The Early Years Resource Panel

The Early Years and Childcare Funding Panel and the Pre-school Allocations Panel are changing their names to The Early Years Resource Panel in preparation for the introduction of the new Essex approach to top-up funding in September 2024. You will see this name change gradually reflected across our website, correspondence and communications.

Essex County Council professionals currently make up the panel. The Chair is the Early Years and Childcare Sufficiency and Sustainability Manager. The Panel will look at your application for inclusion funding or the submission for SEN premium to decide which level of funding or resourcing the child needs. To receive funding, the support a child needs should be more than you provide for other children under the legal ratio required by Ofsted.

If the application does not meet the criteria for funding the panel can award another type of resource. This is usually an Essex County Council professional who can work with you to help you support the child. There are many types of resourcing available. Below are the 3 most commonly awarded:

• Inclusion partner (IP) - your allocated IP can support you to fulfil your statutory duties for children with SEND. They can help you develop your inclusive practice to deliver improved outcomes for children with SEND, through implementation of the person-centred graduation approach (One Planning), enabling practitioners to monitor and review progress.
• Early years education partners (EYEP) can work with you to review and develop all aspects of your EYFS provision and practice to ensure that statutory requirements are met and that it supports the needs of all children as effectively as possible. They can signpost you to information and materials to enable a high level of support for all children.
• Early years intervention partner (EYEIP) - the EYEIP team is an enabling resource to support settings to understand and meet the developmental needs of children, where further exploration is needed before being described as having an emerging need. The support from the EYEIP team will help you consider areas such as:
  • Enabling environment to meet children's' needs
  • Adult relationships and interactions
  • Transitions and routines
  • Provision and practice
  • Practitioner confidence

You can expect your allocated EYEIP to spend time with you in the setting as a critical friend to reflect and understand why an assessment of emerging needs has been made. They are an empowering role that will support you to consider your observations and assessments, practice and environments and think about how you can make adjustments to meet the children's needs.

The Early Years Resource Panel usually meets on the third Thursday of each month. However, it is possible that sub-panels and administrative reviews can facilitate agreement of SEN premium funding outside of these monthly panel meetings. If you are allocated a non-financial resource, you will be notified in your outcome correspondence how this can be accessed.

For further information regarding the structure, scope and responsibilities of the Early Years Resource panel please read our Terms of Reference.

EYCC award inclusion funding and SEN premium to support settings to meet their responsibilities to provide inclusive practice (Equality Act 2010 & 0-25 SEND Code of Practice 2015).

The Panel will assess your information and, if funding is awarded, will decide the appropriate level in line with the scale below:

Low rate - for children with SEN/AEN who need enhanced support for some periods of their time in the setting.

Mid rate - for children with a significant/complex SEND who need a high level of enhanced support to meet their needs.

High rate - for children with a high level of medical need or life-threatening medical condition which requires continuous enhanced support.

Until the implementation of SENIF in September 2024, the early years resource panel will still have the flexibility to occasionally award at mid-points on the above scale. This is clearly communicated in your outcome correspondence.

Contact inclusion.funding@essex.gov.uk if you wish to discuss emergency childcare (for urgent short-term situations where there are no other options available), holiday club or wrap-around childcare funding.