(Please refer to Section C7 of the IPSP Guidelines 2013 -2016)
ECEC Services must demonstrate the need for ISS in a care
environment for the level of ISS support requested.
Services need to provide adequate information in the application in the
following key areas to demonstrate the need for ISS. Further information on these key
areas is included later in this section:
4.1 Eligibility
The service is eligible to apply for ISS and the reasons for applying for ISS are
approved under the IPSP guidelines.
A child or children in the care environment has high ongoing support needs, or is
undergoing continuous assessment of disability or from a refugee or
humanitarian intervention background.
4.2 Impact
For centre based services - The care environment requires an increased educator
to child ratio to include the child with ongoing high support needs in the care
environment with their typically developing peers.
For Home Based services - The impact of including the child with ongoing high
support needs on the carer/educator and care environment meets the level
outlined in the guidelines for an additional/capacity payment.
4.3 Inclusive strategies and plans to increase service capacity to include
children
The strategies which will be implemented by educators in the care environment
to provide an inclusive quality program for all children. In centre based services
this will reflect the strategies possible as a result of the increased educator to
child ratio.
The Service Support Plan must show the service’s plans to increase their capacity
to include children with additional needs in this care environment.
The Inclusion and Professional Support Program is funded by the
Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and
Workplace Relations.
Eligibility for the Inclusion Support Subsidy does not mean an automatic entitlement
to Inclusion Support Subsidy funding.
The Inclusion Support Subsidy is only available to eligible ECEC services that are
approved for CCB or funded under the Budget Based Funding program. See Section 1
– What is ISS? Also refer to Section A8 of the IPSP Guidelines 2013-2016, and IPSP
Factsheet 4.
Services not eligible for support through the IPSP include:
Registered care
State and territory government funded occasional care, preschools, preschool
programs, kindergartens and early intervention services
In addition, specialist services are not eligible for ISS where they are not able to
provide the opportunity for children with additional needs to be included with typically
developing peers.
Please note, eligible services delivering state funded programs are not eligible for ISS
during the hours of that program, but may apply for any other hours of care outside
those hours.
The Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS) can be used in the following ways in eligible Early
Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services:
In a centre based service, to engage an additional educator to increase the staff
to child ratio when a child or children with ongoing high support needs are in
care with typically developing peers.
As a Capacity Payment to Family Day Care (FDC) educators in recognition of the
additional care and attention required by a child in their care and the impact of
this on the educator.
As an Additional Payment to In Home Care (IHC) carers in recognition of the
additional care and attention required by a child in their care and the impact of
this on the carer.
To engage an additional carer to accompany a FDC educator or IHC carer and
child or children with ongoing high support needs on out-of-home excursions or
other special activities with typically developing peers e.g. FDC playgroups or
vacation care excursions.
Refer to IPSP Fact Sheet 4 for information on ISS non-approved purposes and service
eligibility.
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The service needs to provide documentary evidence which demonstrates that the child
who is attending the ECEC service has ongoing high support needs. Some children
with assessed/diagnosed disability may not require ongoing assistance in order to be
included in the care environment.
Children with demonstrated ongoing high support needs include children:
with assessed/diagnosed disability.
who are undergoing continuing assessment of disability.
from a refugee or humanitarian intervention background.
The Inclusion Support Subsidy application must include current documentary evidence
of the child’s assessed/diagnosed disability, ongoing continuing assessment for
disability, or refugee or humanitarian intervention status.
Refer to IPSP Fact Sheet 3 for further information on Documentary Evidence
The ECEC service needs to demonstrate that the child who is attending the service has
ongoing high support needs and that the service requires assistance in order to be
able to include the child in the care environment with their peers.
Information provided in all parts of the application is considered particularly the
following:
Setting Profile
Child Profile
Key question 1 & 2 for Centre Based Services
Key Question 3 for Home Based Services
The Service Support Plan
In the ‘Child Details Tab’ (Sub Tab of “Setting and Children” Tab) the service must
provide information about the needs of the child with ongoing high support needs.
This should include information about factors which will have an impact on the child’s
inclusion in the care environment, such as the child’s language and cultural
background, strengths, interests, needs and family situation.
The service should consider the following factors when writing the response:
Outline the length of time the child has attended the service
Describe the child’s communication needs
Describe, if any, the physical assistance which will be required to include the
child in the programmed activities and experiences with their peers
Outline which parts of the routine or social situations work well for the child and
describe any challenging times for the child
Describe the child’s strengths
Describe how the child engages in play as an individual and with others, and in
different social experiences
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Describe any recent issues or events that impact on the child at the service.
(Refer to Top Tips 4 – IS Case Key Questions and Top Tips 6-Key Question 1
Explored).
Key Question 1 asks services to demonstrate why ISS is required and to describe the
inclusive strategies which will be used to support all children in the care environment.
In centre based services ISS is to provide an increased educator to child ratio in the
care environment to support educators to include children with high ongoing support
needs in a care environment with their typically developing peers.
Services need to describe what inclusive strategies educators will introduce or use
more effectively if there is an increased educator to child ratio in the care
environment.
Services should consider:
What changes are possible? How might the environment and program be
different?
What would you see educators doing (consider different times of the day and be
specific)?
Describe the actions educators will take to support all children’s:
Participation
Communication and interaction
Health and personal needs
For Tips on writing inclusive strategies see Tip Sheet 6 – Key Question 1 Explored.
If the service has successfully responded to this question by including specific
strategies to support inclusion:
 The reader can visualise what the educators are doing in the care environment.
 Educators could put the strategies into action after reading the response.
 The educators know why they are implementing the strategy and the desired
outcome.
Where more than one child with ongoing high support needs is in attendance in the
same care environment, the ECEC service must explore the use of a Shared Care
arrangement for up to eight hours.
If the service, in consultation with their ISF, identifies that more than one additional
educator is required the additional information must be provided in order to
demonstrate the need for this level of support and explain why a shared care
arrangement is not suitable.
Services are required to:
Outline how the specific needs of all children impact on the care environment and
level of support required.
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Outline what aspects of the care environment impact on the level of support
required. Factors you may wish consider include the physical layout of the care
environment, the age grouping, the program and the group dynamics.
Refer to Top Tip Sheet 4 – IS Case Key Questions for more information.
In home based services educators caring for eligible children may receive a capacity
payment (in addition to regular fees) if the IS Case demonstrates sufficient impact on
the care environment.
Home based services will describe the impact of including the child/ren with ongoing
high support on the educator and care environment, and outline the inclusive
strategies and practices which will be used in the care environment.
The response needs to be specific to the care environment.
Demonstrating the Impact of including the child with ongoing high support
needs
Refer to ‘Impact on the home based care environment table’ on the DEEWR website
which describes the level of impact of including the child in the care environment (low,
mild, significant). Services need to consider each developmental element
(communication, social, health and personal care, physical and behavioural) when
describing the impact on the home based care environment.
Assess the impact, if any, on the home based care environment when the child with
ongoing high support needs is included. Decide which Tier is suitable. The service
needs to provide adequate information to support the capacity payment being
requested.
If the application demonstrates a mild to moderate impact and inclusive strategies are
evident the educator may be eligible for a Tier One capacity payment. If the case
demonstrates a significant impact resulting in the educator not being able to have the
full complement of children in care, and inclusive strategies in the care environment
have been demonstrated, a Tier Two capacity payment may be considered.
Describing the inclusive strategies used by the carer/educator
Describe the strategies the educator will use on a daily basis to support inclusion.
A strategy is an action conducted for a specific purpose or purposes. In a child care
environment this is about what the educator will do. For Tips on writing inclusive
strategies see Top Tips 7.
The service needs describe the strategies the educator will take to support all children
to:
Participate in the daily program
Communicate and interact with peers
Meet their health and personal needs
If the answer includes specific strategies to support inclusion the following will be
evident:
The reader can visualise what the educator is doing
The educator could put the strategies into action after reading the response
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The educator understands why they are implementing the strategy and the
desired outcome
For further information refer to Top Tips 4 – IS Case Key Questions, Top Tips 6 – Key
Question 1 Explored & Top Tips 7.
Services provide information about the care environment’s inclusive strategies and
practices in the SSP, which is developed for the care environment, and in response to
Key Questions 1, 2 and 3 which are completed in the ‘Settings’ tab of the IS Portal.
Please see the information provided above regarding responding to these key
questions.
In the Service Support Plan (SSP) the service identifies ‘Staff Needs’ and
corresponding ‘Team Goals’. The service then develops an ‘Action Plan’ describing the
steps which the service will undertake to achieve each goal. This plan provides
information about the modifications educators will be making to the care environment
and describes the inclusive strategies which will be used in the care environment to
support the inclusion of all children, particularly children with additional needs.
For a Renewal application the evaluated SSP must show the service’s outcomes and
changes that have happened in the care environment as a result of implementing their
SSP. The new SSP will build on the service’s efforts and take the next steps in making
changes to further improve the service’s ability to be inclusive.
Refer to Section 2 of the Guide to ISS for ISFs for further information about SSPs.
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