Early Years Free Entitlement (EYFE) and support for children with SEND

Find out about Early Years Free Entitlements (EYFE) for children with SEND and how to refer a child for additional funding.

About Additional Support Funding (ASF)

Additional support funding is offered to Early Years Funding Entitlements (EYFE) providers for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who need extra help to access mainstream childcare provision. Brighton & Hove Integrated Support Service (BHISS) assesses the need for and administers and monitors additional support funding for pre-school children.

The intention of additional support funding is to enable children receiving the Early Years Free Entitlement who have SEND to access the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The maximum number of hours for which a child can receive additional support is 570 per year, or 1,140 hours where the child is eligible for the extended entitlement. 

Additional support funding is provided for any qualifying child attending an early years childcare setting in the city. If a child attends a setting outside Brighton & Hove their needs will be covered according to the local authority in which the setting is located. 

There is no additional support funding for hours which children spend in early years and childcare settings in addition to EYFE hours, for example, any hours paid for by parents will not attract additional support funding. 

Providers who have a child in attendance who receives Disability Living Allowance (DLA) will also be eligible for a one-off payment of £910 per academic year from the Disability Access Fund (DAF).

Reasonable adjustments

If there are additional costs associated with a child with SEND attending early years provision for hours in addition to their EYFE the early years 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 

How to refer a child for additional support funding

Providers should contact bhiss@brighton-hove.gov.uk for information about how to refer a child for additional support funding. 

Other support for parents of children with SEND with childcare costs 

Working parents can apply for the Tax Free Childcare scheme which offers parents a 20% top-up towards childcare costs, with parents of disabled children eligible for a maximum government contribution of £4,000 a year (compared with £2,000 for non-disabled children). 

Some parents of children with SEND receive additional support through direct payments and/or Disability Living Allowance (DLA) which could be used to support additional childcare costs.