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Disability Access Fund is money that is available to a nominated childcare provider once a year.
3-and 4-year-old children who meet these criteria are eligible if:
- The child is in receipt of a Disability Living Allowance
- The child receives the Early Years Entitlement at a childcare provider in Somerset
From April 2024, 2-year-old children will be eligible as long as they meet the above criteria. From September 2024, the age that children are eligible will change to the funding period after a child turns 9 months.
We recommend that you read the rest of the eligibility information on this page before you apply.
Children become eligible for the Early Years Entitlement in the funding period after their third birthday. There is more information about this on our Early Years Entitlement page.
This form has 4 pages and will take about 5 minutes to complete
Eligibility
Children do not need to take up all of their Entitlement hours to be able to access the Disability Access Fund, and it is up to the childcare provider how the Disability Access Fund is spent. It cannot be used to pay for additional hours. Parents/carers need to discuss with the childcare provider how they wish the funding to be used to meet their child’s needs.
4 year olds in a maintained, academy or free school reception class are not eligible for the Disability Access Fund.
Funding is paid at £828 per year and is paid to one childcare provider nominated by the parent, from April 2024, this will increase to £910 per year.
Funding is not available to any childcare provider who is not claiming any Early Years Entitlement for the child.
Once funding for the year is paid, it will not be reclaimed even if the child leaves the setting. The new setting will not be able to receive any Disability Access Fund payment until the following year.