The disability access fund (DAF) is money that childcare providers can use to support children with disabilities or special educational needs.
It was introduced to help funded providers make those reasonable adjustments within their provision to support children with a disability, be that for the child in question or for the benefit of children attending the setting.
The disability access fund is a one-off payment of £910 per child per year to the provider nominated by the parent and is to be used to support the inclusion of eligible children from the age of 9 months through reasonable adjustments. The payment is made regardless of how many hours a child attends and is not prorated. In Central Bedfordshire payments are made in the term a child first applies for DAF and is then paid again on the first anniversary if the child is still in the setting.
Providers will need to identify eligible children through conversations with parents and carers to find out if their child is in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
Parents/carers will need to record that they want DAF on the relevant parent/carer agreement form (view documents for parents and carers) and a copy of the DLA needs to be sent to the Early Years Performance Team via the Provider Portal.
Eligibility criteria
Children from 9 months upwards will be eligible for DAF if they meet the following criteria:
- they must be in receipt of child Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- they attend an early years provider for the funded entitlement
Four year olds in primary school reception classes are not eligible for DAF funding.