COVID Related Temporary Closure Fund
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This fund has been created by the Department of Education to support providers who have had to close as a direct result of a COVID-19 incident within their setting or being unable to comply with staff: child ratios due to required periods of self-isolation.
Those eligible to apply include registered Childminders, Daycare providers, School Age Childcare Providers (SAC’s), Crèches and Playgroups who are registered and have been operational during the period 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2021. Please note, if a period of closure extends past March 31 but commenced before that date payments can be made up to 10 days (up to 15 April).
To be eligible for this fund, you must have had to temporarily close childcare provision fully, or in the case of a childcare setting, had to close a pod or pods due to: -
A COVID-19 Positive case of a child or staff in the setting; or
Been unable to comply with staff: child ratios due to staff self-isolating as directed by PHA.
If you have informed your trust of a closure, you will receive a link to apply on 24 February 2021. If you do not receive a link by then, please email covidrelatedclosures@early-years.org
The objectives of the COVID Related Temporary Closure Fund
To provide a financial contribution to childcare providers who have temporarily closed (fully or partial/pod closure in the case of a setting) due to a COVID-19 positive case of a child or staff in the setting which impacted on provision or cannot operate due to staff: child ratios.
By providing a financial contribution, to enable childcare providers to suspend parent’s fees for childcare during a period of a COVID-19 temporary closure.
To provide access to financial support through the development of a simple, easy to use application process which facilitates a prompt payment.
Early Years will approve payments within 20 working days of a fully completed application being submitted. However, if further clarification is required from the applicant, the Trust or the Public Health Authority there may be a further delay.
Please note that each application received will be assessed on a case by case basis. Early Years will conduct a validation and reasonability check on all applications.
Applications must be submitted by Friday 9 April 2021 at 4:00PM. Any settings which are currently closed on this period should forecast in their application the date they plan to open.
No late applications will be accepted.
Requirements
These requirements will be the same for all providers.
- Key contact details.
- Childcare Provider Reference Number.
- Dates of closure.
- Number of registered child places impacted (this will be the maximum number of occupied childcare places impacted on any given day during the temporary closure).
- A copy of your 'Certificate of Registration'.
- Evidence from PHA and Trust related to your closure (including date you notified the Trust of closure).
- Health and Social Care Trust Area.
- Bank account details.
- An electronic copy of a recent bank statement (within the last 3 months) which clearly shows name, account number and sort code. (Please note, if you previously applied to the Support Fund (for the period July/August or September/ December) and are using the same bank details, you are not required to upload a statement for this application).
Please have this information readily available before starting your application.
This application should take between 15 to 30 minutes to complete depending on the number of incidents you are reporting
All pre-existing or current incidents within the January-March 2021 period relating to your setting should be recorded in one application submission. If you experience a further closure after this submission, you must make an additional application.
Eligibility
Only providers who have been operational during the period 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2021 are eligible for this funding support. The start of the temporary closure period must have been between 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2021 to receive payment from this funding scheme.
The following childcare providers are eligible for support under this scheme:
Registered childcare providers who have re-opened following a temporary closure due to a COVID-19 positive case of either staff/childminder or child in their setting/home which has resulted in the provider fully closing or (in the case of a setting) a pod closing;
Childminders may be eligible to apply for this fund if they are in close contact with someone who has tested positive or is awaiting the result of a COVID-19 test and they cannot adhere to the Department of Health Guidelines through this period. Evidence will be required from the PHA outlining the reasons for closure.
Registered childcare providers who have re-opened following a temporary closure (a pod(s) or entire setting closing) due to their inability to comply with staff: child ratios due to staff being required to self-isolate as advised by PHA;
Funding will only be payable to registered childcare providers who declare on their application form that they have not charged or have refunded parents’ fees for the period of the closure, before making an application, and are adhering to the latest Department of Health COVID-19 guidance for childcare.
Funding will NOT be provided in the following circumstances:
Where a provider’s facility has not fully closed or in the case of a setting a full pod closure.
Where a closure has not been notified to the relevant HSC Trust, in accordance with DoH guidance.
Where the childcare provider has not complied with the Department of Health’s COVID Guidance.
Closures as a result of staff quarantining following travel abroad which has impacted on provision and/or staff:child ratios.
Individual children who are self-isolating as a result of being a close contact of a COVID-19 positive case not connected to the childcare providers facility.
Sessional settings providing PSEP only places, as they will continue to receive funding from the Education Authority for the pre-school programme.
Any settings who are fully funded by government / grant funding and who has continued to receive funding during the closure period.
Commercial crèche facilities eg located in shops, shopping centres, leisure centres, army barracks’ or crèches which are fully funded through DE Sure Start Programme or other Government sources. Crèches funded as part of a Women’s Centre will be considered on a case by case basis.
Where any charge has been made to parents during the period the setting/pod is closed, and has not since been refunded/credited.
Early Years reserves the right to amend the list of exclusions, following consultation with DE, should other circumstances arise that were not anticipated when developing these exclusions.
Providers are advised that validation checks may be carried out by Early Years with Health and Social Care Trusts regarding registration and operation of provision.
Streams and Payment Profiles
Funding will be allocated to eligible providers based on the type and/or size of provision and the length of period of closure.
The funding available is shown in the table below:
Childminder
This scheme is available for any registered childminder, who has had to temporarily close due to a COVID-19 positive case within their setting or has had to postpone caring activities due to a self-isolation requirement which mean they could not conform to the Department of Health Guidelines. The table below depicts the daily max amounts that will be available for eligible closures within this period.
Childminder Daily/Max Closure Amounts (Maximum 10 days of closure in any reported incident) |
Childminder (with registered assistant) Daily/Max Closure Amounts |
---|---|
£80 | £120 |
Max available per closure - £800 | Max available per closure - £1,200 |
Example 1:
A Childminder who fully closes for 5 days between January and March would receive a payment of £400 (£80 x 5).
Example 2:
A Childminder who fully closes for 8 days between January and March would receive a payment of £640 (£80 x 8).
Example 3:
A Childminder (with a registered assistant) who fully closes for 10 days between January and March would receive a payment of £1200 (£120 x 10).
If you are a childminder with a registered assistant, we will request your certificate of registration to validate this payment.
A childminder will not be eligible if individual children do not attend because of an issue outside of the childminder’s provision (no matter how many children that is) There is no ‘closure’ in the childminders provision in this scenario.
Maximum Amount for Multiple Claims
The maximum amount a childminder can claim in the three-month period 1 January to 31 March will be for two ten-day closure periods.
This would equate to a maximum £1,600 (£800 x 2) for childminders and £2,400 (£1,200 x 2) for childminders with registered assistants. Please note, if a period of closure extends past 31 March but commenced before that date payments can be made up to 10 days (up to 15 April).
Daycares
This scheme is available for eligible, registered Daycares who have had to temporarily close due to a COVID-19 positive case within their setting or have been unable to comply with staff: child ratios due to required periods of self-isolations in line with public health advice. The table below depicts the max amounts that will be available for any one closure within this period.
Please note, if you have experienced multiple overlapping pod closures, you must indicate each one separately within the application form (by selecting add another closure). If you indicate one instance of closure, we will process accordingly.
No of Registered Childcare places unavailable within setting |
Daily/Max Closure Amounts | |
---|---|---|
1-16 | £18 per registered place closed | |
17-24 | Daily £300 | Max £3,000 |
25-32 | Daily £350 | Max £3,500 |
33-40 | Daily £400 | Max £4,000 |
41-48 | Daily £450 | Max £4,500 |
49-56 | Daily £500 | Max £5,000 |
57-64 | Daily £550 | Max £5,500 |
65-72 | Daily £600 | Max £6,000 |
73-80 | Daily £650 | Max £6,500 |
81-88 | Daily £700 | Max £7,000 |
89-96 | Daily £750 | Max £7,500 |
97-104 | Daily £800 | Max £8,000 |
105-112 | Daily £850 | Max £8,500 |
113-120 | Daily £900 | Max £9,000 |
121-128 | Daily £950 | Max £9,500 |
129+ | Daily £1000 | Max £10,000 |
A Daycare provider will not be eligible if individual children do not attend because of an issue outside of the Daycare’s provision (no matter how many children that is) There is no ‘closure’ in the Daycare’s provision in this scenario.
The number of registered places closed as stated in the application should not exceed the number of registered places in the pod/room or the registered number of places for the full setting where there is a full setting closure.
Example 1:
A Daycare with 88 registered places that closes one pod (impacting 18 children) for 8 days between January and March would receive a payment of £2400 (300 x 8).
Example 2:
A Daycare with 56 registered places that fully closes for 5 days between January and March would receive a payment of £2500 (500 x 5).
Example 3:
A Daycare setting that closes one pod (impacting 14 childcare places) for 10 days between January and March would receive a payment of £2520 (18 x 14 x 10).
Please note, if a period of closure extends past 31 March but commenced before that date, payments can be made up to 10 days following (up to 15 April).
MAXIMUM AMOUNT FOR MULTIPLE CLAIMS
The maximum amount a childcare setting can claim in the three-month period January 2021 – March 2021 will be equivalent to the amount for two full closures (defined according to the setting type and number of registered places).
Example
A setting with 99 registered places can only avail of £16,000 (£800 x 10) x 2. Any claims over this value will not be made.
School-Aged Childcare, Playgroups and Crèches
This scheme is available for any eligible registered School-Aged Childcare, Playgroup or Crèche setting, who has had to temporarily close due to a COVID-19 positive case within their setting or was unable to comply with staff: child ratios due to required periods of self-isolation. The table below depicts the max amounts that will be available for any one closure within this period.
No of Registered Childcare places unavailable within setting |
Daily/Max Closure Amounts | |
---|---|---|
1-16 | £10 per registered place closed | |
17-24 | Daily £170 | Max £1,700 |
25-32 | Daily £195 | Max £1,950 |
33-40 | Daily £220 | Max £2,200 |
41-48 | Daily £245 | Max £2,450 |
49-56 | Daily £270 | Max £2,700 |
57-64 | Daily £295 | Max £2,950 |
65-72 | Daily £320 | Max £3,200 |
73-80 | Daily £345 | Max £3,450 |
81-88 | Daily £370 | Max £3,700 |
89-96 | Daily £395 | Max £3,950 |
97-104 | Daily £420 | Max £4,200 |
105-112 | Daily £445 | Max £4,450 |
113-120 | Daily £470 | Max £4,700 |
121-128 | Daily £495 | Max £4,950 |
129+ | Daily £520 | Max £5,200 |
An SAC/Playgroup or Creche will not be eligible if individual children do not attend because of an issue outside of the settings provision (no matter how many children that is) There is no ‘closure’ in the settings provision in this scenario.
* This should be based on the day, during the 10-day closure, when the maximum number of registered places closed would have been occupied (or when a setting was unable to comply with staff:child ratios due to staff being required to self-isolate as advised by PHA).
The number of registered places closed as stated should not exceed the number of registered places in the pod/room or the registered number of places for the full setting where there is a full setting closure.
Example 1:
A Playgroup with 88 registered places that closes one pod (impacting 18 childcare places) for 8 days between January and March would receive a payment of £1360 (170 x 8).
Example 2:
A School Aged Childcare provider with 56 registered places that fully closes for 5 days between January and March would receive a payment of £1,350 (270 x 5).
Example 3:
A Creche that closes one pod (impacting 14 childcare places) for 10 days between January and March would receive a payment of £1400 (10 x 14 x 10).
MAXIMUM AMOUNT FOR MULTIPLE CLAIMS
The maximum amount a childcare setting can claim in the three-month period January 2021 – March 2021 will be equivalent to the amount for two full closures (defined according to the setting type and number of registered places).
Example
A setting with 99 registered places can only avail of £8400 (£420 x 10) x 2 Any claims over this value will not be made.
Please note, if a period of closure extends past 31 March but commenced before that date, payments can be made up to 10 days following (up to 15 April).
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
The online application system established by Early Years enables any required supporting material to be uploaded online as part of the application process.
Please do not post any original documents, as they cannot be returned to you
Failure to provide accurate information and required supporting documentation will result in your payment being delayed.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Early Years will review all applications in line with the agreed processes as established by the Department of Education. If any additional details are required, we will contact you using the details within your application.
Provided that all information supplied confirms your eligibility, you will receive a remittance notice by email confirming the amount of the payment, which we aim to credit to your bank account within 20 working days.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF CHILDCARE SUPPORT FUNDING
General Conditions
The applicant will use funding from the COVID Related Temporary Closure Fund to compensate for COVID-19 Related Closures that occurred between 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2021.
The applicant agrees to observe and comply with the following terms and conditions to the reasonable satisfaction of Early Years:
The provider must be registered by their trust to offer childcare services at the time of application.
The provider must have confirmed parental fees have not been charged or have been refunded during the temporary closure period.
The applicant will adhere to current Department of Health guidance.
The information provided by the applicant may be made available to government departments/other agencies for the purposes of detecting crime and in line with General Data Protection Regulation.
Financial Information, Controls, Audit and Access
The applicant is obliged to make available all requested information to Early Years within one week of being asked.
The applicant will ensure all records connected with an application are maintained and kept safely for a period of 12 months.
Other Requirements
The applicant will inform Early Years immediately of any events, such as a change of circumstances or incidents which have caused, or are likely to cause, a loss or misuse of funding.
If a payment was made in error or an applicant is in breach of conditions or as a result of a fraudulent transaction, any funds awarded are required to be paid back to Early Years within 5 days.
Any fraud or suspected fraud will be reported to Early Years without delay.
The applicant must comply with the requirements of the Sex Discrimination (NI) Orders 1976 and 1988, the Fair Employment and Treatment (NI) Order 1998, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, the Race Relations (NI) Order 1997, the Human Rights Act 1998, Article 3 of the Audit and Accountability (NI) Order 2003 and the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 and any enactments amending, extending or replacing them.
The applicant will maintain such insurance policies as are necessary to cover all possible liabilities, including Employers Liability and Public Liability Insurance.
Early Years will not be liable for any claims for compensation, loss or damage arising from the applicant’s activities.
No aspect of the activity being funded should be party political in intention, use or presentation. Any political activity such as campaigning, undertaken by the applicant must be in furtherance of, and ancillary to, its main purposes.
Validation and Verification
The applicant will provide Early Years with such information, as and when it may require, for the purpose of validating and verifying the information provided in the application claim form.
Validation checks will be carried out by Early Years to ensure compliance with the conditions of this funding.
Withholding of Funding from Childcare Support Fund
Without prejudice to any other rights of Early Years under these terms and conditions, Early Years will be under no obligation to make any payment of funding if at any time:
The applicant fails to comply with any obligation under these terms and conditions, or if an event of default occurs.
It appears to Early Years, on the basis of any documentary evidence or any other reason, that the childcare provision for which the funding is sought is unlikely to occur or has not occurred.
Early Years does not hold the requisite funds.
Default
The following events of default will apply:
The applicant is in breach of any of their obligations relating to the support funding from Early Years.
The applicant fails to pay or repay to Early Years any sum properly due by it in breach of the terms and conditions of this agreement.
The applicant is for any reason no longer able to adhere to the guidance for which the COVID Related Temporary Closure Fund was approved.
In such cases, Early Years will consider what further action is to be taken.
Liabilities
Early Years accepts no responsibility, financial or otherwise, for expenditure or liabilities arising out of the work of the applicant. Any commitments incurred before this agreement is made, or any commitment over and above that for which the support funding has been agreed, will be the absolute and sole responsibility of the applicant. The applicant fully indemnifies Early Years against all claims, actions and demands howsoever arising.
Additional Support
If you have any further queries relating to your application, please contact our Childcare Support Fund Team on the email below: