Early Years Inclusion Fund (EYIF)

Making an application

Please read this information carefully before making an application on our EYIF Provider Portal to ensure you have everything you need before you start.

• Applications for Tier 1, Tier 2 (for individual children) or Group Funding (for multiple children) may be submitted to the EYIF Panel for consideration at two points in the Autumn and Spring terms and once in the summer term.
• All applications must be made via the EYIF Provider Portal and submitted by the agreed panel deadline date. Any late applications will be automatically transferred to the following panel. Please see the EYIF process map for a quick overview of the process from start to finish and panel dates for deadlines.
• The EYIF panel meets every half term. The panel includes representatives from Southwark's Early Years and Childcare Service which includes, Quality Improvement Officers, Early Years Consultants, the Area SENDCO and the Early Years Communication and Language Advisor.
• The last panel of the academic year in July is the ‘Reception Transition Funding’ (RFT) panel. This panel considers applications from schools who have been made aware of children entering Reception in September who they have been advised will need additional, targeted support to settle into their new environments. RTF applications follow a separate process.
• Decisions regarding the EYIF applications will be communicated to providers via the EYIF Provider Portal. If funding has been agreed this will include information about the level of funding, you will receive. This may also include information on what you may be expected to do as part of the ongoing audit and review process.
• Providers must accept the funding decision of the panel. If your funding request is declined, you have the option to apply again, after a further term of information has been collected. Evidence should show that current resources as part of your Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP) is not sufficient and current funding streams are inadequate to meet the needs of the child.
• When accepting funding from the LA all providers must adhere to the 'Conditions of funding'  

What type of needs are considered for EYIF?

Most children with SEND can be successfully included in early years settings through high-quality inclusive practice, without the need for specialist resources or additional staffing. Many settings meet the needs of children with SEND effectively through their existing resources, expertise, and inclusive approaches. A delay in learning and development during the early years does not necessarily indicate that a child has a special educational need requiring special educational provision. Similarly, difficulties arising solely from learning English as an additional language are not considered a special educational need.

We (the Local Authority) will consider requests where there is information that a child has:

• A difficulty in any of the four areas of SEN (Special Educational Needs): 
  • communication and interaction
  • cognition and learning
  • social, emotional and mental health  
  • sensory and/or physical needs
• A medical condition that significantly affects their access to, or development in, one or more of the prime or specific areas of the EYFS in comparison to the expected outcomes for their age. 

Funding levels

The provision of funding from the EYIF is a contribution towards the extra costs of meeting the needs of the child or children in your setting, such as the costs of providing resources, training or additional adult support etc. It will only be paid for the time the child or children are in your setting and up to an agreed period. 

If a contribution is agreed by the EYIF Panel, then it will be paid at the levels below:

• 3-and 4-year-old children accessing their Universal Entitlement and 2-year-olds, accessing the Early Learning for 2-Year-Old Entitlement (15 hours a week) will be funded up to a maximum £675 a term for Tier 1 and up to a maximum of £1500 a term for Tier 2 funding.
• Children from 9 months to 4 years accessing the Working Family Entitlements (30hours a week) will be funded up to a maximum of £1350 a term for Tier 1 and up to a maximum of £3000 a term for Tier 2 funding. 

The scheme runs on an academic year basis. Funds will be paid on a termly basis except for successful group applications which will be funded as a one-off payment. 

Step 1: The step-by-step approach - what you must do first

Children may demonstrate delays in their learning and development for reasons other than SEND. Most children with SEND do not need specialist resources or enhanced staffing to be successfully included and most settings can meet the needs of children with SEND through their own best practice and using the assess, plan, do, review cycle.

Before making an application

• Whilst trying to identify whether a child has SEND look for other reasons that may be impacting on a child’s progress and causing a delay, such as having English as an additional language or family circumstances and then provide appropriate support.
• Where there are still concerns that the child may have SEND discuss these concerns with the parents, getting their views and sharing any information gathered. They must be involved in the decision to apply for support from the EYIF and agree with the application. They will be required to give their consent before an application may be started. 
• Do all you can in partnership with parents and other professionals to identify and respond to the difficulties the child has, using different approaches, strategies, staff and resources that are already available in your provision. You should record, monitor and review this individualised planning for effectiveness and keep evidence of this as you will be asked to provide information about how you have used your current resources and staffing to meet the needs of the child as part of answering the question ‘what have you put in place so far to help the child?’
• Gather information on the child’s needs as you will asked to provide this as part of answering the question ‘what strengths and what needs does the child have?’ Where specialists are already involved, their advice should be used to further develop an effective individualised response. Where the provision they recommend is intensive or significant, you may wish to consider the need for additional funding.
• If your setting is a Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) setting, including childminders and you need advice for completing a funding application, please contact your SENDIP (Special Educational Needs and Disability Inclusion Practitioner). If your setting is a nursery school or a school with a nursery class and you need advice for completing an application, please contact Early Years Team (schools)  for advice.

Step 2: Areas and levels of need - what strengths and what needs does the child have?

• You will need to explain and demonstrate in detail the nature and severity of the child’s difficulties, and how these impact on their development, learning and participation in learning for the panel to make a decision about the level of funding.
• Please see the guide to levels of needs that apply in relation to the EYIF. We recognise that every child is unique, and the grid should only be regarded as a guide to assist your application.

Step 3: Types of provision likely to be needed - what the child might need

You should consider the provision that is needed to help support the child that is beyond that which you have already put in place. It is likely that this additional provision will have been recommended by professionals supporting the child or you as the setting. 

As part of the questions under ‘Funding Allocation’, you will need to explain how the funding would be used to improve the support you already have in place to help the child. It is likely to include one or a combination of the following:

• A more personalised use of approaches such as visual timetables, objects of reference, picture exchange systems 
• Further differentiation of activities and materials to support specific and individual targets
• Regular direct teaching sessions clearly planned for the individual child
• Small group work or individualised support for specific and planned activities
• Regular supervision and individualised and consistent behaviour management approaches and personalised reward systems
• Support to maintain concentration and participation
• Additional supervision when accessing activities or equipment for safety
• Support to manage personal care, mobility or medical needs
• Support to gain positive relationships with peers
• Specialist equipment or resources
• Staff training to understand the area of need and how to support the child. Please specify the exact training you will use the funding for
• On-going support from a range of professionals through direct work, programme development, TACs etc..
• Increasingly intensive targetted support/interventions requiring increased staffing ratios (this does not mean the child needs 1:1 all of the time)

You should ensure that you are monitoring and reviewing the provision to ensure the child or children are making progress (this could include reducing or stopping provision where outcomes are met). You must involve parents and appropriate professionals in any discussions.