Supporting the inclusion of children with additional needs in early childhood education and care services

Important Notice

The IDFM Office is closed on Tuesday 15 and Friday 18 June. All enquiries received will be responded to as soon as possible when the IDFM Office reopens.

Important News

There is an online form which services can use to request assistance with specific IS Portal related issues.
Services can use the Inclusion Support contact form for help with:

• 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 Portal Access for an Employee

IDFM help line information

The IDFM help line 1800 824 955 is currently answered between 10 am and 4 pm eastern standard time. Phone messages will be returned as soon as possible. Alternatively, please email your query to idfm@ku.com.au.
 

Inclusion Support Program (ISP)

The Inclusion Support Program (ISP) assists early childhood and child care (ECEC) services to include children with additional needs alongside their peers, through provision of tailored inclusion advice and support from Inclusion Agencies (IA) and access to funded support and specialist equipment where required.

The ISP consists of three key elements:

• Inclusion Agencies (IA)

  • Each state and territory has an Inclusion Agency contracted to assist eligible services to build their capacity and capability to provide and embed inclusive practice in their delivery of early learning programs. See the full list of IA providers in each state and territory.

• Inclusion Development Fund (IDF)

  • The IDF provides funding to assist eligible services to address a barrier to inclusion that cannot be addressed by the support of an IA. There are four streams of IDF funding – subsidy for an Additional Educator, Immediate/Time Limited Support, Family Day Care Top Up and Innovative Solutions. Each stream has different eligibility criteria, application processes and approved funding purposes.

• The Inclusion Development Fund Manager (IDFM)

  • KU Children’s Services in partnership with Include Me is the IDFM and is contracted to provide a nationally consistent and equitable management of the IDF.

This website provides information about the Inclusion Development Fund for IAs, ECEC services and families.

The Inclusion Support Program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training.  For additional information, including Frequently Asked Questions, refer to the department's website.

The development of a Strategic Inclusion Plan (SIP) is the first step to accessing support from the Program, including funding through the IDF.

More About SIPs