The Inclusion and Professional Support Program (IPSP) supports child care services to provide high-quality inclusive child care. The Program:
- gives child care services access to the professional support to build their skills
- supports child care services to provide quality child care and include children with additional needs in quality child care
- supports child care services to meet accreditation requirements
The IPSP is managed by the Commonwealth’s Office of Early Childhood Education and Child Care, and has links to the National Childcare Accreditation Council.
It has three elements:
- Professional Support Program (PSP)
- Inclusion Support Program (ISP)
- Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS).
These elements are explained briefly below with more detail on the PSP following.
The PSP gives those who work in child care access to the professional development and 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, information on professional development and useful links)
- referrals to other agencies.
The Program is flexible and designed to meet professional support needs across all care types.
Professional development and 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 child care service staff and management.
Each PSC and IPSU operates a toll-free help line and a web site with an email contact for child care staff. Contact details are on the
DEEWR website.
The ISP Program supports child care services so they can include and provide quality care to 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 resources and equipment
- 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
Child care services eligible for support from the various elements of the IPSP are outlined below:*
| ISAs & PSCs |
Child care services approved for Child Care Benefit (CCB), including:
- Long day care services;
- Outside school hours care (including vacation care);
- Family day care;
- Occasional care; and
- In-home care services
Child care services funded under the Budget Based Funding Program, including:
- Flexible/innovative services;
- Mobile child care services;
- Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Services;
- Indigenous playgroups;
- Indigenous outside school hours care and enrichment programs;
- Crèches; and
- Innovative Child Care Service Centres
|
* Australian Government services are services that receive funding under the Child Care Benefit Scheme or Budget Based Funding under the Child Care Support Services Program
| IPSUs |
Indigenous child care services funded under the Budget Based Funding Program, including:
- Flexible/innovative services;
- Mobile child care services;
- Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Services;
- Indigenous playgroups;
- Indigenous outside school hours care and enrichment programs;
- Crèches; and
- Innovative Child Care Service Centres
|
| ISS* |
Child care services:
Child care services approved for CCB, including:
- Long day care services;
- Outside school hours care (including vacation care);
- Family day care, occasional care;
- Occasional care; and
- In-home care services.
Child care services funded under the Budget Based Funding Program, including:
- Flexible/innovative services;
- Mobile child care services;
- Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Services;
- Indigenous playgroups;
- Indigenous outside school hours care and enrichment programs;
- Crèches; and
- Innovative Child Care Service Centres
|
Services that are not eligible for support under the IPSP includes but are not limited to registered care, state and territory government funded Early Learning and Care Services, and state and territory government services including occasional care, pre-schools and early intervention services.
* ISS is subject to a two tiered eligibility process. For more information, refer to the ISS Guidelines in Section B.