This program is funded by the Australian Government under the Inclusion and Professional Support Program
Inclusion and Professional Support Program (IPSP)
SDN Inclusion Support Agencies are part of the Inclusion and Professional Support Program (IPSP). This integrated approach to meeting the inclusion and professional support needs of child care services 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.
What is an Inclusion Support Agency (ISA)?
SDN’s Inclusion Support Agencies (SDN ISAs) are part of a network of services funded by the Australian government. This network is called the Inclusion and Professional Support Program.
SDN ISAs work with eligible child care services to help make their service more inclusive for all children. We help each child care service make changes and access practical resources so that children from the ISA priority groups can attend, feel welcome and join in all of the activities.
The ISA priority groups are:
- children with disabilities
- children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds
- children who have refugee status
- children of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) descent.
What is inclusion all about?
The word ‘inclusion’ is used to mean a lot of different things. When SDN talks about inclusion we’re talking about the rights people have to be part of their community, join in activities, and have a say in what happens to them.
It’s hard for some people to experience inclusion because not all communities and activities are designed to be inclusive of everyone.
When we talk about inclusion in child care services, we mean the rights that every Australian child has to:
- be part of a child care community
- join in child care activities
- have a say in what happens to them.
To us, inclusion isn’t just about providing physical access to the service for a child with a disability – inclusion is about ensuring that all children can participate and feel they belong.
It’s hard for some children to experience inclusion in child care. This can be due to:
- Barriers – intentional or unintentional (eg attitudes) – which prevent children from ISA priority groups from experiencing the same quality of service as other children.
- Staff inexperience. Many people who work in child care services don’t have much experience in meeting the higher support needs of some children.
This is why SDN ISAs work to help child care services to include children with a disability, children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, children of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) descent and children who have refugee status.
How can we help you?
SDN Inclusion Support Agencies (ISAs) employ experienced Inclusion Support Facilitators (ISFs).
If you are an eligible child care service, our ISFs can help you:
- work out if you are doing everything you can to be inclusive of all children
- plan any changes you would like to make to be more inclusive
- connect you with other people who can also help you – such as people who run training, and people who have specialist and general equipment libraries
- apply for funding to help you pay for an extra worker, so your service has enough staff when you have a child with high support needs enrolled. Flexible Support Funding and Inclusion Support Subsidy can be applied for with the support of an ISF. The funding is a contribution towards the cost of an additional worker
- apply for a short-term bi-cultural worker when you have enrolled a child of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) descent, a child from a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background or a child who has refugee status.
Which child care services are eligible?
- Child care services approved for Child Care Benefit (CCB).
- Child care services funded under the Budget Based Funding Program.
What are the priority groups?
The Inclusion Support Agency (ISA) priority groups are:
- children with disabilities
- children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds
- children who have refugee status
- children of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) descent.
What will happen when you ask for help?
If you’re an eligible child care service and would like help from an SDN Inclusion Support Agency (ISA), phone or email us and say that you’d like to ‘request support’ from the ISA.
Cumberland/ Blacktown
02 9897 3635
Email
Inner Sydney
02 8338 0228
Email
Northern Sydney
02 9439 2182
Email
An Inclusion Support Facilitator (ISF) will contact you and arrange a time to talk over the phone, or to come and visit you at your service.
The ISF will ask you to tell them about what’s been happening that’s lead you to make contact with the ISA. They’ll help you develop a Service Support Plan (SSP). This plan will give you some steps and strategies to work on. The SSP is your working document and can be shared with your team and families so that you can work on the strategies together. The SSP will include information about extra resources that might help you to be inclusive.
The ISF will help you access the resources that you are eligible for. This might include the Bi-cultural support program, the Indigenous Professional Support Unit, training, Flexible Support Funding, Special and General Equipment Pools and Inclusion Support Subsidy.
Inclusion Support Facilitators (ISFs)
SDN Inclusion Support Facilitators (ISFs) work with child care services. If you are working in an eligible child care service ISFs can help you to:
- develop policies and practices that help you to be inclusive of all children, particularly those children in the ISA priority groups
- develop service support plans
- get helpful information about being inclusive
- link up with community groups, services and organisations who can also help you
- work in partnership with families and local support network
- assess your professional development needs, and put you in touch with professional development providers.
Service Support Plans (SSP)
The Service Support Plan (SSP) is an assessment and planning tool that Inclusion Support Facilitators (ISFs) use with child care services. This tool can help you and your ISF explore your child care service needs, and work out which strategies would work best for you to build the capacity of your service to be inclusive of children from the Inclusion Support Agency (ISA) priority groups. The SSP template is included in IPSP Guidelines.
Flexible Support Funding (FSF)
Flexible Support Funding (FSF) is approved and paid to eligible child care services by the Inclusion Support Agency (ISA).
FSF can be used to help pay for an extra worker in the room at your service for a short time so that you can include all children in the activities of the service. Your service support plan needs to show that an additional worker will help you to have more capacity to meet the needs of the children in the service.
FSF can also be used to help you to have time away from the children in order to plan for the inclusion of all children.
Your ISF can explain more about FSF and help you to apply if you’re eligible. The amount of FSF funding available in each ISA region is limited to an annual capped allocation. Eligibility for FSF does not mean an automatic entitlement to funding. There are specific criteria for FSF, so talk to your ISF if you think you FSF could help you be inclusive.
Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS)
The Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS) can be used to help pay for an extra worker in the room at your service so that you can include all children in the activities of the service. ISS is for when you want to include a child with a disability who has ongoing high support needs.
Your service support plan needs to show that an additional worker will help you to have more capacity to meet the needs of the children in the service.
You and your Inclusion Support Facilitator (ISF) will work together to decide whether it’s a good idea to prepare an application for ISS.
Strict criteria apply for ISS, and eligibility does not mean an automatic entitlement to funding. You can find more detail about ISS in the IPSP guidelines.
National Inclusion Support Subsidy Provider (NISSP)
The National Inclusion Support Subsidy Provider (NISSP) is operated by KU Children’s Services. The NISSP receives and assesses all ISS applications and pays all ISS claims.
If you have finished an Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS) application and your Inclusion Support Facilitator (ISF) has signed it then you should send it to the NISSP.
They can be contacted on 1800 824 955 (toll free).
Bi-Cultural Support Program
The Bi-cultural Support Program (BSP) is a group of Bi-cultural Support Workers. The program is run by the Ethnic Child Care Family and Community Services Cooperative. The BSP helps child care services work successfully with children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds and children of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) descent. For more information please contact your SDN ISA (Inclusion Support Agency).
Your Inclusion Support Facilitator (ISF) can help you apply for a Bi-Cultural Worker if you are eligible to do so. A Bi-Cultural Worker can help you to support the language and culture of a child whose first language isn’t English, or who is of ATSI descent. They can also help you build a relationship with the child’s family.
Indigenous Professional Support Unit (IPSU)
The Indigenous Professional Support Unit (IPSU) for NSW and ACT is operated by the Lady Gowrie Child Centre, Sydney. The IPSU provides professional support, advice and training to staff in eligible Indigenous-run child care services. The IPSU promotes high-quality care that is culturally safe and appropriate and meets the needs of children, staff and families of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) descent.
To find out more, please contact the IPSU on 1800 450 472 (toll free).
Professional Support Coordinator
The Professional Support Coordinator in New South Wales is Children’s Services Central. For information about the training and support they offer, please ask your Inclusion Support Facilitator (ISF) or phone 1800 157 818 (toll free).
Specialist Equipment Pool
Specialist equipment is available on loan to eligible child care services (excluding In Home care) to help with the inclusion of a child who has demonstrated ongoing high support needs in the child care environment.
For more information on accessing equipment please talk to your SDN ISA or call Lady Gowrie Child Centre, Sydney on 02 8345 7633.
General Resource Library
The General Resource Library provides up-to-date information and resources on child care practice and research findings that can help you know more about inclusion. General resources are provided on loan to eligible child care services, and may include:
- in-service training materials (manuals, electronic training materials and online resources)
- modules, workbooks, visual aids and audio-visual material
- a range of printed resources – eg fact sheets, pamphlets and newsletters
- journals, textbooks and professional literature
- resources that support high-quality programs – such as books that enable cultural inclusion and bilingual education for child care workers and children.
For more information please talk with your SDN Inclusion Support Agency (ISA).
