Early Years Inclusion Fund Policy

Rationale
The Early Years Inclusion Fund is administered by the Birth to Five Service and supports the inclusion and participation of children living in Lincolnshire with severe/complex additional or special educational needs who attend Early Years settings. 

Aims

• To enable providers to cater for a wide range of individual needs by making good quality provision available for children to fully access the Early Years Foundation Stage
• To enable Early Years settings to extend their confidence, skills and knowledge in relation to inclusion
• To enable providers to develop inclusive learning environments for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage

Processes
Applications may be made from private, voluntary and independent settings who are in receipt of funding for Early Years Entitlement (EYE).  Funding can only be granted for support during a child’s EYE time in a setting (or equivalent time for children not yet in receipt of funding).

All applications are assessed by a panel of Lincolnshire County Council Officers, who meet three times per year.  The Panel’s decisions are based on the information received with the appropriate application form and funding is awarded in line with the criteria attached to the guidance document.  Following each panel meeting, settings are informed of the panel’s decision in writing, with a funding agreement proforma enclosed.  Birth to Five Service staff will be informed of the panel’s decision by e-mail.  Settings are asked to inform parents/carers of the panel’s decision.

All applications must be submitted by the closure date given on the form.  These dates are also available on the Birth to Five Service Website (www.birthtofive.org).  Late applications will be deferred to the following panel meeting.  In such cases funding will not be backdated.  Unsuccessful application forms will be shredded (as part of our Data Protection Policy).

Where a setting has been awarded Early Years Inclusion Funding for a named child and this child reduces the number of sessions attended or ceases to attend during the period for which funding has been awarded, the setting will be expected to return the balance of the funding.

Any appeal against the panel’s decision must be made in writing to the Head of Service Birth to Five within 28 days of notification being sent out.  It is important that the specific reasons for the appeal are stated clearly. 

Monitoring and Evaluation
All Early Years settings in receipt of Early Years Inclusion Funding are required to complete an evaluation form at the end of each funding period, giving information of how the funding has been used and the impact that this has had for the child/children.  In addition the Birth to Five Service Consultants continually monitor the use of Early Years Inclusion Funding in their named settings.  On an annual basis an analysis takes place to show the number of settings that have  been in receipt of funding, the level and band of funding received and the types of additional need for which funding has been given.