SEND and Inclusion

Early Years SEN Inclusion Fund

Settings, Childminders and school nurseries can apply for additional funding to support children with identified Special Educational Needs in their setting.

The Inclusion Fund is available to support funded children aged 2,3 and 4 in nursery schools and classes, private or voluntary settings or with Childminders.

The Inclusion Fund is for those children who already have identified needs and have agencies working together to support them. It will be based on the needs of the child and will support the practitioners to improve the child’s early learning and development outcomes.

The application process will use the existing assessments made by the early years provider and other agencies as a basis for funding allocation. The level of funding awarded will vary depending on the child’s level of need and may be used by the provider to enhance staffing ratios for part of the week in order to meet the child’s needs.

EYIF Packages

There are two parts to the EYIF packages these are:

Child Level Support
The child level of support is specifically aimed at additional funding to be used to offer provide enhanced staffing for a child. These packages are referred to as Level 1, 2, 3 and 4. The amount of funding the setting can receive increases depending on which package level meets the child’s needs most effectively.

Provider Level of Support
The provider level of support offers continuous professional development opportunities / training sessions for practitioners. The needs of the practitioners will be assessed along with the needs of the child to ensure training offered best suits the needs of the practitioner’s in order to develop their knowledge and skills to best support the child.

See the table of EYIF packages below:

Package	Level of funding Additional to free Entitlement	Additional Support
EYIF Level 1	None	Access to funded places on short training sessions designed to support practitioners to meet the needs of the child. Online guidance documents Online training packages to support dissemination
EYIF Level 2	£550 per term
EYIF Level 3	£1100 per term
EYIF Level 4	£1650 per term

CPD and training opportunities

Training Course Title:

Assessing Progress for Children with SEND

Aided Language Stimulation

Promoting Positive Behaviour

Social Communication and Interaction

The above table lists the training sessions available as part of the EYIF packages. These sessions are only available to practitioner’s working with a child who has been awarded the Early Years Inclusion Fund. Settings will receive an invitation stating how many places they have been allocated and on which session.

How do I apply?

Settings apply by submitting an application to the Early Years SEN Inclusion Panel, where it will be assessed against a matrix of development to determine a child’s level of needs.

The provider should submit the following documentation to the panel by the deadline:

Child Information Form
Early Help Assessment and Action Plan and any reviews
Most recent reports from external agencies (e.g. SLT, OT)

The next deadline for applying for Inclusion Funding is: Thursday 22nd September 2022 by 4:00pm

Funding for autumn 2022

Deadline date - Thursday 19th May 2022 by 4:00pm
Panel date - 16th June 2022

Funding for spring 2023

Deadline date - Thursday 22nd September 2022 by 4:00pm
Panel date - 20th October 2022

Deadline date - Thursday 17th November 2022 by 4:00pm
Panel date - 1st December 2022

Funding for summer 2023

Deadline date - Thursday 2nd February 2023 by 4:00pm
Panel date - 9th March 2023

N.B. These dates are subject to change.

Applications need to be emailed to startwellsend@bolton.gov.uk securely.

For further information, please contact:

Alex Baxter
Start Well SEND Manager
Bolton Council
Start Well Service

E-mail: alex.baxter@bolton.gov.uk
Tel: 01204 338355

Early Help Assessment and Review Guidance

Early Help Assessments and reviews are the mechanism used for application for the Inclusion Fund. It is important that these are completed accurately in order to give a clear picture of the child’s needs and what, when and who is required to support the child and their family. It is important that the information is clear, concise and accurate in telling the ‘story of the child’. The guidance below will help you understand what to consider when completing these forms.

When completing your Early Years Inclusion Fund application, if you have any questions or queries, you may find they can be answered by looking through the frequently asked questions document below.

The Local Offer

The SEND Code of Practice (2014) puts a duty on the local authority to provide a local offer for their authority detailing the provision available for children with special educational needs.

The Local Offer for Bolton Council