The Inclusion and Professional Support Program (IPSP) supports child care services so they can provide high-quality child care. It:
- gives those who work in child care access to the professional support they need to build their skills and do their job well
- supports child care services to include all children including those with additional needs
- is delivered by providers based in each state and territory so child care services in all regions of Australia can benefit and are treated equally.
All Australian Government approved child care services are eligible regardless of care type or location. Types include:
- Long Day Care
- Outside School Hours Care (including Vacation Care)
- Occasional Care
- Family Day Care
- In Home care.
Some Australian Government funded non-mainstream child care services (non-Child Care Benefit) are also eligible. These services include:
- flexible/innovative services
- Multi-functional Aboriginal Children's Services (MACS)
- non-mainstream Outside School Hours Care
- non-formula funded Occasional Care (100 per cent Australian Government funded)
- mobile children's services.
It has three elements:
- Professional Support Program (PSP)
- Inclusion Support Program (ISP)
- Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS).
These elements are explained briefly further in this fact sheet and in more detail in other fact sheets.
The PSP gives those who work in child care access to the professional support they need to do their jobs well. It gives them access to:
- advice
- support
- flexible training options
- resources (including an extensive web site with fact sheets, training information and useful links)
- referrals to other agencies.
The Program is flexible and designed to meet professional support needs across all care types.
Professional support is provided through state and territory based:
- Professional Support Coordinators (PSCs)
- Indigenous Professional Support Units (IPSUs).
These are the first points of contact for carers, service staff and management.
Each PSC and IPSU operates a toll-free help line and a web site with an email contact for carers. Contact details are on the
Child care main page.
The ISP Program supports child care services so they can welcome and include all children including those with additional needs.
Children with additional needs include those from diverse cultural and language backgrounds, those with a disability, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
Under the Program 67 regionally based Inclusion Support Agencies (ISAs) employ Inclusion Support Facilitators (ISFs) who work directly with child care services to build and develop their skills by:
- recommending specialist equipment to be bought through the ISS
- identifying the need for and facilitating 'bicultural support'
- developing plans and courses of action for 'inclusion readiness'
- developing Service Support Plans
- identifying where the ISS is needed and assisting in completing ISS forms.
The ISS gives funding to help child care services to include children with ongoing high support needs. These are children with a disability, children being diagnosed with a disability and refugee children.
The ISS can be used for:
- additional staff to increase the staff-to-child ratio
- relief staff, to cover for regular carers attending inclusion training
- specialist equipment.
The ISS replaced the Special Needs Subsidy Scheme (SNSS) and the Disabled Supplementary Services Payment (DSUPS) from 1 July 2006.
For more information on all aspects of the Inclusion and Professional Support Program visit the Child care main page.
Key points
The Inclusion and Professional Support Program:
- supports child care services to provide high-quality child care
- gives funding to help child care services include children who have ongoing high support needs
- gives families confidence that those who work in child care have access to the skills and professional support they need to do their jobs well
- supports child care services to include all children, regardless of their background and including those with additional needs
- covers all types of Australian Government approved child care
- is for some Australian Government funded non-mainstream child care services (non-Child Care Benefit)
- is a coordinated, national approach for child care services in regional, rural and remote Australia.