Southampton City Council fact sheet
When are funding forms sent out?
Forms for the 1st termly payment (estimate) are sent within two weeks after the previous half term.
Forms for the 2nd termly payment (actuals) are sent in the first two weeks of the new term.
Which children should I include on the funding forms?
For the estimate payment you should include all eligible children who think will be with you during the term, together with details of numbers of weeks/term and numbers of hours/week. As this is only an "estimate", any errors should be picked up on the forms for the headcount payment. On the actuals form you should include any child who is absent due to short-term illness or holiday during that week, who is genuinely expected to take up his/her place during the term.
What do I do if information I have previously provided turns out to be wrong?
If you sent in the information by means of an estimate form, you need do nothing, provided the information is corrected on the next actuals form. If you send us information on the actuals form which turns out to be wrong (because a child does not turn up, or changes the numbers of hours per week, or the numbers of weeks attended in a term) you are required to inform Early Years Funding as soon as possible, and no later than the time of returning the next estimate form. If you take on extra children during the term we will try to get payment for this child to you in the next payment, provided you inform us soon enough, and provided the child attends for a minimum of two weeks.
What do I do if a child leaves in the middle of a term?
If this was planned and you have already informed us of the dates, or if the child stays with you until the last two weeks of term, you do not need to do anything. Otherwise you need to tell us as soon as possible, and no later than the time of returning the next estimate form so that we adjust your next payment.
What do I do if a child joins in the middle of a term?
Provided the child will be with you for at least two weeks in that term, please complete and return a copy of a Parental Declaration Form with a short note indicating the start date and the number of weeks claimed.
What if a child attends another setting or school?
The parent should should inform you of this via the Parental Declaration Form. You are required to pass this information to us either by sending in a copy of the Parental Declaration Form, or by contacting us on the details below. Children can receive funding at more than one setting, up to a maximum of 15 funded hours per week. If a child attends more than 15 hours per week it is the parent’s/guardian’s decision as to where they wish to claim their funded hours, except when the other setting is maintained one, which has first call on the funding.
What if a child does not appear on the pre-populated declaration form?
Please get the parents to complete a Parental Declaration Form for the child, send us a copy, and include the child on the new child list.
Do I have to follow the due dates?
These dates are very important, especially for actuals claims. We realise that you have several forms to check and parent/guardians to chase. As you can appreciate we have to enter a huge volume of data and have to carry out several different checks before we can process claims and raise payments. If we are waiting for even one provider’s paperwork we have to run additional checks, the outcome of the final check may result in increased calls to providers.
What responsibilities do I have concerning these forms?
It is your responsibility to ensure that all the information on the declaration claim form matches the information given by parents on the Parental Declaration form (e.g. addresses, postcodes, dates of birth, number of hours). Providers must ensure that children claim only for the number of hours they are genuinely going to attend in any given week. Where there are long periods of unexplained absence or, at the time of a NEF audit a child is found to be claiming more hours than they are attending, the NEF team will claim back any excess funding from your setting. It is your responsibility as a provider to monitor children’s attendance and record in an appropriate register. If a child has regular periods of unexplained absence you must contact their parents/guardians.
What other advice do you have?
Please photocopy all forms for your records before sending them to us as sometimes forms get lost in the post. Remember to use the correct amount of postage stamps when sending in batches of declaration list/forms. One First class stamp provides enough postage for approximately 12 sheets of A4 paper. First class stamps are no longer enough to pay for returns in an A4 envelope - it is better to fold them and use an A5 envelope.
Please inform us in writing immediately of any changes to the contact name, correspondence address, bank account details etc.
Please inform us immediately if you alter the number of weeks you are opening in a term.
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Last updated: 28 September 2010