Disability Access Fund (DAF)
If you're an early years or childcare provider, you can apply for the Disability Access Fund (DAF) to support children with additional needs (SEND).
The Disability Access Fund (DAF) aids access to early years places by, for example, supporting you in making reasonable adjustments to your early years or childcare setting, purchasing specialist equipment, or seeking specialised training that supports you to meet children's needs, and it is an additional entitlement.
Eligibility for Disability Access Fund (DAF)
2, 3 and 4 year olds will be eligible for the DAF if they meet the following criteria from April 2024:
- the child is in receipt of child disability living allowance (DLA) and;
- the child receives free early education Note: 4 year olds in primary school reception classes are NOT eligible for DAF funding. Children become eligible for free early education at different points in the year depending on when they turn 3.
This will also apply for children eligible for the new 9-month entitlement funding from September 2024.
Entitlement
- The setting of the children eligible for the DAF will be entitled to receive a one-off payment of £910.00 per calendar year. The 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 early education they are entitled to in order to receive the DAF. Children in receipt of the DAF will be eligible where they take up any period of free entitlement.
Identifying Eligible Children
Early years providers are responsible for identifying eligible children. Providers are encouraged to speak to parents in order to find out who is eligible for the DAF. Parents of children qualifying for Disability Living Allowance will be required to provide documented evidence of this entitlement, and providers will need to take a copy of this evidence and complete the B&NES Disability Access Fund request form.
How Early Years Providers will receive DAF Funding
The local authority will fund all early years settings providing a place for each child eligible for the DAF in their area at the fixed annual rate of £910.00 per eligible child.
- The DAF will not be offset against any other funding which the local authority may ordinarily be providing for children eligible for the DAF.
- The DAF is payable as a lump sum once a year per eligible child. If a child eligible for the DAF is splitting their free entitlement across two or more providers, the local authority will ask parents to nominate the main setting. This setting will be where the local authority will pay the DAF for the child.
- If a child receiving DAF moves from one setting to another within a financial year, the new setting is not eligible to receive DAF funding for this child within the same financial year. DAF 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 DAF for the child and eligibility checking.
- All early years providers who are eligible to receive funding for the early entitlement education are also eligible to receive the DAF
For more information on how early years providers can access this funding, please contact
SENDIP@bathnes.gov.uk
or call 01225 395608.