will be the summer term the following year. DAF received by the original setting will not be recouped by the Local Authority.

The Local Authority will not provide DAF for eligible children accessing Out of Borough early years childcare provision – this is funded by the Local Authority where the provider is located.

The provider’s Local Authority is responsible for checking the eligibility of the child for DAF.

All providers who are eligible to receive FEYE funding for children aged over 9 months old, 2, 3 and 4 year olds are also eligible to receive DAF.

7. Documentary Evidence – Expenditure and Outcomes

It is anticipated that providers will be required to collate documentary evidence to confirm how the DAF payment has been spent.

This may also include maintaining evidence of any impact on the child’s development that the funding has provided, in particular in terms of outcomes.

It is recommended that providers collect and maintain this type of evidence/information.

• This will be updated with new reports as they are received.

This will be updated with new reports as they are received.

• • Beechwood Nursery and Preschool Childcare-PVI SEND Information Report 2024-25

This will be updated with new reports as they are received.