The Australian Government Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) funds the Inclusion and Professional Support Program.

The Inclusion and Professional Support Program (IPSP) is an integrated and consolidated approach to meeting the professional and inclusion support needs of child care services and promotes good practice and continuous improvement in service delivery.

The IPSP is made up of two programs, the Professional Support Program (PSP) that provides professional development and support to build the skills of the child care workforce to enable them to provide high quality child care. The PSP provides funding for the Professional Support Coordinators (PSCs) and the Indigenous Professional Support Units (IPSUs) in each state/territory.

click here for more info on the Professional Support Program (PSP) 

The Inclusion Support Program (ISP) aims to remove the barriers to access for children with additional needs through provision of inclusion support. This is achieved via the Inclusion Support Agencies (ISAs) who provide advice and guidance to child care services in designated ISA regions regarding access to training, Flexible Support Funding (FSF) and Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS).

Inclusion and Professional Support Program Objectives

IPSP aims to provide and promote:

• support that enhances the quality of child care services including professional development and workforce development
• access to the range of resources staff need to provide care for all children
• access to additional staff when required
• flexible programs that are responsive to all children
• the readiness of child care services to become more inclusive.

Professional Support Coordinators (PSC)

CCC has been contracted by DEEWR to be the PSC for Victoria. Professional Support Coordinators (PSCs) provide professional development and support to child care workers by subcontracting Professional Support Service Providers (PSSPs).  PSCs also provide the Bicultural Support program, resource libraries and specialist equipment.

PSCs will respond to current and emerging professional development and support needs in the child care sector.

Professional Support Service Providers (PSSP)

Sub-contracted PSSPs will provide professional development and support in accordance with their contract with the PSC. PSSPs will be selected based on the outcomes of the Professional Support Needs Analysis and the Professional Support Service Delivery Implementation Plan. Eligible child care services that wish to access professional support may do so through the toll free helpline 1800 177 017 and the website www.cccvic.org.au  Alternatively, eligible child care services may wish to continue to contact the PSSP directly if appropriate.

Indigenous Professional Support Units (IPSU's)

Yappera Children's Service has been contracted by DEEWR to be the IPSU for Victoria. IPSU's provide professional development and support to eligible indigenous children's services.

In addition, the IPSU is sub-contracted be the PSC to provide support to generalist children services to provide quality inclusive programs that embrace respectful and valid Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural experiences. 

Eligible Child Care Services

Child care services eligible for support from the various elements of the IPSP are listed below . 

ISAs & PSCs 
Child care services approved for Child Care Benefit (CCB), including:

• long day care services
• outside school hours care (including vacation care)
• family day care
• occasional care
• in-home care services.

Child care services funded under the Budget Based Funding Program, including:

• flexible/innovative services
• mobile child care services
• Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Services
• Indigenous playgroups
• Indigenous outside school hours care and enrichment programs;
• crèches
• innovative child care service centres.

IPSUs 
Indigenous child care services:

• flexible/innovative services
• mobile child care services
• Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Services (including those that are transitioning to Child Care Benefit)
• Indigenous playgroups
• Indigenous outside school hours care and enrichment programs
• crèches
• innovative child care service centres.

Priority Areas for Professional Development and Support 2009-2012

Leadership and management

• support the development of organisational systems that support service governance, commitment to continuous improvement, planning and evaluation, and business management (finance, human resources and organisational arrangements); and
• support child care service directors in their role as leaders, particularly those who are new to their position.

Relationships and partnerships

• develop positive and meaningful interactions between staff and children and the engagement of children in the program;
  implement approaches for promoting the engagement of families in the development and delivery of programs, and the
• development and maintenance of links to the community more generally;
• implement strategies for working with families, especially Indigenous families, families from CaLD backgrounds and families with children with diasabilities;
• implement strategies that encourage social justice and participation in child care services; and
• respond to the expectations and demands of parents as consumers.

Play-based curriculum

• implement ongoing planning and evaluation of learning programs and the proposed Early Years Learning Framework;
  develop programs and curricula, including how to interpret and work effectively with current and emerging theories on how young children learn and develop;
• provide a quality environment which supports learning and development, guiding children’s behaviour, including supervision of children; managing challenging behaviours; and working with diverse family expectations;
• organise the physical environment to engage children in learning experiences;
• be informed of new developments, innovation and change within the child care sector; and
• implement environments and opportunities for children to enable them to participate in learning and development that is culturally and linguistically inclusive. 

National Quality Framework and other mandatory requirements

• implement mandatory requirements including those to be developed under the National Quality Framework and the national Child Care Management System (CCMS); and
• to meet reporting requirements for child care services funded under the Budget Based Funding (BBF) program.

Inclusion Support Program