Early years - disability access fund (DAF) for early years providers

Some children in receipt of the disability living allowance (DLA) could be eligible for some funding through the disability access fund (DAF). To be eligible, they must receive DLA and meet one of the following criteria:

• funded childcare for children aged three and four
• funded childcare for children aged two whose families are in receipt of additional support
• funded childcare for children aged nine months to two years of working parents

• making reasonable adjustments to your setting to enhance a child’s access to their early years funding
• building capacity for SEND either for the child in question or for the benefit of children attending the setting as a whole
• purchasing special equipment or resources
• growing staff knowledge and skills through specialist training
• enhancing staff ratios

It cannot be used for:

• funding additional hours or covering any shortfall in fees including mealtimes
• preparing and writing assessments and reports to support the child

All early years providers who are eligible to receive early years funded entitlement are eligible to receive DAF payments.

DAF is payable as an annual one-off payment and is not pro-rated according to hours taken up. Early years providers receive £910 per eligible child.

If a child has two or more settings

If a child eligible for DAF is splitting their funded entitlement across two or more settings, parents must nominate one setting to receive DAF. The local authority will then pay DAF for the child to that nominated setting.

The local authority can only pay one setting but two settings can have a private arrangement to share funding with the parents’ consent. Funding must not be given to the parent to give to the setting that has not been paid.

If a child moves setting

If a child receiving DAF moves from one setting to another, the new setting is not eligible to receive DAF for this child until the anniversary of the first payment has passed. DAF payments received by the original setting will not be recouped.

Where children are still eligible for DAF, providers can claim a second payment when the anniversary of the first DAF payment has passed.

If a child attends a setting in a different local authority

In cases where a child who lives in one local authority attends a setting in another local authority, DAF eligibility checking and funding for the child is the responsibility of the local authority in which the setting is based.

Local authorities are responsible for checking that early years providers meet DAF eligibility. 

To receive DAF payments for eligible children, early years providers will need to supply:

• a completed parent declaration form - please ask parents to fill out the DAF section on the parent declaration form, advising that their child is entitled to DLA and to nominate the setting that the local authority should make DAF payments to
• a copy of a current DLA eligibility letter – please include all pages not just the front page
• a copy of the child's birth certificate or passport

This evidence should be emailed to our education funding team at education.funding@n-somerset.gov.uk.

"We used the DAF to purchase a Brailler so that we could label the child’s name peg and other resources and books around the environment. We have also purchased tactile materials. 

The impact on the child has been that their experience in the nursery has been great as the additional resources have given her the opportunity to thrive. She can explore the room and activities and words in the environment." 

"We have used the DAF to purchase colour coded utensils in the kitchen to ensure that the child’s dietary requirements are met and that they are safe. 

To support the child’s medical need we purchased an iPad, so that alongside recording medical data we can quickly access parents and medical professionals for advice in an emergency.  

The impact on the child is that she can access the nursery safely and as staff we have increased confidence at meeting their needs."