In Home Care (IHC) is a flexible form of child care where an approved carer provides care in the child's home. IHC is targeted to families unable to access existing child care services such as families working shift or non standard hours or those located in rural or remote regions of Australia. Financial incentives are available to encourage IHC services to recruit and support more carers in remote and very remote locations.
IHC places are targeted to families who:
- have no access to existing child care services; or
- their circumstances mean that an existing child care service cannot meet their needs;
and at least one of the following criteria also applies:
- the child has, or lives with another child who has, an illness or a disability;
- the child's guardian (or guardian's partner) has an illness or disability that affects their ability to care for the child;
- the child lives in a rural or remote area;
- the work hours of the child's guardian (or guardian's partner) are hours when no other approved child care service is available; or
- the child's guardian (or guardian's partner) is caring for three or more children who have not yet started school.
The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations has discretion to allow exemptions to the eligibility criteria in special and exceptional circumstances. Services are required to contact the Department in such circumstances.
A limited number of IHC places are available nationally. The Commonwealth Government allocates those places based on assessed demand for IHC in a particular region and the availability of suitably qualified service providers. Before a service may be allocated places it must be approved to administer Child Care Benefit. Subject to the availability of places, places are allocated to service providers based on assessed demand for IHC in a given location.
Unmet demand is defined by DEEWR based on a number of characteristics, which may include:
- The number of children in the region;
- The number of existing service providers of all child care types;
- The population of both children and parents with disability;
- The geographical area;
- Demonstrated demand i.e. waiting list as demonstrated by applicant; and
- The number of shift workers.
When additional places are available, the Department advertises for applications from interested providers.
Following consultations with key stakeholders, interim standards for IHC were introduced in 2007. IHC providers are now required to adhere to these standards until such time that they are replaced by National Standards. Introducing minimum requirements and focussing on enhancements in quality will increase the marketability of IHC and improve the quality of care and the safety of carers, families and children. The Commonwealth Government will continue to work with state and territory governments to develop the National Standards for IHC.
Interim Standards document.
The Government is currently developing a new accreditation framework for early childhood services to replace the current Quality Assurance systems. The new framework will incorporate strong quality standards and an A-E rating system that is intended to apply all early childhood education and child care types, including IHC. This means that all IHC services over time may be required to participate in the accreditation process. Further information will be provided about transitional arrangements for IHC as this work develops.
As a minimum, IHC providers are required to maintain their contractual requirements as nominated in the IHC Funding Agreement. Unannounced visits of services are part of the Commonwealth Government’s improved compliance strategy to protect the integrity of payments made to support families accessing approved child care. Under the Family Assistance legislation and terms of the funding agreement, DEEWR officers may visit a service unannounced.
The Australian Government provides financial and other assistance to eligible child care services through the Child Care Support Program.
Payments to child care services under the Child Care Support Program must not be used for:
- additional Child Care Benefit or fee reductions to families;
- incorporation costs;
- payments to other organisations for services not essential to the core operation of a child care service;
- support of political activities (for example, phone calls, printing); or
- rent to sponsoring organisations (other than a nominal amount).
1. Set-up Assistance Grant
Set-up Assistance Grant helps eligible organisations to establish new child care services in areas of need.
Funding is provided to eligible new not-for-profit and new for-profit services to assist in meeting set-up costs by contributing to expenses such as:
- employing staff;
- advertising for staff/carers and parents;
- purchasing toys and equipment;
- phone expenses; or
- insurance.
Further information about the Set-up Assistance Grant, including eligibility criteria and payment rates, can be found in the Child Care Handbook, and the In Home Care Program Operating Guidelines, available on the DEEWR website.
2. In Home Care Service Support
The Australian Government provides IHC services with In Home Care Service Support to assist IHC services with the costs of recruiting, monitoring and supporting a network of carers and allocating carers to provide flexible care for children in their family home. From January 2007 a differential rate per place was applied to IHC services that receive funding based on actual utilisation, recognising the additional costs of supporting carers in remote and very remote areas. Funding for places was aligned with that of Family Day Care, which is based on the geographical location of the service and/or where the majority of care is provided. From 1 July 2007 the IHC Inner/Outer region rate per place has been split. IHC services in Outer Region areas now receive a higher rate per place. This difference recognises that the Inner and Outer regions are significantly different in accessibility and cost of service delivery.
|
Funding per place for services funded by actual usage* |
|
Geographic Location |
From 1 July 2008 |
|
Metropolitan |
$22.35 |
|
Inner Region |
$22.80 |
|
Outer Region |
$29.05 |
|
Remote |
$39.40 |
|
Very Remote |
$45.65 |
*Indexed annually
A service in receipt of IHC Service Support is not eligible to receive Sustainability Assistance. Further information about IHC Service Support, including eligibility criteria and payment rates can be found in the Child Care Handbook, and the In Home Care Program Operating Guidelines, available on the DEEWR website.
3. Regional Travel Assistance Grant
The Regional Travel Assistance Grant (RTAG) is a payment to assist with travel costs associated with supporting the network of IHC carers in rural and remote areas.
Further information about RTAG, including eligibility criteria and payment rates can be found in the Child Care Handbook, and the In Home Care Program Operating Guidelines, available on the DEEWR website.
Further Information on IHC
For more information on IHC, please contact the Department on 1300 363 079 and request the child care officer in your State or Territory.