Disability Access Fund (DAF) - Information for Practitioners
The Disability Access Fund was introduced in April 2017 to ‘enable Early Year’s Providers to anticipate and make reasonable adjustments to their provision and increase the capacity to support disabled children and children with special educational needs’.
3 and 4 year old children are eligible if they receive free Early Years Education and if they are in receipt of Disability Living allowance. DAF provides the Early Years Setting an additional annual amount of £800 per child for those who are eligible.
This funding is not transferable to other settings e.g. If the child leaves before the end of the financial year this money can’t be moved over to a new setting and if the child attends more than one setting it is up to the parent to decide where this funding should go – it cannot be split between both settings.
Further information regarding the DAF funding can be found HERE
*REVIEWED SEPTEMBER 2023*
How do we identify eligible children?
The Early Years Provider is ultimately responsible for identifying eligible children, however if you are unsure whether a child is in receipt of disability living allowance it is important ask parents in a sensitive way. Some settings have produced a poster that gives parents information about the DAF and others have added to newsletters/websites.
If parents want to know whether their child is eligible for DLA Contact a Family has a very helpful website www.cafamily.org.uk that provides support and advice for families of children with additional needs including a specific section on Disability Living Allowance
How do we access this?
A parent of a child in receipt of DLA will need to produce a copy of the DLA notice to the provider; the provider will take a copy to keep for their records. The provider must also scan and send a copy through to the Funding team at Gloucestershire County Council who will pay them the DAF amount, independently to the headcount claims.
What can we use the funding for?
This funding is to ensure that you are able to effectively support child/children with disabilities so it can be used in a number of ways. It is important to stress that the funding is not to be used to provide 1:1 support. If it is felt that a child needs additional support above and beyond what can be provided from DAF please contact your SEND Early Help Advisor for further information EarlyHelpAdviserReferrals@gloucestershire.gov.uk
There are lots of things you can do in your setting to make it easier for you to safely include and support children with additional needs and SEN
It is highly recommended that having a whole setting Total Communication approach for all children regardless of their age or developmental ability should be embedded within every Early Years Setting/provision in Gloucestershire. This training can be delivered to whole settings if necessary. For more information either contact your SEND Early Help Advisor or visit Gloucestershire Total Communication Website www.totalcommunication.org.uk
A list of local resources/training that you could use the Disability Access Fund for are suggested below:
The Educational Psychology Service provides a diverse range of training opportunities including:
Play and learning to Socialise Skills Programme
Introduction to Pathological Demand Avoidance
Video Interaction Guidance
Emotion Coaching
Autism and Communication Needs Professional Support Forums
Early Years Screening and Interaction (EY EaSI)
For further information including how to book onto a training course please follow these links:
http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/media/13357/eps-training-and-interventions.pdf
The Advisory Teaching Service has a wealth of training sessions that are specific to Early Years Practitioners/Providers
The organisation Active Impact provides free Inclusion Needs You training for practitioners who are or is interested in working with disabled children or young people within Gloucestershire. For further information visit their website www.activeimpact.org.uk or email them on training@activeimpact.org.uk
Resources from Action for Children - Area of Need 1 (Communication and Interaction)
Ambitious About Autism https://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/
Autism Education Trust http://www.aettraininghubs.org.uk/early-years/
Book trust www.booktrust.org.uk
The Communication Trust – What works? http://www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk/whatworks
The Communication Trust – Early years https://www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk/earlyyears
Elklan Speech & Language training http://www.elklan.co.uk/
Every Child a Talker (ECAT)
Fact sheets http://www.ican.org.uk/What-we-do/I%20CAN%20Help/factsheets
Makaton – free resources
https://www.makaton.org/shop/shopping/browseStore/Free-resources
National Autistic Society http://www.autism.org.uk
National Literacy Trust : http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/early_years
http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/resources/practical_resources_info/filter/early%20years%20sector
http://www.wordsforlife.org.uk/baby/fun
Network Autism http://network.autism.org.uk/
Signalong Communication Charity http://www.signalong.org.uk/
The Speech Language and Communication Framework https://www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk/resources/resources/resources-for-practitioners/the-slcf.aspx
Talking Point : www.talkingpoint.org.uk
http://www.talkingpoint.org.uk/directory/free-resources-professionals
Communication Friendly Spaces: www.elizabethjarmanltd.co.uk
Resources from Action for Children - Area of Need 2 (Cognition and Learning)
Do2learn www.do2learn.com
Downs Syndrome Education https://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/for-families-and-carers/education/
Dyslexia http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/about/projects/early-intervention-project-eip
Inclusion Development Programme http://www.idponline.org.uk/
National Portage Association https://www.portage.org.uk
SCOPE https://www.scope.org.uk/support/families/play/activity-overview
Resources from Action for Children - Area of Need 3 (Sensory)
Low cost sensory ideas – Judy Denziloe http://afltraining.co.uk/
Richard Hirstwood – Sensory Ideas http://www.hirstwood.com/
SENSE https://www.sense.org.uk/content/childrens-specialist-services
Resources from Action for Children - Area of Need 4 (Social Emotional and Mental Health)
Association of infant Mental Health (AIMH) http://www.aimh.org.uk
Young Minds https://youngminds.org.uk
KCA Training https://www.kca.training/?
Further Workforce Development
Workforce Strategy https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-workforce-strategy
CPD
Nasen On-line learning and webcasts for early years providers: http://www.nasen.org.uk/early-years-send-resources/
SSAT Online training materials and downloadable fact sheets and briefing packs in relation to children with complex learning difficulties and disabilities.
http://complexld.ssatrust.org.uk/project-resources/cldd-briefing-packs.html
Online training materials for autism; dyslexia; speech, language and communication; emotional, social and behavioral difficulties; moderate learning difficulties. www.advanced-training.org.uk/
Information for Parents
Contact a Family Fact Sheets and Parent Guides https://www.cafamily.org.uk/advice-and-support/resource-
Contact a Family: workshops for parents
Birth to five' workshops https://www.cafamily.org.uk/advice-and-support/child-and-family-wellbeing/support-in-the-early-years/birth-to-five-workshops/
Family and Childcare Trust http://www.familyandchildcaretrust.org/guide-childcare-children-special-educational-needs-and-disabilities-englandhttp://www.familyandchildcaretrust.org/five-steps-choosing-childcare
Help with paying for childcare; Eligibility check HM Government https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
The National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) http://www.nnpcf.org.uk/
SEN and Disability Information and Guidance
Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years
(Early years providers, chapter 5) https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/398815/SEND_Code_of_Practice_January_2015.pdf
Early years: Guide to the 0 to 25 SEND code of practice: Advice for early years providers that are funded by the local authority. DfE, September 2014
Disabled Children and the Equality Act 2010
Disabled Children and the Equality Act 2010: What Early Years providers need to know and do, including responsibilities to disabled children under the Children and Families Act 2014
SEN and disability in the early years: a toolkit
Council for Disabled Children and 4Children
Research and Reports
Childcare for families with disabled children https://www.cafamily.org.uk/media/884234/childcare_for_families_with_disabled_children_-_how_to_access_free_childcare_for_two_to_four-year-olds.pdf
Disabled children’s cognitive development in the early years http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/page.aspx?&sitesectionid=1203&sitesectiontitle=Trajectories+and+transitions+in+the+cognitive+and+educational+development+of+disabled+children+and+young+people
Maximising the impact of teaching assistants and other research http://maximisingtas.co.uk
Parliamentary Inquiry into childcare for disabled children:
The Inquiry held three oral evidence sessions and put out a call for written evidence, which received 35 responses from organisations representing parents, providers and local authorities as well as almost 1200 responses from individual parent carers:
Study of Early Education and Development (SEED) http://www.seed.natcen.ac.uk/
Early education use and child outcomes up to age 3
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-use-and-child-outcomes-up-to-age-3
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/study-of-early-education-and-development-seed
Meeting the Needs of Children with SEND in Early Years
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-with-send-meeting-their-needs-in-the-early-years
Good Practice in Early Education
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/good-practice-in-early-education