The Inclusion Development Fund (IDF) provides funding to help eligible education and care services address a barrier to inclusion that requires extra resources. Your local Inclusion Professional can support you to apply for funding. When accessing funding, your service can continue to receive inclusion support from the Victorian Inclusion Agency.
What funding is available?
There are four streams of IDF funding support:
1.) An inclusion support subsidy for an additional educator at a centre-based service. Watch this video to learn more about the role of an additional educator.
Learn more about the subsidy for an additional educator
2.) A fee top up to be paid when the inclusion of a child with a disability results in a family day care educator being unable to enrol the maximum number of children.
Learn more about family day care top up funding
3.) An inclusion support subsidy that allows centre-based services to immediately employ an additional educator for a limited period of time.
Learn more about Immediate/Time limited support funding
4.) Funding to support flexible and alternative solutions to address barriers to inclusion. For example – funding could help your service access translating and interpreting services, services from cultural experts or specialist advice, including bicultural support workers.
Learn more about Innovative Solutions support funding
How Mornington Peninsula OSHC services accessed funding for specialist advice on behaviour
During reflective conversations with their local Inclusion Professionals, each of the four OSHC services identified a barrier to inclusion at their service. There was a common theme among them – the OSHC services were having trouble supporting children with challenging behaviours and disabilities.
The Inclusion Professionals suggested the services apply to fund a group Innovative Solutions project. The application was successful, and the funding allowed 22 educators to access tailored advice, consultancy, and mentoring and coaching from a behaviour specialist. Now, these OSHC services are better equipped to support children with challenging behaviours and disabilities.
How much IDF funding is available?
The Inclusion Development Fund has an annual capped funding allocation which is set each financial year.
When do I apply?
You can apply for funding at any time.
How do I apply?
Your first step is to reach out to your local Inclusion Professional. They will help you create a Strategic Inclusion Plan (SIP), and apply for funding.
Contact your local Inclusion Professional now
The SIP supports services and their IP to identify appropriate resources in supporting ongoing inclusive opportunities. Funding accessed via the Inclusion Development Fund Manager (IDFM) may be one of the resources.
Go to the Inclusion Development Fund Manager
With support from your IP, you can access the portal when uploading a paper-based SIP or create an online SIP and to submit alongside your funding application.
Log in to the Inclusion Support Portal
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