Dear Colleagues,
Updates from the Team
Disability Access Fund (DAF)
As an early years provider, you could get £910 per year to help with children’s education and support.
You can apply to get disability access funding via Wizard if a family receives Disability Living Allowance for children and one of the following;
- 15 hours free childcare for children aged 3 and 4
- 15 hours free childcare for disadvantaged children aged 2
- 15 hours free childcare for children aged 9 months to 2 years of working parents
Please make sure you are claiming this to support eligible children access your provision. Guidance can be found here.
Early Years Funding Rates 2025-26
There were no responses to the consultation which closed on the 7th February. Please find attached the agreed rates for next financial year.
Early Years Inclusion Requests
Exciting changes are coming to how you apply for EY Inclusion Support. Please see flyer attached for more information.
Flexible Working
Since April 2024, all employees have the right to apply for flexible working from their first day in a job. This is known as ‘making a statutory application.’
Attached is a guide developed by ‘Timewise’ which helps to set out flexible working in practice for nursery managers. An overview on flexible working and the changes can be found here
National Insurance Calculator
Changes to the Employers National Insurance Contributions (NICS) comes into effect from April 2025. In response, we have developed a NICS calculator to help settings calculate increased staffing costs. You can find a copy of the recent EY Business Forum slides, which sets out further information and a table relating to proposed rising costs, on the EY website Business Support section.
Financial Management System Support Grant
Sound business acumen and financial management underpins successful, sustainable childcare. To support settings, the EY Team have introduced a ‘one off’ grant enabling PVI group providers, including Childcare on Domestic Premises, to engage financial professionals to support them to understand better their existing systems, or to establish new financial management systems to support robust financial reporting and long term sustainability. Please see further information and criteria attached.
Deadline for submissions is Friday 7th March 2025.
Upcoming Events
Eyes on the Baby (SUDI Prevention)
The Eyes on the Baby project is a collaborative training and implementation package to promote safer infant sleep and prevent sudden infant deaths in Northumberland.
The Eyes on the Baby training package (Strand 2) contains information about the definition of SUDI, the purpose for infant sleep safety guidance, and the core messaging in the ‘Safer Sleep for Babies’ guidance produced by Lullaby Trust and partners, and endorsed by Public Health England.
The training strand offers increasingly detailed evidence underpinning safer sleep guidance.
The target group for Strand 2 Eyes on the Baby is those practitioners and professionals who provide direct support to vulnerable families on a regular basis. It is suited to staff working in early years settings.
To access the training please login to your Learning Pool account here: https://ncc.learningpool.com/enrol/index.php?id=4830
