On this page:
Inclusion and Professional Support Program (IPSP)
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 Services 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.
Following extensive consultation, the revised IPSP Guidelines are now available. These guidelines provide information for child care services, IPSP service providers and families in relation to Inclusion Support Agencies, the Inclusion Support Subsidy, Professional Support Coordinators and the Indigenous Professional Support Unit.
- Inclusion and Professional Support Program - Program Guidelines 2009-2012
(
PDF 435KB | 
RTF 1.73MB)
Professional Support Program
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 development and support. Child care services can access the PSCs for professional development and support, who use local professional support service providers to deliver support that meets the individual needs of child care services. IPSUs provide professional development and support to eligible Indigenous child care services. IPSUs also advise PSCs and Inclusion Support Agencies on culturally appropriate professional support that meets the needs of eligible mainstream child care services with Indigenous staff or children.
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.
PSC and IPSU Contact Details
Inclusion Support Program
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 children from a refugee or humanitarian intervention background
- children with ongoing high support needs, including children with a disability
- Indigenous children.
Inclusion Support Subsidy
The Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS) is administered nationally by KU Children’s Services, the National ISS Provider.
The ISS assists eligible child care services to improve their capacity to include children with ongoing high support needs in quality child care.
Who is eligible for Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS)?
Child care services that are eligible to access Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS) include:
- Australian Government child care services approved for Child Care Benefit, including Long Day Care, Outside School Hours Care including Vacation Care, Family Day Care, Occasional Care, and In Home Care.
- Australian Government child care services funded under the Budget Based Funding Program, including flexible/innovative services, mobile child care services, Multifunctional Aboriginal Children's Services (MACS), Indigenous Playgroups, Indigenous outside school hours care and enrichment programs, crèches and innovative child care service centres.
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 include:
- children with a diagnosed physical, sensory, neurological or intellectual disability
- children that are undergoing continuing assessment of a disability
- children from a refugee or humanitarian intervention background 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.
Two-tier subsidy for In Home Care
In Home Care (IHC) carers caring for an eligible child or children may be approved for $4.24 per hour (Tier One) 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 $8.48 per hour (Tier Two) 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.
How to apply for Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS)
Inclusion Support Facilitators will assist child care services to develop a Service Support Plan (SSP). Contact your local Inclusion Support Agency to request assistance with the application process. Where an SSP has identified that additional support is required, an Inclusion Support Subsidy Application Form should be completed, along with the SSP.
For more information please see Section C of the Inclusion and Support Professional Support Guidelines.
Support provided by the Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS)
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:
In-centre based services:
- to engage an additional child care worker to increase the staff-to-child ratio when a child or children with ongoing high support needs are in care.
In-home based services:
- 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.
What level of assistance is available under ISS?
ISS Rates for centre based care services
|
Care Type |
Subsidy Limit (indexed annually) |
|
Long Day Care (LDC), including Vacation Care programs provided through a LDC Centre |
- $15.95 per hour for an additional carer up to a maximum of 25 hours per week, 52 weeks per year based on 5 days attendance (up to 12 weeks per year for VC in LDC)
|
|
Flexible / Innovative Services, Multifunctional Aboriginal Children's Services (MACS) |
- $15.95 per hour for an additional carer up to a maximum of 25 hours per week, 52 weeks per year based on 5 days attendance
|
|
Outside of School Hours Care (OSHC), including non-mainstream OSHC |
- $15.95 per hour for an additional carer up to a maximum of 25 hours per week, 42 weeks per year based on 5 days attendance.
- $15.95 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).
|
|
Vacation Care (VC) |
- $15.95 per hour for an additional carer up to a maximum of 40 hours per week, 12 weeks per year based on 5 days attendance.
- $15.95 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)
|
|
Occasional Care (OCC), including non-formula funded OCC |
- $15.95 per hour for an additional carer up to a maximum of 25 hours per week, 52 weeks per year based on 5 days attendance
|
|
Mobile Services |
- $15.95 per hour for an additional carer up to a maximum of 25 hours per week, 52 weeks per year based on 5 days attendance
|
ISS Rates for home based care services
|
Care Type |
Subsidy Limit as at 1 July 2009 (indexed annually) |
|
Family Day Care (FDC) |
- Capacity Payment of either $4.24 or $8.48 per hour per care environment up to a maximum of 50 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.
|
|
In Home Care (IHC) |
- Additional Payment of either $4.24 or $8.48 per hour per care environment up to a maximum of 50 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.
|
Two-tier subsidy for Family Day Care
Family Day Care (FDC) carers caring for an eligible child or children may be approved for $4.24 per hour (Tier One) 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 $8.48 per hour (Tier Two) 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.
Other forms of assistance available
In addition to the Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS), child care services may also be able to access additional support through Flexible Support Funding and Bicultural Support Specialist Equipment and the General Resource Library.
- 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.
Flexible Support Funding Limits
|
Service Type |
Funding Limit (indexed annually) |
|
All eligible service types (excluding VC, FDC and IHC) |
- Services are eligible for a $15.95 hourly contribution with a daily cap of five hours for a maximum of 20 days (or 100 hours) each year, i.e. 12 months from date of approval, in respect of each eligible child enrolled.
|
|
Vacation Care |
- Services are eligible for a $15.95 hourly contribution with a daily cap of eight hours for a maximum of 10 days (or 80 hours) each year, i.e. 12 months from date of approval, in respect of each eligible child enrolled.
|
| Family Day Care (FDC) and In-Home Care (IHC) |
-
Services are eligible for a $15.95 hourly contribution with a weekly cap of five hours for a maximum of five weeks (or 25 hours) each year, i.e. 12 months from the date of approval, in respect of each eligible child enrolled.
Flexible Support Funding (FSF) can be used to employ an additional worker to increase the staff to child ratio above licensing requirements on out of home excursions such as playgroups or vacation care excursions.
FSF can also be used to provide a financial contribution for carers who are unable to attend specialist training during business hours. Training must relate specifically to the additional needs of a child in care. Carers are eligible for a $15.95 hourly contribution for a maximum of 15 hours each year or 12 month period.
FSF cannot be used to employ an additional worker within the FDC or IHC home environment. |
| All service types |
- Services are eligible to apply for FSF to allow release time for permanent staff and carers to attend specialist training and/or prepare Service Support Plans (SSPs) in respect of a child with ongoing high support needs. There is a combined 15 hour limit per service each year or 12 month period, for these activities. Note: Services are advised to apply for funding for these activities as required, not as a lump sum.
|
- Bicultural Support - time limited specialist support to assist child care services to include a child or children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD), children from a refugee or humanitarian intervention background, or Indigenous children. This support includes onsite or telephone assistance at the time of enrolment.
- Specialist Equipment – available on loan from the Specialist Equipment provider to eligible child care services (excluding In Home Care) to assist the inclusion of a child who has demonstrated ongoing high support needs in a child care environment.
- General Resource Library – provides up-to-date information and resources on child care practice and research findings and assists in meeting the inclusion and professional support needs of eligible child care services.
For more information, advice or assistance: Please contact your local Inclusion Support Agency or your state/territory Professional Support Coordinator or Indigenous Professional Support Unit.