ONE TO ONE REFERRAL SCHEME – Funding available for additional childcare costs for disabled children and young people

From 1st July 2011, the revised One to One Referral Scheme is being piloted at Swansea Council for Voluntary Service (SCVS). The aim of the One to One Referral Scheme is to ensure that a chosen childcare provider can accommodate the disabled child/young person at no extra cost to themselves or the parent. The parent will be expected to pay the normal childcare fees as set by their chosen childcare provider, with this grant being viewed as a "top up".

The scheme is for disabled children and young people aged between 6 months and 16 years. The grant is to fund additional staff required to support a disabled child or young person attending a childcare setting.

Childcare can be an important opportunity for children to:

• Broaden their experience
• Learn to play with other children
• Get used to moving about confidently in different and larger environments
• Play with different - and bigger - toys than parents can provide at home
• Increase their confidence indoors and outdoors
• Access the same out of school opportunities as their peers

To qualify, children and young people must be referred by a recognised professional (Community Paediatrician, Health Visitor, SENCO). All referrals will be judged on a case by case basis and are subject to available funding.

The grant applies to:

• Full day care
• Child minder
• Sessional care
• Creche
• Out of School (Breakfast Club; After School Club; Wrap Around)
• Holiday Care

All eligible settings must be CSSIW registered. After school clubs should also be registered however provided they are school run this is also acceptable.

The scheme is able to fund maximum of 6 hours one to one support a week. The scheme will initially run until the end of March 2012 when it will be reviewed.

If you would like to find out more about the One to One Referral Scheme, please contact Sandra Spratt by Tel: 01792 544019 or Email: sandra_spratt@scvs.org.uk.