Sustainability Fund
1 January - 31 March 2022
Those eligible to apply include registered childminders, daycare providers, school-age childcare, playgroups and some crèches (please check eligibility below) who are operational during the period 1 January 2022 to 31 March 2022. This scheme will support eligible providers by providing a financial contribution towards sustainability for periods when services were open.
We will aim to distribute all payments within 15 working days of a fully completed application being submitted. However, if further clarification is required from the applicant, FSNI or the Trust, there may be a delay.
Eligible service providers will receive a link to apply to this fund from FSNI on Monday 28th February 2022. If you do not receive this link by Wednesday 2 March please contact us directly at sustainability@early-years.org
Do not share your individual application link with any other setting / provider as this will result in a delay in processing your application.
Applications must be submitted by 15th April 2022 at 4:00PM. No late applications will be accepted.
Requirements
These application requirements are the same for all providers.
- Key contact details.
- Childcare Provider Reference Number (this is contained within the invitation email sent by FSNI).
- 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 and are using the same bank details, you are not required to upload a statement for this application).
- Confirmation if your setting is Community/Voluntary or a Private provider.
Please have this information readily available before starting your application. This form should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete.
Do not share your link with any other setting/provider. This will result in a delay in processing your application.
Streams
Funding will be allocated to eligible providers based on the type and/or size of provision. The information contained within the FSNI database will be used to verify your application details.
Subject to verification checks, payments will only be made to providers who have been operational for the entire period 1 January to 31 March 2022.
The amount allocated per type and size of provider is shown in the tables below.
Childminder
Childminder
MONTHLY ALLOCATION
£255
THREE MONTH ALLOCATION
1 January to 31 March
£765
Daycare
Subject to verification checks, payments will only be made to providers who have been operational for the entire period 1 January to 31 March 2022.
Registered Places
1 to 24
Monthly Allocation
£900
THREE MONTH ALLOCATION
£2,700
Registered Places
25 to 60
Monthly Allocation
£2,559
THREE MONTH ALLOCATION
£7,677
Registered Places
61 to 99
Monthly Allocation
£3,389
THREE MONTH ALLOCATION
£10,167
Registered Places
100+
Monthly Allocation
£4,204
THREE MONTH ALLOCATION
£12,612
School-Aged Childcare, Playgroup and Crèche
Subject to verification checks, payments will only be made to providers who have been operational for the entire period 1 January to 31 March 2022.
Registered Places
1 to 12
Monthly Allocation
£446
TTHREE MONTH ALLOCATION
£1,338
Registered Places
13 to 24
Monthly Allocation
£743
THREE MONTH ALLOCATION
£2,229
Registered Places
25 To 48
Monthly Allocation
£1,010
THREE MONTH ALLOCATION
£3,030
Registered Places
49+
Monthly Allocation
£1,491
THREE MONTH ALLOCATION
£4,473
For playgroups who are delivering the Pre-School Education Programme (PSEP), we will request details of your PSEP allocation from the Education Authority. Your funded PSEP places will be deducted from the number of registered places to determine your funding level.
Some crèches may be eligible to apply for funding under this scheme.
Commercial crèches (e.g. those based in shops, leisure centres) and crèches that are fully funded by government (e.g. Sure Start crèches) are not eligible for funding under this scheme.
Community and voluntary sector crèches are eligible to apply for funding under the scheme, but will only be considered for funding if they are not fully funded by government.
Crèches associated with Women’s Centres: If the crèche is established to support delivery of the Women’s Centre and fully funded under the Department of Communities (DfC) Women’s Centres Childcare Fund (WCCF), then the associated crèche facility should in the first instance, seek to address any COVID-19 related financial pressures with the DfC. An application should only be submitted to the Childcare Sustainability Fund where the DfC has confirmed that the crèche’s COVID-19 related pressures cannot be met within existing 2021/22 Women’s Centre funding. The application must provide evidence of liaison with the DfC in this regard.
If the Women’s Centre crèche provides activities which are unconnected with delivery of the facility funded by DfC, confirmation of this must be provided in the application form. The application should confirm that none of the crèche activities are funded under the DfC programme and provide details of the type and purpose of the crèche provision.
Eligible service providers will receive a link to apply to this fund from FSNI on Monday 28th February 2022. If you do not receive this link by Wednesday 2 March please contact us directly at sustainability@early-years.org
APPLICANT DECLARATION
By proceeding to complete and submit the application form, the applicant must have read and agreed to the Terms and Conditions referenced within the applicant declaration and the terms and conditions of the Childcare Sustainability Fund contained within the application form. Please read carefully all associated terms and conditions.
The provider will not be eligible to receive support through this element of the funding scheme if the provider is not a registered provider.
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.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
Please do not post any original documents, as they cannot be returned to you.
The online application system established by Early Years enables any required supporting material to be uploaded online as part of the application process.
Failure to provide accurate information and required supporting documentation may result in your payment being delayed.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Early Years will review the application to ensure that you are eligible to receive payment. If any additional details are required, we will contact you using the details within your application.
Provided that the information supplied confirms that you are eligible, you will receive a remittance slip by email confirming the amount of the payment, which we aim to credit to your bank account within 15 working days.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF CHILDCARE SUPPORT FUNDING
General Conditions
The applicant will use funding from the Childcare Sustainability Fund to assist with the ongoing sustainability of provision between 1 January – 31 March 2022.
The applicant agrees to observe and comply with the following terms and conditions to the reasonable satisfaction of Early Years:
The applicant has adhered to current Department of Health guidance.
Early Years has no commitment to renew financial support after the term of the claim period.
This agreement may be terminated by either party at any time with immediate effect.
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.
Other Requirements
If the applicant receives an award from The Sustainability Fund then subsequently ceases to operate before 31 March 2022, the full award must be repaid.
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 must 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.
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 Childcare Support 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:
Register for a link
FSNI will send eligible providers links to apply for the Childcare Sustainability Fund on 28 February 2022.
If you have not yet received your invitation from FSNI to apply, please keep an eye on your inbox and check your Spam or Junk folder.
If you still haven't received your invitation by 2 March 2022 then, please fill the following form.