School-aged childcare inclusion funding (SACIF)

The wraparound grant board has allocated £180,00.00 to create school-aged childcare inclusion funding (SACIF) for the financial year 2026-2027. This replaces the childcare access fund for this financial year.

SACIF supports children aged four to 14 plus who attend school and have the highest levels of need. It helps them access registered out-of-school childcare hours in Cambridgeshire, including before and after-school clubs, holiday schemes, and care with childminders.

The childcare setting applies for the funding. They do this following consultation and agreement with you and with help and support from the people working with you and your child.

It will contribute £7.85 per hour towards enhanced staffing to ensure their individual needs are met.

Once SACIF has been approved, please complete the booking form. Use it to tell us what hours the child will attend. Only include sessions that are already booked. The booking form needs to be completed by the end of the funding period. Payment will be made directly to the setting.

SACIF term-time booking forms

SACIF holiday booking forms

SACIF request and agreement forms

Guidance

SACIF requests can be made for funding for enhanced adult support for children and young people with the highest level of special needs in private, voluntary and independent childcare, including childcare managed by maintained nurseries/schools.

Funding is available for children who are attending school, aged four to 14 plus, with the very highest level of special needs, who will usually have an education, health and care plan in place, to enable access to out-of-school hours registered childcare, before and after-school clubs, holiday schemes and care with childminders.

Responding to a child's need

Most children with special educational needs and disability (SEND) and/or medical needs can attend play-based settings with reasonable adjustments and good inclusive practice. However, a small minority may require enhanced staffing to ensure the child’s safety and access is maintained.

Prior to a child starting, settings should ensure that they discuss the child’s needs with parents and carers. This will ensure that the needs of the children are identified so that reasonable adjustments can be put in place.

Before applying for SACIF, it will be expected that reasonable adjustments will be identified and/or put in place. If you would like any support identifying reasonable adjustments or strategies to support children with SEND to access your provision, please contact ey.send@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Where it is identified, or needs become subsequently apparent, that the child may require enhanced staffing to meet their access and safety needs, then further discussion should be had with parents/carers and an Inclusion Advisor, School-age Childcare Advisor or a member of the holiday activities and food (HAF) team. If enhanced staffing is still required, with discussion and consent from parents/carers, please apply for SACIF funding.

How to make a SACIF funding request

Parents/carers must be involved in the decision to request SACIF, and written consent must be obtained. Providers should use the Parent Agreement Form, and this must be retained by the provider; we may ask to see these as part of the SACIF monitoring process.

To make a SACIF funding request, the provider will need to complete the SACIF initial request form and submit it to ey.send@cambridgeshire.gov.uk. Incomplete forms and those with insufficient information will be returned for completion; this could delay the decision-making process.

For new SACIF requests, providers must complete the SACIF request form and submit this to ey.send@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

All SACIF requests are to be completed on the local authority’s SACIF Request Form.

Providers must answer the questions accurately, demonstrating why the child needs enhanced staffing.

A copy of the child’s risk assessment must be submitted alongside every new SACIF request.

When completing the request form, please include detailed information regarding the proposed use of enhanced staffing.

Once the initial request form has been approved by the local authority, please use the booking form to advise any sessions the children are booked to attend for each funding period for the remainder of that academic year.

At the end of every academic year, you will be required to provide information regarding funding requirements for the next funding period along with an updated risk assessment.

SACIF monitoring process

At the end of every academic year, you will be required to provide information regarding funding requirements for the next funding period along with an updated risk assessment. Failure to provide this information means funding will cease. This will be in the form of a brief online form confirming you wish to continue to receive SACIF for each child in the following term and notifying the Early Years SEND team of any changes.

In addition to the above, the local authority will carry out the monitoring process on a selection of settings in receipt of SACIF, which may include a visit, a telephone call, or a more detailed form.

As part of the monitoring process, you may be asked to demonstrate how you have used the funding, the progress made, how progress is tracked and how funding has impacted the child, family, and setting.

Decision-making process

SACIF panel meetings occur half-termly, and decisions will be based on the information provided and the level of support needed. A decision letter will be sent to the setting. Panel meetings will take place as follows:

If you experience problems in submitting by the cut-off date, please email ey.send@cambridgeshire.gov.uk to discuss further.

Allocation

Funding decisions are based on the severity of need and support required.

The childcare provider retains responsibility for the employment of any staff to support the identified needs of the child/young person and for the terms and conditions in contracts of employment.

Funding

SACIF is a contribution of £7.85 towards the cost of enhanced support for the child.

SACIF is paid based on booked places. A booking form will be provided for each funding period, and providers are required to use the booking form to indicate sessions that children are booked onto. Providers must complete the booking form by the end of the period of funding.

Payments will be made based on the booking form and will be paid directly to the provider within two weeks of the booking period being finished.

SACIF will be paid based on the booked places, as long as these do not exceed the funding originally approved.

If you require an increase of SACIF or if there are any changes to the sessions booked, please ensure you contact the Early Years SEND team by email at ey.send@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Setting responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the designated person with responsibility for special needs in the provision to ensure that the reasonable adjustments and support as identified in the request form are implemented to ensure the child’s access & safety.

SACIF appeals process

The panel make every endeavour to reach a decision that appropriately responds to the needs of the child, considering the information available. If it is felt that this decision is inappropriate, the provider can take the following action to appeal the decision.

• Please email ey.send@cambridgeshire.gov.uk clearly stating the reason you wish to appeal and request a call with a SEND Advisor to discuss this further.
• Following the phone call, please send any additional evidence by email to ey.send@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.
• The evidence will be reviewed by two members of the SEND team not involved in the original panel.
• The outcome of your appeal will be communicated to you within 10 working days.

If you would like to raise a concern about SACIF, please email ey.send@cambridgeshire.gov.uk to request a phone call to discuss your concern further.

If this does not resolve your concern and you wish to make a complaint, please email the Senior Adviser for Inclusion, chris.barton@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Frequently asked questions