Disability Access Fund

Early Years Providers should email: [email protected] to obtain a Disability Access Fund (DAF) Declaration Form if they believe to have a child in their setting who is eligible for the funding.

A secure email will be sent to the provider with the blank DAF application form. Parent carers who are receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for their funded children should fully complete the DAF Declaration Form and state which provider they have chosen to nominate to receive the payment.

Using the same secure email link, the completed application and a copy of the DLA evidence should be attached to the email and returned to the Early Years Funding Team. Please ensure the DAF Declaration Form is fully completed before returning.

On receipt of the completed DAF Declaration Form and evidence of receipt of DLA, the Early Years funding team will arrange for a one-off payment to be made to the nominated provider. Providers can be expected to receive this one-off payment with their actual funding payment after submitting the forms. For further enquiries about this fund contact a member of the Funding Team on telephone: 01904 553880.

When funding has been paid, the provider will be able to see the DAF funding payment on the adjustment tab in the funding section of the portal.

Conditions of the Disability Access Fund

If a child is attending more than one provider, then the parent should nominate which provider they intend the payment to be made. There will be one payment of £910 per annum.

If the child leaves a provider to move to another partway through the academic year then an additional payment will not be made to the new provider. The new provider will have to reapply the year after. It's expected that the funding will not be recouped by the local authority from the previous provider.

Providers are responsible for identifying eligible children and should do this by speaking to parent/carers. A parental declaration form can be used to establish eligibility and early identification is encouraged.

Where the child lives in one authority but attends provision within another local authority then it's the responsibility of the provider’s local authority to proceed with the checks for eligibility and for funding the Disability Access Fund (DAF).

The DAF is not to be used to offset any additional funding that the local authority may be already providing for the children eligible for DAF.