Three and four year old children who are in receipt of child Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and are receiving the free nursery funding entitlement are eligible for the Disability Access Fund (DAF) payment. DAF is paid to the child’s early years setting as a fixed annual rate of £881 per eligible child.

The payment is only made once in any 12 month period.  If the child is attending more than one setting then the parent will decide which setting receives the payment as this can’t be split between settings and the payment is not re-claimed even if the child leaves.

The parental agreement form needs to be completed and signed by the parent to give authorisation for the setting to receive the payment.
Childcare providers make their application for this funding on their Provider Portal account.
The parental agreement form needs to be attached to the application (or posted) along with a copy of the child’s most recent DLA confirmation letter.
Once approved the payment will then be made to the setting.

If any parent feels that they should be entitled to DLA for their child but are unsure how to make this claim Citizens Advice Cornwall provides free and confidential advice. One to one appointments are available at Children’s Centres across Cornwall offering advice regarding debt, benefits and work. Appointments can be made by calling the local Children’s Centres for more information. The ‘What’s on Guides’ for Children’s Centres across Cornwall can be accessed on the FIS website, which gives specific times, dates and contact numbers for your local area.

If you are unsure if the child has received their entitlement or for any other questions please do not hesitate to contact the Nursery Funding Team on 01872 324105.