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IDF Subsidy for Immediate/Time Limited Support can be approved for up to 12 weeks, and up to 150 hours, to support the inclusion of a child with high support needs in a care environment. Immediate/Time Limited Support can only be approved once for a service for the same child. Services eligible to apply for Immediate/Time Limited Support are:

• Centre-Based Day Care including Long Day Care and Occasional Care (except specialist services)
• Outside School Hours Care including before school, after school and vacation care

When apply for IDF Subsidy for Immediate/Time Limited support, services are required to:

• Start developing a Strategic Inclusion Plan (SIP), in the Inclusion Support Portal (IS Portal).
• Add the child with additional and high ongoing support needs to the IS Portal,
• Create an IS Case,
• Link the child to the IS Case, and
• Complete the IS Case before submitting it for approval.

Step 1: Commence SIP development

The service is only required to start developing their SIP by creating a new or updating an existing Care Environment. The service is required to complete their SIP following the assessment and outcome of the application. This includes identifying inclusion barriers and the development of strategies and actions to address these barriers.

Step 2: Add children with additional needs to the IS Portal

This involves identifying the child with additional needs and ongoing high support needs who will be included in the application.

Step 3: Generate an Immediate/Time Limited support IS Case on the IS Portal

This involves creating an IS Case for Immediate/Time Limited support.

Step 4: Complete the Children tile

This involves linking a child to the case and provide additional information about the child that explains the reasons why the service requires the support of an additional educator to support inclusion of this child in the care environment at this time.

Step 5: Complete the Care Environment

The service is required to provide specific information about the care environment and complete a Daily Profile.

Step 6: Complete the Care Week Profile

In the Care Week Profile, the service provides information about the sessions of care for all eligible children associated with the IS Case.

Step 7: Complete the Day Summary

The Day Summary provides an overview of the support requested each day.

Step 8: Review Authorised Personnel

Authorised personnel are the people who the service has approved can be contacted about the IS Case. Details of Authorised Personnel can be viewed or updated.

Step 9: Add Notes (optional)

General notes about the IS Case by can be added by the service, IA and IDFM. Notes are not mandatory; however, they can assist with communicating information not included elsewhere on the IS Case.

Step 10: Agree and the Submit Case

The service must submit the Case to the IA for endorsement. Before endorsing the IS Case, the Inclusion Agency will review the content of the Case. Once endorsed/not endorsed the Inclusion Agency submits the case to the IDFM for assessment. The endorsement and notes from the IA will be considered as part of the IDFM's assessment of application.

Services are required to add children with additional and ongoing high support needs to the IS Portal when they are applying to access IDF for Immediate/time limited support.

When adding children with additional and ongoing high support needs, services must ensure that the child has been enrolled in the service’s Child Care Subsidy System (CCSS) software.

Once a child has been added to the IS Portal, services are required to link the child to the IS Case.

Parent or Guardian Permission

Prior to the service uploading any information about a child to the IS Case, they must obtain parent or guardian written consent authorising the sharing of personal information about the child.

Parents or guardians are require to complete a Permission to Share Personal Information for the purposes of the Inclusion Support Program Form.

• It is essential that the service name documented on this form is written exactly the same as the name the service is known by in the Child Care Subsidy System (CCSS).
• The child’s parent/guardian has signed the form.

• This is a two page document. Both pages must be uploaded together. Pages cannot be uploaded singularly.

Documentary Evidence is not required when applying to access IDF for Immediate/Time Limited support.

The IDFM will assess the application for the IDF against the eligibility requirements set out in the Inclusion Support Program (ISP) Guidelines and notify the service of the outcome of the application. The IDFM will consider the following in their assessment:

• The additional and ongoing high support needs of the child.
• The details of the immediate barriers to the child’s inclusion in the care environment with their typically developing peers.
• Whether an additional educator for a time limited period is the most appropriate solution to the presenting barriers to inclusion.
• How the increased educator to child ratio will be used to enable the team to implement strategies to address the barriers to inclusion and facilitate inclusion of all children.
• Whether longer term and alternate solutions will need to be determined to support the child’s ongoing inclusion.
• Whether the current educator to child ratios in the care environment meet the National Regulations, based on the ages of children attending.
• To receive IDF Subsidy a service must meet the educator to child ratios as outlined in the National Regulations (or relevant state or territory legislation) within the particular care environment where IDF support is requested, before the funding of an additional educator will be considered
• The request for IDF Subsidy is in line with the purposes of this funding stream and does not include any non-approved purposes.
• Any other inclusion support provided to the service for the same care environment.
• Whether the application has been endorsed by the Inclusion Agency (IA).

The IDF Manager will assess the information in the IS Case against the eligibility requirements of the guidelines to determine the funding support required by the service. Applications for the IDF Immediate/Time Limited Support are typically assessed and the service notified of the outcome within 5 business days.

If funding is approved

The service will receive an email with an Approval Letter attached, providing the details of their approved IS Case. This will be sent to the Service Provider email address listed on the SIP.

If funding is not approved

The service will receive an email with an Application Declined letter attached. This will be sent to the Service Provider email address listed on the SIP.