The DAF aids access to early years places by, for example, supporting childcare providers in making reasonable adjustments to their settings to enhance access and inclusion for all children.
Childcare providers who have children from 2 years old who are in receipt of FEEE funding and who are eligible for the DAF will be entitled to receive a single, one-off payment of £910 per year from April 2024. This will be extended to children aged 9 months old from September 2024.
Children do not have to take up the full 570 hours of free entitlement they are entitled to in order to receive the DAF.
Eligibility for disability access fund
Currently, 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds will be eligible for the DAF if they meet the below criteria (from September 2024, this will be extended to children from the age of 9 months old who meet the below criteria):
- The child is in receipt of child Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and;
- The child attends an early years childcare provider for the universal free entitlement.
Any 4 year old children in reception are NOT eligible for DAF funding.
How to identify eligible children
Childcare providers are responsible for identifying children who are eligible for the DAF. Parents / carers of children qualifying for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) are required to provide documented evidence of this allowance.
How to claim DAF funding
Providers will need to claim for the DAF when completing the relevant headcount or adjustment task and attach the evidence to the child’s record. Please refer to the guidance on completing the 3 and 4 year old funding headcount task, which will instruct you on how to apply for DAF and attach the evidence required.
How you will receive DAF funding for your setting
- Leicestershire County Council will fund all Ofsted registered childcare providers providing a place for each child eligible for the DAF in their area at the fixed annual rate of £910 per eligible child.
- The DAF is payable as a lump sum once a year per eligible child. If a child eligible for DAF is splitting their free entitlement across two or more childcare providers, the parent / carer will need to nominate the main childcare provider who will receive the DAF funding.
- If a child receiving the DAF moves from one childcare provider to another, the new childcare provider is not eligible to receive the DAF funding for this child within a 12 month period. DAF funding received by the original setting will not be recouped.
- Where a child lives in one authority area but attends a childcare provider in a different local authority, the childcare provider’s local authority is responsible for funding the DAF for the child and eligibility checking.
- All childcare providers who are eligible to receive funding for the Free Entitlement for2, 3 and 4 year olds are eligible to receive the DAF for any eligible children (this will be extended to children from 9 months old in September 2024).
- You will be able to view if DAF is going to be paid for a child, by accessing the ‘Summary’ tab on the Provider Portal and looking at the correct period.
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Depending on when you apply for funding, your payment will either be paid on the headcount actual payment or adjustment payment date. The DAF payment will appear on your ‘Summary tab' which can be accessed via the Provider Portal.