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Funding for children with SEND who are attending childcare settings

Pre-School Children attending Early Years and Childcare settings

Additional support funding (ASF)

ASF may be available to early years and childcare providers to help your child take up their free childcare at a mainstream Ofsted-registered provider (a playgroup, pre-school, day nursery, childminder, nursery school or primary school nursery class).

If your child receives Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or has an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan they can have free childcare from the term after their second birthday, continuing until they start school. For more information and to apply for free childcare for your two year old contact our Family Hubs.

Free childcare is for 570 hours a year (or 15 hours a week for 38 weeks a year if the childcare is open term-time only). This is called the “universal entitlement”.

For three and four year olds this increases to 1,140 hours a year if you (and your partner if you have one) are working. More information on this “extended entitlement”, as well as funding for childcare, can be found at the government’s Childcare Choices website.

For more information about 15 and 30 hours free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds view our factsheet.

Brighton & Hove Inclusion Support Service (BHISS) assesses the need for and administers ASF, which is used to help your child to benefit from all aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). It can be used to fund a one-to-one support person for your child, and/or to pay towards equipment or training for staff to meet your child’s needs.

ASF can only support your child to attend for their free childcare. If you are paying for more childcare on top of this there is no ASF paid to providers. You will need to talk to your childcare provider about whether they can offer your child support for these additional hours.

Disability Access Fund

Once your child has reached the term after their third birthday and if they have DLA or an EHC plan, childcare providers will be able to claim the Disability Access Fund (DAF). Childcare providers apply directly to Brighton & Hove City Council for the DAF which is £615 per year, and will ask you for information in order to do this. The DAF is paid once a year; if your child moves to a new childcare setting during the year the DAF will stay with the original provider.

The DAF goes towards enabling your child to benefit from the full EYFS. Again this can be equipment, resources or adaptations to the venue.

For more information on ASF and DAF, talk to your childcare provider.

School-Age Children attending after school and holiday clubs

Childcare Inclusion Funding (CIF)

(CIF) is available for children attending Ofsted-registered childcare as well as childcare run by schools, both after school and during the holidays. If the childcare is run by schools it must be offered for at least two hours a day at the end of the school day, and for at least three days a week.

CIF is intended to provide for changes to the childcare to make it possible for your child to attend. This might include changes to the building, specialist equipment, training for staff, or an additional member of staff. You must pay the fee for attending the childcare.

Your child is eligible for CIF if they have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan or a statement of SEND, and/or are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

Your child must be resident in Brighton & Hove and aged under 18.

CIF is offered at two levels: up to £1,800 a year if you are not working or training, and up to £3,600 a year if you are working or undertaking education or training leading to work. In the case of a two parent family both must be working at the time you use the childcare to be eligible for the higher amount.

The year runs from April to March and the maximum number of hours of childcare which will be covered by the CIF is 180/360 hours a year.

The maximum level of CIF applies across all childcare settings, and so if your child receives childcare from more than one provider this will be taken into account in subsequent applications. CIF includes the summer, Christmas, Easter and all half term holidays, and so if your child is attending a holiday playscheme as well as an after-school club this will be taken into account in the maximum amount allowed.

You are responsible for letting your childcare provider know about all childcare for which CIF has been paid for your child when you make an application.

CIF is not available for children to attend activities run by schools (such as sports or arts clubs) or by organisations which are not registered with Ofsted (for example dance or Brownies).

Your childcare provider can give you information about the CIF and will make a joint application to Brighton & Hove City Council with you.

All Children with SEND Aged 0 to 16

Tax Free Childcare is available to help working parents with childcare costs. More information is on the government’s Childcare Choices website. If your child has SEND the maximum amount that the government will contribute towards childcare costs increases from £2,000 to £4,000 per child per year.

You can use tax-free childcare all year round to help pay for

  • registered childminders, nurseries and nannies
  • registered after-school clubs and playschemes
  • childcare at registered schools (but not school fees)
  • home care workers working for a registered home care agency

 Equality Act 2010

If there are additional costs associated with your child attending childcare for hours which are not supported by ASF or CIF, the childcare provider will need to make “reasonable adjustments” under the Equality Act 2010.

Adjustments only have to be made where they are considered to be reasonable and this will depend on a range of factors including:

• the nature of the disability

• how practicable the changes are

 • if the change would overcome the disadvantage

• the size of the organisation

• how much money and resources are available

 • the cost of making the changes

 • if any changes have already been made

This information has been collected from third party providers therefore Brighton and Hove Family Hubs and Brighton and Hove City Council cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of this information and recommends that parents, carers, young people, residents and professionals check with providers regarding DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) and OFSTED registrations and CQC registrations. For further guidance please read Choosing Services Safely

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