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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.


Contact your IA immediately about changes in the care environment

The approval for IDF is based on the needs of the care environment detailed in the application, including the children listed and the attendance pattern of the children included in the IS Case. Services must contact your IA to inform them of the changes in the care environment and they will advise if any action is required.

Changes to the care environment

Changes to the care environment may include situations where:

  • A child with ongoing high support needs enrols in the service with the FDC educator; who already has a IDF FDC Top Up; or
  • A child included in the current approval changes their pattern of attendance impacting on the subsidy requested.

The service, in collaboration with its IA, must review the SIP and the educator’s care environment. The IS Portal will allow the IS Case to be copied and adjusted as required. Change of circumstance will not adjust the end date of the approval period.

Please Note: Requests for changes to an existing IS Case, or applications for a new FDC educator must be submitted on the IS Portal a minimum of 4 weeks prior to date the change is required.

Child changes care environments

When a child with ongoing high support needs moves to a different care environment within the service, the service, in collaboration with its IA, must to determine what inclusion support may be in the new care environment. Where an IDF FDC Top Up is required for the new educator, a new application for the new care environment must be submitted.

Changes of circumstances

Contact the IDFM about changes of circumstances in relation to the following:

  • If IDF FDC Top Up is no longer required or applies, e.g. a child has left the care environment, services are requested to email a completed Final Review Form to the IDFM within 10 days of becoming aware of this.
  • The service experiences a Change of Service Ownership or CCS Approval ID. Services are requested to notify the IDFM within 30 days of the change. For further information please refer to the Change of Ownership - Information sheet.
  • A child in the IS Case is absent for longer than 60 days during the approval period.