Additional needs policy.

Aim

To provide each child regardless of their additional needs and abilities with a supportive and inclusive environment that allows them to fully participate in service activities and programs.

Purpose

To provide children with an additional need who attend the service a program of activities designed to stimulate and develop each child’s social, physical, emotional, cognitive, language and creative potential that is appropriate to the individual needs, capabilities, and development level of each child.

Procedure

1. Our centre will ensure the program and curriculum meets the needs of children with additional needs. Learning materials and equipment such as books and games will reflect positive inclusion and children with additional needs in the community.

2. Our centre will work with external professionals and families to ensure that learning environments are most suited to each child with additional needs and children and families from culturally diverse backgrounds. We will also involve children in this process. And where appropriate, our centre will keep a copy of any specific plans or instructions provided by external resource providers and professionals for children with additional needs.

3. Children may have sensory sensitivities to pressure, texture, smell, noise or visual expectation of the environment or colour which may need to be considered in the environment.

4. Children will be encouraged to feel safe and secure during their education and care at the service by developing trusting relationships with educators, other children, and the community.

5. To work in conjunction with parents and specialists in order to provide for the children’s individual needs and to continue to monitor their development in all areas.

6. To access support services such as KU Inclusion Support, Inclusion Support funding and other external professional support services in the local area for children with additional needs when possible.

7. Our centre will use the enrolment form to gather information about children with additional needs. Educators will encourage families to update this information throughout the year and families are responsible for passing on information from any professional support services accessed outside of the centre. This will promote the continuity of learning for each child.

8. Our centre will access professional development for educators to help the service meet the needs of each child with additional needs.

9. Where appropriate, children’s allied health professionals such as OT and Speech Therapists, will be invited to the centre to be able to observe the children in a social environment and provide educators with inclusion support tips.

As per the National Quality Standard, our service positively responds to and welcomes children with additional needs who:

• are Aboriginals or Torres Strait Islanders

• are recent arrivals in Australia

• have a culturally and linguistically diverse background

• are experiencing difficult family circumstances or stress

• are at risk of abuse or neglect

• are experiencing language and communication difficulties

• have a diagnosed disability—physical, sensory, intellectual or autism spectrum disorder

• have a medical or health condition

• demonstrate challenging behaviours and behavioural or psychological disorders

• have developmental delays

• have learning difficulties

• are gifted or have special talents

• have other extra support needs

We understand that additional needs have different causes and require different responses. Any child may have additional needs, and these may be temporary or for a lifetime.

Learning Environments

Indoor and outdoor environments and equipment will be designed or adapted (to the extent reasonably practical given service financial constraints) to ensure access and participation by every child, including those with additional needs. For example:

• learning materials, resources and equipment (e.g. books, games, music, role plays, drama) will reflect the positive inclusion of children with additional needs in the local and broader community

• the environment may be adapted to meet the needs of children with sensory sensitivities to pressure, texture, smell, noise or colour

Promoting Each Child’s Ability

Educators understand their role is to support each and every child to reach their full potential. Some of the ways educators do this include:

• using the enrolment form to gather information about children with additional needs and encouraging families to update this information throughout the year

• developing a written individual support plan where appropriate in consultation with families

• encouraging each child to feel a sense of belonging at the service through positive interactions which help each child feel safe and secure and provide the foundation for rich and meaningful learning

• modelling

• respect for diversity in the community and helping children understand how a diverse population (e.g. physical, racial, religious and cultural) strengthens our communities

• providing accurate and appropriate information about the additional needs of others

• assisting all children to develop autonomy, independence, competency, confidence and pride

• presenting children with a wide range of resources that breakdown stereotypes and, for example, show men and women in non-traditional male/female roles within the home and the workplace, and disabled people engaged in work and community activities

• encouraging children to develop friendships with each other based on mutual trust and respect

• promoting awareness of cross-cultural and non-discriminatory practices in our curriculum

• developing a curriculum which is based on each child’s interests, abilities, culture, experiences and ideas

• encouraging all families, including those from migrant and/or non-English speaking backgrounds, to contribute their knowledge and culture to the curriculum

• promoting fairness and equity to all children, and immediately taking action to address any inappropriate/unfair behaviour or exchanges between children

• meeting the verbal and non-verbal communication needs of each child, for example, by using relevant cues, sign language, key words in child’s home language and visual displays.

• working with local schools to help each child transition. This may include sharing information about the additional needs of children where families consent

• attending professional development on inclusive practices and educating and caring for children with additional needs

Professional Support Services for Children

A child’s best interests are met when educators work in partnerships with external support services/professionals. This will, for example, promote continuity of learning for each child. Educators and the Nominated Supervisor will support families in accessing appropriate support services or professionals where relevant and will work in partnership with those services and/or professionals and families to ensure that learning environments and the curriculum meet each child’s needs.

They will hold meetings with families and external services/professionals where relevant to evaluate documented plans and strategies prepared in consultation with families or provided by services/professionals.

In cases where families do not include educators in the child’s external support arrangements, families are encouraged to pass on relevant information, and to share any service support plans with the child’s medical practitioners and/or support services and professionals.

Partnerships with parents

It is also expected that parents will work in partnership with educators to ensure any child with a diagnosed or undiagnosed additional need receives the best possible support to achieve their potential and does not adversely affect the learning environment for other children at the service e.g. due to behaviour issues. This may involve accessing external professional health and support services.

Where parents do not wish to consult these professionals or work with educators in implementing measures which support their child, the Nominated Supervisor may suspend or terminate the child’s enrolment.

Federal Government Inclusion Support Program (ISP)

Educators or the Nominated Supervisor will contact the State Inclusion Agency where appropriate for help with building our capacity and capability to provide and embed inclusive practice and address barriers to inclusion. Support may include:

• help to develop and/or review a tailored Strategic Inclusion Plan

• practical advice and strategies, including solutions to address particular barriers

• help to access the Specialist Equipment Library

• reviewing and endorsing applications to the Inclusion Development Fund to deal with a barrier the Inclusion Agency can’t address

Funding categories include:

1. Subsidy for an Additional Educator

Per hour funding to centre based services to subsidise the employment of an Additional Educator where service may have children with ongoing high support needs. The extra educator works with other educators to meet all children’s needs

2. Subsidy for Immediate/Time-Limited Support

Enables centre based services to immediately engage an Additional Educator for a limited time, while an alternative and more stable solution is being determined.

3. IDF – Innovative Solutions

Assists eligible services to fund innovative and flexible solutions to inclusion e.g. funding for:

• translating and interpreting services and/or bilingual workers to engage with parents and/or settle a child from a CALD background

• funding to purchase services from cultural experts e.g. Indigenous community elders, bicultural support workers

• funding for specialist advice on how to include a particular child, beyond the expertise of the Inclusion Agency e.g. advice from trauma or hearing specialist

While we may be fortunate to receive a funding contribution towards the cost of employing an additional staff member on the days when a child with additional needs attends, the service contributes a substantial portion of the employee’s costs without recouping these from families. In return, we ask families to please notify us at least 24 hours in advance if their child will not be attending on the day, or as soon as possible in the event of illness, so that we may give appropriate notice to the employee that they need not attend. This will prevent us from incurring a significant and unnecessary wages expense.

Further details about the types of funding support, or other aspects of the ISP, can be found in the Federal Government’s ISP Guidelines.

Disability Discrimination Act

Every child has the right to access, participate and be included in all aspects of community life, including children’s education and care.

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) supports children with disabilities, their families and carers to access and fully participate in children’s education and care services in the same ways as other children.

Discrimination can be direct or indirect

Direct Discrimination happens when someone with disability is treated less favourably because of their disability. It can also occur when a person fails to make reasonable adjustments to allow a person with disability to be treated as favourably as a person without disability. Some examples include:

• a child’s enrolment not being accepted because of their disability

• a child not being invited to participate in an excursion because of their disability

• a child’s participation in the educational program and/or experiences being limited due to their disability (for example setting up experiences such as water activities or cooking in ways that a child with disability support equipment cannot access)

• a provider prevents a child from attending the service or participating in an activity because of the child’s disability.

Indirect Discrimination can occur when a rule or policy that is the same for everyone has an unfavourable impact on a person with disability. In particular, it could occur when a child in ECEC services could not [meet a requirement necessary to] participate in an activity because of their disability, or would be able to [meet that requirement] if reasonable adjustments were made. Some examples include:

• a requirement for children to meet identified development milestones before enrolment is accepted

• a requirement for all children to be independent in their toileting before they can enrol in a service or in a specific room, for example, the preschool room. If a child with disability was unable to meet the requirements described in the examples above because of their disability, these policies may be indirectly discriminatory.

As an education and care service we will:

• Not discriminate against children, their families or others because of disability

• Consult with families about reasonable adjustments to support access and participation

• Work to make a difference in the lives of children with disability.

The rights of children, families and others can be supported by our:

• Attitudes

• Decisions

• Words

• Relationships

We will continue to look at how we embed a culture of fairness into our service.

As a team we will:

• Have regular respectful conversations with families to identify barriers to participation and opportunities for adjustments

• Challenge discrimination if they see it, read it or hear it

• Work together to make inclusion happen for children with disability

Source: Education and Care Services National Regulations

National Quality Standard

Early Years Learning Framework V2.0 2022

KU Inclusion Support Services

Inclusion Support Programme Guidelines: Federal Government

This policy is the property of Eikoh Seminar Australia Pty Limited and must not be reproduced without the consent of management.