What if a family wants to start a funded place when they are already in their grace period?

Children cannot access the Working Parent Entitlements at a Provider when the family are already in the grace period. This includes the following scenarios:

• Where a Parent falls into their grace period before the child starts their EEF hours.
• Where a Parent falls into their grace period whilst their child is attending a Provider for their entitlement, and the parent then moves the child to a different provider whilst in their grace period.

These scenarios are also applicable when a Provider submits a claim for a child who was eligible at the time, but the child entered the grace period later and before starting their EEF hours.

In exceptional circumstances, The Council has the discretion to extend the “grace period” set out in clause 8.19 for a short time, i.e. if a Parent has been forced to leave their home and paid employment due to being a victim of domestic abuse or other emergency situations, or the child
moves from the Provider as they are rated Inadequate, closes or Parent is fleeing other crime. Providers should advise the EEF Finance team in such cases.