Early Childhood Intervention Service Flexible Support Packages (ECIS Extra)
What is Early Childhood Intervention?
The overall aim of Early Childhood Intervention is to:
- Work in partnership with families to further develop knowledge, skills and supports required to meet the unique needs of their child and family.
- Support the development of young children, and promote their participation in family and community life.
Eligibility - Early Childhood Intervention
Children aged birth to school entry, who have two or more areas of developmental delay, or who have a recognised disability.
What are E.C.I.S. Flexible Support Packages?
ECIS Extra complements the existing range of services available for families to ensure that children are able to participate and be fully included in all activities of family and community life. Children and their families may access flexible and individually tailored supports and services on a time-limited basis (ie. family service coordination/case management, therapy, respite or equipment). These supports and services will address family priorities and aim to achieve specific child and family goals.
Who Can Access These Packages?
ECIS Flexible Support Packages offer time-limited assistance for families of children with complex support needs from birth to school entry, with a disability or developmental delay. Children must be eligible for or accessing ECIS and live in the Southern Metropolitan Region of Melbourne.
How Are These Packages Allocated?
A Regional Assessment Panel - including representation from the Department of Human Services, community services organisations providing Early Childhood Intervention services, and parents - will meet regularly to determine priority and allocation of packages to individual children and families. It is the responsibility of the Regional Assessment Panel to consider requests for support in a responsive, flexible and timely way using the assistance of the ECIS Flexible Support Packages guidelines.
Priority factors Considered
The panel will determine priority and allocation of packages, and will take into consideration:
- Children with complex support needs (other than high medical) such as social, behavioural and emotional needs.
- Safety issues in relation to the child's behaviour affecting the ability of parents and others to meet the child's needs.
- Children who are at a transition point in their lives, or at a critical stage of development.
- Families who demonstrate significant levels of anxiety/stress and are at risk of breaking down.
- Families who have limited support networks and who may not be receiving any service.
Family Service Coordinator
Family Service Coordinators work within Early Childhood Intervention Services to resource and assist families in coordinating the different services and supports involved. The Family Service Coordinator works in partnership with children and their families to develop and implement a Family Service and Support Plan. Through this Plan, they will monitor the delivery of services and supports to ensure these are effectively meeting the identified needs of the entire family.
Family Service Coordinators may also be known as key workers or case managers.
In relation to ECIS Flexible Support Packages, it is the responsibility of the Family Service Coordinator to actively implement and monitor the requested services.
Family Service and Support Plan
A Family Service and Support Plan identifies specific child and family goals and a range of strategies, services and supports required to achieve these goals.
In order to apply for one of the ECIS Flexible Support Packages, a copy of the relevant part of a recent (within past six months) Family Service and Support Plan/other similar plan must be dated and attached to the application. This will have been developed in consultation with the Early Childhood Intervention Services.
The application should be developed in response to*:
- Family Priorities
- Specific child and family goals and outcomes to be achieved
- Child's complex support needs
- Current supports in place for the family (both formal and informal)
Support and Expenditure Plan
A Support and Expenditure Plan records the child/family goal (as stated in the Family Service and Support Plan) and identifies the specific supports/services required, the length of assistance, and associated costs.
This Plan will be reviewed by the family and Family Service Coordinator every six months or as required.
Who Can Assist The Family with an application for Flexible Support Packages?
If the child and family are accessing Early Childhood Intervention Services, the family needs to develop a Family Service and Support Plan with their Key Worker or another member of their organisation (ie. therapist). If the family is on the waiting list for ECIS then their worker from Central Intake will assist the family to apply for a package.
Please ensure all relevant sections of the application form are completed. Insufficient information on the application form may result in the application being unsuccessful.
Key Stages and Processes
- Application received
- Consideration of applications by Regional Assessment Panel
- Allocation of packages by Regional Assessment Panel
- Communication to applicants regarding outcomes
- Implementation of packages
- Closure
Revised Application process
- The Regional Assessment Panel will assess 25 applications per month.
- 75 applications will be accepted each quarter. The first 25 applications received to be assessed in each month.
- When we have received 75 applications all further applications may not be submitted until the next quarter.
- An alert will be sent out via email when we have received 65 applications.
- The Panel meets monthly, however if the application is urgent, please contact the ECIS Flexible Support Packages Coordinator on Phone: 9551 6804.
Original signed applications (including all relevant attachments) are required in order for the application to be processed. See below to download an application form.
All applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application, where successful or unsuccessful, in writing within one week of the Panel meeting.
Child care funding changes
Due to changes in government funding methods and to ensure families still receive 6 months "gap" childcare fee (i.e. after CCB) we will now only be paying the first 3 months instead of 6 months.
The family will then, automatically receive 50% of the gap fee or Childcare Tax Rebate (CCTR), directly into their bank account from Centrelink every quarter. The first rebate will be after our payment, the second rebate will be after the family's 3 month payment.
In this way the family will get the equivalent of 6 months funding without us requiring a reimbursement for a rebate the family will receive for fees paid by ECIS Flexible Support Packages.
Example of funding for 1 day/week of childcare:
Full childcare daily fee = $65
After CCB Family Gap fee = $20/day
Yooralla pays 3 months = $260
Family Quarterly rebate = $130
Family pays 3 months = $260
Family Quarterly rebate = $130
This is equivalent to 6 months of childcare funding
Family is out of pocket $0
Yooralla funding is $260.
Funding of Supports
The broadness and nature of funding of ECIS Flexible Support Packages has resulted in Families requesting services which sometimes cannot be directly invoiced to Yooralla. This has required an upfront payment by families for supports for which Yooralla is then able to reimburse the family after the family provides Yooralla with the receipt.
When you are developing the expenditure plan please remember that families can only apply for supports where (a) they can be invoiced to Yooralla or (b) the family has the financial capacity to purchase them and then be reimbursed after presentation of the receipt to Yooralla.
How Do I Apply?
- Read our Privacy Statement [DOC 580Kb]
- Read our Information Booklet [PDF 44Kb]
- Download and fill in the ECIS Flexible Support Packages Application Form [DOC 96Kb]
- Download and read our Question & Answers Document [PDF 42Kb]
- If you wish to change your Package, Please fill out the ECIS Extra Change of Package Request Form
- If you wish to be re-imbursed for expenses incurred relating to a service package, please fill in our Reimbursement Form
- Also if required download and fill in the Family Service & Support Plan Proforma [PDF 14Kb]
- Send the completed application to:
Jane Hopkins
Coordinator ECIS Extra
Yooralla Heatherton
P.O. Box 8434
Heatherton BC 3202
Contact Us
- Jane Hopkins (ECIS Extra Flexible Support Packages)
- 68 Kingston Road Heatherton
- P.O. Box 1010
- Clayton 3169
- Tel: 9551 6804
- Fax: 9551 5435
- Email: flexiblesupport.ecis@yooralla.com.au