GB-London: To consider how effective the Special Educational Needs Inclusion Fund (SENIF) and the Disability Access Fund (DAF) have been in supporting children w

SENIF

Local authorities are required to set up an inclusion fund within their local funding systems for three- and four-year-olds with SEND taking up childcare entitlements. This funding should be targeted at the lower level of the SEND spectrum rather than young people with Education, Health and Care Plans who are likely to receive funding from the High Needs block of the Dedicated Schools Grant. The funding can be drawn from DSG funds either from the early-years block or high-needs block. The value of the fund must take into account the number of SEN children in a local area, their level of needs and the overall capacity of the local childcare market. LA's must consult with providers to set the value of their SENIF, and consult with early-years providers, parents and SEN specialists on the allocation of the fund. The aim of the SENIF is to support local authorities to work with providers to better support children with additional needs to access early education. It also supports them to fulfil their responsibilities under the Children and Families Act 2014 to strategically commission SEND Services.

DAF

Three- and four-year-old children with disabilities accessing early education entitlements can access DAF if they are also in receipt of Child Disability Living Allowance. A one-off payment of £615 per year can be given to the provider to support them in making reasonable adjustments to their settings or helping with buildings capacity. Early-years providers are responsible for identifying eligible children and encouraging parents to make an application via a central government portal by filling in a parent declaration template. Local authorities are responsible for checking the eligibility criteria are met and if satisfied, allocating the lump-sum funding on an annual basis. They are encouraged to make this funding available as soon as possible after a child has been identified as being eligible for DAF.

There has been limited research on the experience of children with SEND in early education, however accessible data on the take up of SENIF and DAF is unavailable. Local authorities have been raising concerns with the LGA over access to early education for children with SEND, while industry bodies have highlighted funding shortfalls as a barrier to providing full support to children with SEND. We are keen to understand how effective the SENIF and the DAF have been in supporting children with SEND to access early years provision.

There are a range of sub-questions, such as

•Whether these are the right mechanisms to offer support to this cohort

•Whether the criteria for the funds is an enabler or a barrier to children getting the support they need

• How high is take-up from eligible families and how this can be improved

Additional information: The contracting authority considers that this contract may be suitable for economic operators that are small or medium enterprises (SMEs). However, any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement.