The role of Inclusion Support Agency is to provide child care services with advice, resources and access to a range of practical supports so that those services can provide quality inclusive environments for all children.
Located in the ‘heart of the centre’ Alice Springs, CSSP is the Inclusion Support Agency (ISA) for the Central Australian Region.
CSSP manages one of the two ISA regions in the Northern Territory. The second region is located in Darwin. These programs are funded by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations to support the inclusion of children with additional needs in Australian Government Approved and Funded Child Care Services
‘Additional needs’ are defined as:
Children with a disability, including children with high support needs
Children from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds
Children with refugee or humanitarian intervention background, who have been subjected to torture and trauma, either in their country of origin, or during their refugee experience
Indigenous children
Inclusion of children with additional needs is achieved through a capacity building approach by which Inclusion Support Facilitators work with services to identify both their strengths and those areas in which extra support may be required.
Inclusion Support Facilitators work directly with eligible child care services to:
respond to requests and referrals for inclusion support from child care services, PSC and IPSU
identify practices that facilitate inclusion of children with additional needs in child care settings
assist child care services to develop Service Support Plans
provide or source information in response to identified needs
assist services to link with relevant community groups, services and organisations
support child care services to identify their professional development needs and opportunities and
support services to engage in ongoing reflective practices and continuous improvement
Flexible Support Funding (FSF) is short term funding provided to Australian Government approved child care services.
The funding is a contribution towards the cost of an additional worker to increase the child / staff ratio.
The emphasis of the funding is to facilitate the child’s inclusion and participation in the activities and routines of the service, allowing interaction to occur amongst all children and utilising support from all staff members.
FSF may be available to eligible child care services to assist the inclusion of a child who has demonstrated high ongoing support needs. Eligible groups are:
Children with disabilities
Children undergoing continuing assessment for a disability
Refugee children who have experienced or are subject to torture or trauma
How to access Flexible Support Funds:
Contact CSSP
An Inclusion Support Facilitator (ISF) will contact you and arrange to visit your service
A Service Support Plan (SSP), completed with the ISF, will assess the need and establish the extent of support required.
The SSP accompanies the FSF application.
It is the responsibility of the child care service to find and employ a suitable worker to implement the support. For more information contact CSSP
The Inclusion Support Subsidy is part of the Commonwealth Government’s Inclusion and Professional Support Program (PSP) and provides funding to help child care services include children with ongoing high support needs.
Children with ongoing high support needs are children with a disability, children being diagnosed with a disability and refugee children.
What early childhood programs are eligible?
All Australian Government approved early childhood programs are eligible regardless of care type or location.
Type include:
Long Day Care
Outside School Hours Care (including Vacation Care)
Occasional Care
Family Day Care
In Home Care
Some Australian Government funded non-mainstream early childhood programs (non-Child-Care Benefit) are also eligible. These services include:
Non-formula funded Occasional Care (100 per cent Australian Government funded)
Mobile Children’s services.
What is funding provided for?
The ISS provides funding as a contribution towards the costs associated with
Additional Staff to increase the Staff-to-Child ratio
Relief Staff, to cover for regular carers attending inclusion training
The ISS may also provide an extra payment to home-based carers in recognition of the extra care and attention required by a child or children with ongoing high support needs.
