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Important Notice

The IDFM Office will close for phone and email queries at 1pm on Monday 23 December 2024 and reopen at 9am on Thursday 2 January 2025. The IDFM team will continue to assess applications during this period. All enquiries received during this period will be responded to as soon as possible when the IDFM Office reopens.


Great news – Improvements to the IS Portal & New Resource for Services!

A quick guide and full guide are available to support you to navigate the exciting changes to the Strategic Inclusion Plan on the IS Portal.

There is a Checklist to help services to ensure your IDF Subsidy for an Additional Educator application is complete and accurate, prior to submission to your IP for endorsement.


Current application processing timeframes for IDF Subsidy for an Additional Educator:

The demand for support through the Inclusion Support Program has resulted in a high volume of applications being submitted for IDF Subsidy for an Additional Educator. Applications are being assessed as efficiently as possible, but unfortunately this is currently not within the usual timeframes. Thank you for your patience at this time.

Please go to the Important Information page for further information and updates.


What is the Inclusion Support Portal?

The Inclusion Support Portal (IS Portal) is a online system which manages all early childhood education and services’ (ECEC) interactions with the Inclusion Support Program (ISP).

The IS Portal is used to facilitate the development of an online Strategic Inclusion Plan (SIP) and to access funding support options available through the Inclusion Development Fund Manager (IDFM).

The IS Portal is used by ECEC services, Inclusion Agency (IA) and Inclusion Development Fund Manager (IDFM) representatives.

On this page:

What is the IS Portal used for?

  • Strategic Inclusion Plan development, implementation and review
  • Inclusion Development Fund applications
  • Viewing Inclusion Support funding claims

Strategic Inclusion Plan (SIP) development, implementation and review

Strategic Inclusion Plans are documented on the IS Portal.

Educators in ECEC services are supported by an Inclusion Professional (IP) from the Inclusion Agency (IA) to develop their Strategic Inclusion Plan (SIP).

Services are responsible for documenting their SIP on the IS Portal and accessing it regularly to:

  • Record the progress they have made towards implementing the inclusion strategies and actions identified in their SIP;
  • Document changes and/or updates to their identified inclusion needs on their SIP; and
  • Review their SIP on an annual basis

Inclusion Professionals are responsible for supporting services to develop their SIP and for completing SIP reviews.

The Inclusion Development Fund Manager (IDFM) is responsible for viewing a services current SIP and SIP reviews to assist in them in their assessment of cases to access Inclusion Development Fund (IDF) support options.

Inclusion Development Fund (IDF) applications

When barriers to inclusion cannot be resolved by the support provided by the Inclusion Agency or the Specialist Equipment Library, access to funding options through the Inclusion Development Fund Manager (IDFM) may be considered.

There are four streams of Inclusion Development Funding (IDF). Applications to access individual funding streams are made by services creating a case on the IS Portal. Eligibility criteria, application processes and approved funding purposes differ for each funding stream.

Learn more

Viewing Inclusion Support funding claims

Claims for approved Inclusion Support funding cases are made retrospectively via the service’s childcare software.

Inclusion Support case claims submitted, and payments made can be viewed on the IS Portal.

Click the relevant link below below to access information about managing claims

Accessing the IS Portal

Provider Digital Access (PRODA)

Anyone seeking access to the Inclusion Support Portal (IS Portal) is referred to as a user.

All users requesting access to the Inclusion Support Portal are required to have a Provider Digital Access (PRODA) account.

PRODA is an online identity verification and authentication system that lets you securely access Australian Government online services, including the Inclusion Support Portal (IS Portal).

Users from Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services who already have a PRODA account for accessing the Child Care Subsidy System (CCSS) will use the same PRODA account to request access and login to the IS Portal.

To create a PRODA account via the Australian Government, Services Australia website - click here


Frequently Asked Questions

About the Inclusion Support Portal

About PRODA access and the IS Portal

IS Portal User Options

There are two user roles available to service providers:

  • Service Provider User (SP ISS user)

This role is for ECEC service representatives who need to access to the Inclusion Support Portal to be able to develop and manage their services Strategic Inclusion Plan (SIP) and/or Inclusion Development Fund cases.

  • Authorised Access Delegate

This role is for service provider representatives who are required to manage access to the Inclusion Support Portal for other users in the service.

Services are encouraged to have more than one Authorised Access Delegate.

Note: A service provider representative can be both an Authorised Access Delegate and SP ISS User.

Requesting IS Portal Access

Requirements for gaining access to the Inclusion Support Portal differ slightly for each user role.

For Service Provider users (SP ISS users) :

For Authorised Access Delegates:

Trouble Shooting Technical Issues

Clearing the cache in your chosen web browser regularly will help the IS Portal to function as intended.

Click on the relevant link below to find out how to clear the cache in your chosen browser. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list, alternate browsers options can be used.

Google Chrome

Microsoft edge

Apple Safari – for Mac users

Mozilla Firefox

Support Options

Inclusion Support contact form

The Inclusion Support contact form can be used by services to request assistance with specific IS Portal related issues including:

  • Child Care Management Software (CCMS) Credentials - User Name and Password Request
  • Rejected Claim for Payment
  • Issue with CCMS user names and/or password
  • Remittance Advice
  • Change Financial Email Address
  • Request Approval for IS Portal access (Delegate Only)

Inclusion Development Fund Manager (IDFM) Helpline

The IDFM helpline can be contacted for queries relating to the Inclusion Support Program including the IS Portal on 1800 824 955 between 9 am and 5 pm AEDT Monday - Friday. In the event that the phone lines are busy, please leave a message, and your call will be returned as soon as possible. Alternatively, please email your query to idfm@ku.com.au

Inclusion Support Portal Helpdesk

If you have any difficulty completing this form, please email the Inclusion Support Portal Helpdesk at inclusionsupportportalhelpdesk@education.gov.au.