IPSP
The Australian Government, through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), funds the Inclusion and Professional Support Program (IPSP). The IPSP aims to improve the capactiy of early childhood education and care services to deliver quality education and care. The IPSP is made of two programs the Inclusion Support Program and the Professional Support Program (PSP). The PSP provides funding for the Professional Support Coordinators (PSCs).
PSCs provide professional development and support to educators by subcontracting Professional Support Service Providers (PSSPs) in addition to providing the Bicultural Support program, resource libraries and specialist equipment. A range of suitably qualified PSSPs will be engaged to deliver training and support to meet the identified needs of services. PSSPs will be selected and contracted by PsCTas in an open, transparent and accountable manner.
PSCs respond to current and emerging professional development and support needs in the sector. PSCs work closely with PSSPs, ISAs and IPSUs to meet the professional development and support needs of all eligible child care services.
The IPSP National Priorities will ensure a level of national consistency in professional support for key areas and will be reflected in each PSC’s Service Delivery Implementation Plan. All state and territory PSCs will contribute to a National Alliance to identify current and future professional support strengths, including opportunities for innovation in the sector and information sharing on quality practice.
Priority Areas for Professional Development and Support
For the period 2009-2012, PSCs will provide professional development and support to early childhood education and care services in the following priority areas :Leadership and management
- support the development of organisational systems that enable service governance, commitment to continuous improvement, planning and evaluation, and business management (finance, human resources and organisational arrangements)
- 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 disabilities
- implement strategies that encourage social justice and participation in child care services
- respond to the expectations and demands of parents as consumers.
Curriculum development
- support the implementation and ongoing planning and evaluation of learning programs and the proposed EYLF
- 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 that 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 in the child care sector
- implement environments and opportunities for children to enable them to participate in learning and development that is culturally and linguistically inclusive
- develop environments where play can be creative and recreational when appropriate.
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
- support Indigenous child care services funded under the Budget Based Funding program to understand their requirements under their Funding Agreements.
Inclusion
- Professional development and support targeted to assist child care services to include children from CaLD backgrounds, Indigenous children and children with additional needs.
- This also includes inclusion focused PD&S provided specifically to individual Inclusion Support Facilitators (ISFs) and IPSU staff in their role to support services with inclusion.
