Online Parent Declaration form

Introduction

From 1 October 2026, West Sussex providers will be able to use the Online Parent Declaration form.

Providers will be able to make full use of the new online form while we continue to develop and enhance it over the next year. This ongoing beta phase will allow us to make improvements based on your feedback and any updates to statutory guidance in the new year

This form will be available to use alongside the existing PDF and Word versions available on our Providing Early Years Funded Entitlement web page. Providers may choose to gradually trial the online version of the form whilst also continuing to use the non-online versions.

We expect the form to remain in open beta until the end of the summer term in 2027 to allow for any feedback, developments and statutory guidance changes.

This page is the home of all current and upcoming updates, guidance and resources relating to the Online Parent Declaration form. You can submit questions and provide feedback below.

The benefits of the Online Parent Declaration form

There will be no need in the future to download and reprint updated versions of the form. With the existing Word and PDF versions, it is unfortunately necessary for these to be updated and for providers to ensure these updated versions are used for children starting or changing their EYFE access in upcoming terms.

The Early Years Funding Team will automatically receive Disability Access Fund (DAF) evidence when parents nominate you to receive it, along with evidence of approval for Early Learning for 2 year olds by other local authorities.

With Parent Declarations hosted by WSCC servers, we can resolve queries with claims faster without requesting copies from providers.

Forms can be completed and stored electronically without the need to print copies of forms.

Parents and carers will already be able to use browser-based options to translate the online version of the form. We are looking to implement on-page translations options in the near future.

The form will only ask relevant questions pertaining to each child and what they are eligible for. The form will shorten itself if you are recompleting the form for a child where changes in access, eligibility or personal information apply.

We have prepared the following resources to support providers using the Online Parent Declaration form:

• How the Online Parent Declaration form works (PDF) (opens in new window) - This document can be referred to by providers and shared with parents/carers. It explains the purpose of parent declarations, and provides a simple flowchart of the completion of the form. A plain text screen reader friendly version (PDF) (opens in new window) is available.
• Guide for providers - visual flowchart (PDF) (opens in new window) - This document goes into more detail and explores how to proceed in certain scenarios. It has been specifically written for providers. This document is primarily comprised of a flowchart, so may not have full compatibility with screen readers. A plain text alternative is available (PDF) (opens in new window).
• Further information (PDF) (opens in new window) - A short document with some additional information which may answer some of your questions ahead of time, including why Online Provider Portal logins cannot be used, and how it may work with nursery management software.
• Step-by-step guide (PDF) (opens in new window) - a step-by-step guide to completing the Online Parent Declaration form.

More guidance and resources will be developed where provider feedback identifies this is needed.

We want the Online Parent Declaration form to be as user friendly and helpful as possible. Please use the Your questions and feedback tool below if you have any suggestions, issues or questions. Topics could include:

• how to improve the form for parents/carers based on their feedback to you,
• improving the order of questions,
• wording or phrasing of questions,
• additional guidance within the form for providers and/or parents,
• ideas for how the form could be adapted to allow use even if the parent does not have internet access or an email address,
• feedback on what you like about the form. This is so we can avoid negatively impacting what works well for you in future iterations.

Accessibility and alternative formats

If you require any of this information in an alternative format, then please contact us via email at (External link) family.info.service@westsussex.gov.uk (opens in new window) or by telephone on 01243 777807 and we will do our best to assist you. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and have a BT Relay (UK) app (previously called the NGT texting app) installed on your computer, laptop or smartphone, you can contact us on 18001 01243 777807.

Please note, you can use the Google Translate function to access this project in a range of different languages. The Google Translate widget can be found at the top left-hand side of the project page, where it sits just above the black West Sussex County Council ribbon.

For more information about the accessibility of this website, please see our Accessibility tab (opens in new window) at the foot of the page.

Privacy statement

West Sussex County Council will use this to collect some personal data, the processing of which is necessary for the performance of a contract with the data subject or to take steps to enter into a contract, or to contact you if more information is required. This data will be processed in accordance with the 2018 Data Protection Act, the General Data Protection Regulations and any subsequent relevant data and will only be used for the purpose stated. The data we collect will be held securely on computer for a period of up to 1 year before being appropriately destroyed. We will not use the data for any other purpose. West Sussex County Council is registered as Data Controller (Reg. No. Z6413427). For further details and information about our Data Controller, please see the West Sussex County Council Privacy Policy (opens in new window).

Survey web browser compatibility

Please use one of the browsers below when completing the survey to ensure it looks and works as it should. These are:

· Microsoft Edge version 86 and above

· Chrome version 86 and above

· Firefox version 78 and above

· Safari version 14 and above