The Disability Access Funding (DAF) is for early years providers to support children with disabilities or special educational needs. It helps improve access to early years places by supporting you as a childminder to make reasonable adjustments to your setting.
Eligibility
3 and 4 year olds will be eligible for the Disability Access Funding if:
- the child is in receipt of child Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and;
- the child accesses the funded entitlement at the early years provider
Entitlement
Providers taking 3 and 4 year olds that are eligible for the Disability Access Funding will be entitled to receive a one-off payment of up to £615 per year. The 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 the Disability Access Funding. Children in receipt of the Disability Access Funding will be eligible when they take-up any period of funded entitlement.
Early years providers are encouraged to speak to parents in order to find out which children are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance.
How to apply
Parents of children in receipt of Disability Living Allowance need to provide evidence and complete the DAF application form.
This form can be emailed to the parent for completion, they then need to return it to you.
Applications for Disability Access Funding need to be made via the provider portal.
Parents who attend more than one childcare 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.
Getting the DAF funding
The full allocation will be made for 3 year olds, but a pro-rata amount will be made for 4 year olds starting school in September until we have clarification from DfE regarding the annual allocation.
The Disability Access Funding will not be offset against any other funding which the local authority may ordinarily be providing for children eligible for the Disability Access Funding.
If a child receiving the Disability Access Funding moves from one provider to another, the new provider is not eligible to receive the 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 funding the Disability Access Funding for the child and eligibility checking.
Disability Access Funding requests will be processed each half term.