Following the successful implementation of the Child Care Management System (CCMS) an upgrade will be introduced on the weekend of 19/20 June 2010. The changes have been identified through feedback from the child care sector, CCMS Registered Software Providers and issues identified through Compliance activity and calls to the CCMS Helpdesk. 

The changes will improve our service by:

• giving you more information about families’ entitlements, particularly JET entitlements
• increasing accountability and making it easier for you to comply with your legal obligations, and
• gathering new data to avoid requests for information outside of the CCMS and to support the National Quality Framework, announced last December.

The system will continue to accept data in the old format until 31 August 2010. From 1 September 2010 onwards, you must submit your enrolment and attendance reports with upgraded software that is compatible with the new version of the system.  All currently registered CCMS Software Providers are scheduled to re-register their products, several have already successfully completed the re-registration process. It is important that you follow instructions and advice from your software provider on installing any upgrade to their product. 

A summary of the changes is below:

• Indicators on enrolment records to show a child's Indigenous origin; disability status; and special needs status.
• Indicators on attendance records about children who are attending an in house pre-school program, or an external pre-school program.
• Improved security and accountability, by recording details of the person authorised at the service to submit data to the CCMS.
• A new enrolment type named Service Special CCB.
• New session types on attendance records for make up days;  zero fee session; and charges after cessation of care.
• Where sessions with hours more than the maximum for your service type are submitted, CCMS will return an error message.
• Absence sessions may be reported before they occur to allow submission prior to a public holiday.
• Vacancy reporting to show new age ranges- Birth to 24 months; 25 to 35 months; 36 months and over (but not school age); 6 years and over, or attending school.
• JET eligibility history and current entitlement information will be displayed to services on enrolment records.
• Additional information will be returned on attendance records after the end of the financial year to indicate when the Family Assistance Office has reconciled the family’s CCB.

Fact sheets explaining the changes are available on the June CCMS Changes page