Disability Access Fund guidance for early years professionals

You can apply for the Disability Access Fund (DAF) if you need help making your childcare setting more accessible to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The funding could help:

• make reasonable adjustments to their childcare space
• buy special equipment
• get special training to meet the child's needs

Who can get the Disability Access Fund (DAF)

A child will be able to get funding from the DAF if they get a Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and also get one of the following:

• the universal 15 hours entitlement for 3 and 4-year-olds
• from April 2024, the 15 hours entitlement for disadvantaged 2-year-olds
• from April 2024, the 15 hours entitlement for children aged 2 years of working parents
• from September 2024, the 15 hours entitlement for children aged 9 months to 2 years of working parents

Children don't have to take the full 570 of early education in order to get the DAF, as long as they have taken up any amount of the free early education offered.

About the payment

The DAF is a one-off payment per year, paid at a rate set by central government. It's paid to one childcare provider that has been nominated by a parent.

The DAF is an additional entitlement, which means it is not based on an hourly rate.

Early years providers must identify children who need the DAF

Please speak to parents in order to find out which children in your setting can get the DAF.

Parents will need to provide evidence of their Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

Email a copy of this evidence when requesting DAF to: earlyeducation.fundingteam@bcpcouncil.gov.uk.

How early years providers will receive DAF funding

• local authorities will fund early years settings for children eligible for DAF, at a fixed annual rate set by the government
• the DAF won't be offset against any other funding the local authority may ordinarily provide 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 funded 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
• please note, some parents may wish to wait until they are confident their child will remain attending a setting for the remainder of the year before accessing DAF
• once the funding for the year is paid, it will not be reclaimed even if the child leaves the setting. The new setting will not be able to receive any Disability Access Fund payment until the following year
• 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

How to apply for the Disability Access Fund

Please complete the Disability Access Fund form and email it to earlyeducation.fundingteam@bcpcouncil.gov.uk. You will need to include evidence that the parent is getting the Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

You can also email the team if you have any questions about the fund.