2. Disability Access Fund (DAF)
The settings of three- and four-year-olds are eligible to receive a one-off payment of £910 per year. The DAF is not based on an hourly rate and is an extra entitlement.
It helps access to early years places. For example, it supports providers in making fair changes to their settings. It also helps with building capacity for the child in question or for the benefit of all children at the setting.
If the free entitlement is being split across two or more providers, the parents will need to nominate the main setting where the local authority should make the DAF payment. This can be done by using the parent declaration form.
Eligibility
Three and 4-year olds will be eligible for the Disability Access Fund (DAF) if they are attending an early years setting that provides the free early education entitlement, and meet the following criteria:
- The child is in receipt of child disability living allowance and;
- The child receives free early education.
(Note: four-year olds in primary school reception classes are not eligible for DAF funding).
Children do not have to use all 570 hours of early education they are entitled to in order to receive the DAF.
If a child receiving DAF moves to a new setting during the financial year, the new setting cannot get DAF funding for the child in that same year. DAF funding received by the original setting will not be recouped.
If the child lives in one authority area and attends a provider in a different area. The provider's authority funds the DAF for the child and checks if they are eligible.
The payment process
The settings of three- and four-year-olds eligible for the DAF will be entitled to receive a one-off payment of £910 per year. The DAF is not based on an hourly rate and is an additional entitlement.
Providers will need to check that the child is in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA). Providers will need to upload this evidence via the online provider portal when making a free entitlement claim for the child.
Payments will be made as an adjustment alongside the three and four year old free entitlement funding. Payments will be processed at the next payment point as outlined in provider payment timetable.