The Inclusion and Professional Support Program (IPSP) is an integrated and consolidated approach to meeting the inclusion and professional support needs of child care services and is an important part of the larger Child Care Support Program.
The aim of the IPSP is to promote and maintain high quality care and inclusion for all children in eligible child care services, by increasing the skill level of carers, service staff and management in line with nationally consistent priorities.
Through state and territory based Professional Support Coordinators (PSCs) and Indigenous Professional Support Units (IPSUs), the IPSP ensures that all Australian Government approved child care services, regardless of geographic location, have access to quality professional support.
Child care services can access the PSCs for professional support, who use local professional support service providers to deliver support that meets the individual needs of child care services. IPSUs provide culturally appropriate advice and support to eligible Indigenous-run child care services.
The support services available to eligible child care services through PSCs and IPSUs include:
- telephone advice and support
- resource materials
- flexible training options
- on-line resource collections, including fact sheets, training information and useful links
- referral to appropriate agencies for further advice and information.
IPSUs also advise PSCs on professional support that meets the needs of eligible mainstream child care services with Indigenous staff or children.
|
PSC |
IPSU |
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QLD PSC
Health and Community Service Workforce Council Inc
Phone: 1800 112 585 (toll free)
Website: http://www.pscq.org.au/  |
QLD IPSU
Queensland Council of Social Services Inc
Indigenous Children's Services Unit
Phone: 1800 110 869 (toll free)
Website: http://www.ipsu.com.au/ |
|
NSW PSC
Children's Services Central
Phone: 1800 157 818 (toll free)
Website: http://www.cscentral.org.au/ |
NSW IPSU
Lady Gowrie Child Centre
Phone: 1800 450 472 (toll free)
Website: http://www.gowrie-sydney.com.au/ |
|
WA PSC
Resource Unit for Children with Special Needs
Phone: 1800 783 768 (toll free)
Website: http://www.pscwa.org.au/ |
WA IPSU
Yorganop Child Care Aboriginal Corporation
Phone: 1800 788 520 (toll free)
Website: http://www.ipsuwa.org.au/ |
|
SA PSC
Lady Gowrie Child Centre Inc
Phone: 1800 129 606 (toll free)
Website: http://www.pscsa.org.au/ |
SA IPSU
Network SA, Aboriginal Resource and Management Support Unit
Phone: 1800 679 199 (toll free)
Website: http://www.ipsusa.org.au/ |
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NT PSC
Resource Unit for Children with Special Needs
Phone: 1800 138 662 (toll free)
Website: http://www.pscnt.org.au/ |
NT IPSU
Regional and Remote Aboriginal Children and Services Support Unit (RRACSSU)
Phone: 1800 890 133
Website: http://www.rracssu.batchelor.edu.au/ |
|
VIC PSC
Community Child Care Association
Phone: 1800 177 017 (toll free)
Website: http://www.cccvic.org.au/ |
Eligible Indigenous-run child care services can access advice, support and training from the VIC PSC, Community Child Care Association. |
|
ACT PSC
Communities at Work
Phone: 1800 228 772 (toll free)
Website: http://www.actpsc.com.au/ |
Eligible Indigenous-run child care services can access advice, support and training from the NSW IPSU, Lady Gowrie Child Centre. |
|
TAS PSC
Lady Gowrie Child Centre Hobart
Phone: 1800 647 718 (toll free)
Website: http://www.psctas.org.au/ |
Eligible Indigenous-run child care services can access advice, support and training from the VIC PSC, Community Child Care Association. |
The Inclusion Support Program assists child care services to include children with additional needs in child care. Under the Program, 67 regionally based Inclusion Support Agencies (ISAs) manage networks of skilled Inclusion Support Facilitators (ISFs) to work at a local level with child care services.
ISFs assist child care services to build their skill base and capacity to include children with additional needs.
The target groups for inclusion support are:
- children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, including refugee children
- children with ongoing high support needs, including children with a disability
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
- Inclusion Support Agency Contact Details - PDF
(26.5 KB) | RTF 
(148.1 KB)
The Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS) assists eligible child care services to improve their capacity to include children with ongoing high support needs in quality child care.
The ISS replaced the Special Needs Subsidy Scheme (SNSS) and Disabled Supplementary Services Payment (DSUPS) on 1 July 2006.
- Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS) Guidelines - PDF (407.2 KB)| RTF (6.4 MB)
Who is eligible for ISS?
Child care services that are eligible to access Inclusion Support Subsidy are:
- Australian Government approved child care services, including both private and community centre based Long Day Care, Outside School Hours Care including Vacation Care, Family Day Care, Occasional Care, and In Home Care.
- Australian Government funded non-mainstream child care services (non-Child Care Benefit) such as flexible/innovative services, Multifunctional Aboriginal Children's Services (MACS), non-mainstream outside school hours care, non-formula funded Occasional Care (100 per cent Australian Government funded) and mobile child care services.
Please note: Eligibility for the ISS does not mean an automatic entitlement to payment.
The ISS may be available to eligible child care services to assist them to build their capacity to include a child or children with ongoing high support needs.
Children with ongoing high support needs are:
- children with a diagnosed physical, sensory, neurological or intellectual disability
- children that are undergoing continuing assessment of a disability
- refugee children who demonstrate behaviours symptomatic with having experienced or having been subject to torture or trauma in their country of origin or during their refugee experience.
How to apply for ISS
Inclusion Support Facilitators will assist child care services to develop a Service Support Plan. Contact your local Inclusion Support Agency to request assistance with the application process.
Where a Service Support Plan has identified that additional supports are required, an Inclusion Support Subsidy Application Form should be completed, along with the Service Support Plan.
How will the introduction of ISS affect current SNSS and DSUPS recipients?
- Current Special Needs Subsidy Scheme (SNSS) and Disabled Supplementary Service Payments (DSUPS) arrangements will remain in place until a new Service Support Plan is required or at the time of a scheduled review.
- From July 2006 new applications for inclusion assistance are being assessed under the ISS Guidelines.
- A Service Support Plan may need to be updated when a child leaves a service, a child's needs change significantly, a service closes or changes ownership, or a child enters the service.
- In Home Care carers currently accessing support under DSUPS will continue to receive the current level of support until the child leaves that care environment or is no longer eligible for ISS. All new In Home Care Applications are being assessed under the ISS Guidelines.
- Key Points for the Transition from DSUPS to ISS for Family Day Care factsheet - PDF (98.3 KB)
- Key Points for the Transition from DSUPS to ISS for In Home Care factsheet - PDF (99.5 KB)
Support provided by the Inclusion Support Subsidy
The Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS) is paid to child care services as a contribution towards the costs associated with including a child or children with ongoing high support needs in child care and may be used for the following purposes:
- engaging an additional worker to increase the staff to child ratio when a child or children with ongoing high support needs are in care (note: Family Day Care and In Home Care services are not eligible for an additional carer in the home setting)
- engaging relief staff while carers attend training or professional support relating to the inclusion of a child or children with ongoing high support needs
- as a Capacity Payment to Family Day Care carers in recognition of the additional care and attention required by a child or children with ongoing high support needs in their care and the impact of this on the carer
- as an Additional Payment to In Home Care carers in recognition of the additional care and attention required by a child or children with ongoing high support needs in their care and the impact of this on the carer
- to engage an additional worker to accompany a Family Day Care or In Home Care carer caring for a child or children with ongoing high support needs on out-of-home excursions or other special activities, for example family day care playgroups or vacation care excursions
- the ISS may also be used to fund the purchase of specialist equipment that has been identified as essential to enable the child care service to include a child with ongoing high support needs (note: In Home Care is not eligible for specialist equipment).
What level of assistance is available under ISS?
|
Care Type |
Subsidy Limit (indexed annually) |
|
Family Day Care |
- $15.61 per hour for a relief carer while carers attend training for each eligible child up to a maximum of 15 hours per approved child.
- $15.61 per hour for an extra staff member for out-of-home excursions for each eligible child up to a maximum of 5 hours per week for 52 weeks per year $15.61 per hour for carer relief for training up to a maximum of 15 hours (one-off).
- Capacity Payment of either $4.15 or $8.30 per hour per care environment up to a maximum of 50 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.
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Long Day Care, including Vacation Care programs provided through a LDC Centre |
- $15.61 per hour for an additional carer up to a maximum of 5 hours per day, 5 days per week, 52 weeks per year (12 weeks per year for VC in LDC).
- $15.61 per hour for carer relief for training up to a maximum of 15 hours per approved child.
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Flexible / Innovative Services, MACS |
- $15.61 per hour for an additional carer up to a maximum of 5 hours per day, 5 days per week, 52 weeks per year.
- $15.61 per hour for carer relief for training up to a maximum of 15 hours per approved child.
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|
Outside of School Hours, including non-mainstream OSHC |
- $15.61 per hour for an additional carer up to a maximum of 5 hours per day, 5 days per week, 42 weeks per year.
- $15.61 for an additional carer up to a maximum of 8 hours per day, 6 days per year (for the purpose of pupil free days only).
- $15.61 per hour for carer relief for training up to a maximum of 15 hours per approved child.
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Vacation Care |
- $15.61 per hour for an additional carer up to a maximum of 8 hours per day, 5 days per week, 12 weeks per year.
- $15.61 for an additional carer up to a maximum of 8 hours per day, 6 days per year (for the purpose of pupil free days only).
- $15.61 per hour for carer relief for training up to a maximum of 15 hours per approved child.
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Occasional Care, including non-formula funded OCC |
- $15.61 per hour for an additional carer up to a maximum of 5 hours per day, 5 days per week, 52 weeks per year
- $15.61 per hour for carer relief for training up to a maximum of 15 hours per approved child.
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Mobile Services |
- $15.61 per hour for an additional carer up to a maximum of 5 hours per day, 5 days per week, 52 weeks per year.
- $15.61 per hour for carer relief for training up to a maximum of 15 hours per approved child.
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In Home Care |
- $15.61 per hour for a relief carer while carers attend training for each eligible child up to a maximum of 15 hours per approved child.
- $15.61 per hour for an extra staff member for out-of-home excursions for each eligible child up to a maximum of 5 hours per week for 52 weeks per year.
- Additional Payment of either $4.15 or $8.30 per hour per care environment up to a maximum of 50 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.
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The Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS) is limited to an annual capped allocation available under the Australian Government Child Care Support Program. Eligibility for the ISS does not mean an automatic entitlement to payment.
Two tier subsidy for Family Day Care
Family Day Care (FDC) carers caring for an eligible child or children may be approved for $4.15 per hour per care environment where the impact of caring for the child or children has a mild impact on the carer. Carers may be eligible for this payment even where they are caring for the full complement of children under state and territory regulations.
FDC carers may be eligible for a payment of $8.30 per hour per care environment where it is determined that the child or children being cared for has a significant impact on the carer's capacity to include that child in the care environment, resulting in the carer needing to carry less than the full complement of children.
Two tier subsidy for In Home Care
In Home Care (IHC) carers caring for an eligible child or children may be approved for $4.15 per hour per care environment where the impact of caring for the child or children has a mild impact on the carer.
IHC carers may be eligible for a payment of $8.30 per hour per care environment where it is determined that the child or children being cared for has a significant impact on the carer's capacity to include that child in the care environment.
For more information please see the Inclusion Support Subsidy Guidelines.
In addition to the Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS), child care services may also be able to access additional support through Flexible Support and Bicultural Support funding.
- Flexible Support Funding - time limited support provided to eligible child care services to build their capacity to include a child or children with ongoing high support needs. Flexible Support Funding is a contribution towards the costs associated with employing additional staff to increase the staff to child ratio for a time limited period.
- Bicultural Support - time limited specialist support to assist child care services to include a child or children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD), refugee children, or Indigenous children. This support includes onsite or telephone assistance at the time of enrolment.
For more information, advice or assistance: Please contact your local
Inclusion Support Agency or your state/territory Professional Support Coordinator.