Questions and Answers relating to Outside School Hours Care for Teenagers with Disability  

This document answers frequently asked questions relating to Outside School Hours Care for Teenagers with Disability. If you cannot find an answer to your question here, please contact us via the otdp mailbox (otdp@fahcsia.gov.au).

These Questions and Answers will be updated during the application open period if further questions applicable to all eligible applicants are received.

Question 1: Is this funding for programs already receiving funding and wanting to expand or totally new providers?

Question 2: Is this just for services that don't have existing funding or can we as a current funded service apply for additional funding. If it is the latter, we would look at some alternative options for service delivery for children, such as workshops, camps, resources etc.

Answer 1 and 2: Eligible organisations that don't have existing funding and organisations currently funded under this program, can both apply. All Applicants (current service providers included) will need to respond fully to the Selection Criteria in the Application Form and provide the information required in the format, and to the extent specified in the Application Guidelines and Application Form.

This funding round is to increase the number of outside school hours care places for teenagers with disability aged from 12 to 18 years. Outside school hours care includes before school and/or after school and/or school holiday care. The funding enables services to provide new or expanded service provision and obtain the appropriate staffing, equipment and other important elements necessary for the target age group. The Department will consider all applications from eligible organisations to undertake the provision of outside school hours care for teenagers with disability aged 12 to 18 years.

Question 3: Can we apply for funding only for school holiday programs or must there be an inclusion for out of school care?

Answer 3: Yes.Outside school hours care includes before school and/or after school and/or school holiday care.

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Question 4: We are a not for profit organisation which currently has funding under the ASD panel services for Autistic children 0-6 years. Is it a requirement to become a child care provider in order to get CCB?

Answer 4: Yes. The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations has information for child care services on operating a service, the different types of assistance available for services and the assistance available for services to help families on their Child Care for Services website.

The Outside School Hours Care for Teenagers with Disability initiative seeks wherever possible to leverage and incorporate the Australian Government Child Care Programs existing funding for outside school hours care, including Child Care Benefit.

The Department will not automatically exclude services from this Activity that do not have Child Care Benefit approval. However, as outlined in the Application Guidelines, Section 2 - Statement of Requirements - 2,1 Eligible organisations):

• an existing Child Care Benefit (CCB) approved outside school hours care service provider, in the process of applying or preparing to apply for Child Care Benefit approval for the service

Where appropriate, services will be encouraged to seek funding from these programs.

Question 5: What level of funding is available for this program?

Answer 5: A total of $1.083 million is allocated for the 2009-10 financial year to this selection process that opened on 5 August 2009, to deliver outside school hours care for teenagers with disability aged 12 to 18 years. The Department has set a tentative cap of up to $150,000 per annum per application, however funding above this amount will be considered based on the strength of the proposed service delivery model.

Question 6: Could funding be provided to a family of a youth who is being home schooled due to high behaviour support needs as the parent needs to attend work until five. The carers would need to come to the house as the youth's behaviour cannot be managed in a group environment.

Answer 6: No. Individuals are not eligible to apply for Outside School Hours Care for Teenagers with Disability funding. 'Applicant' means an organisation that submits an application.

An eligible organisation for the purpose of Outside School Hours Care for Teenagers with Disability is:

• a legal entity that is able to confirm its legal status as defined in the application forms;
• an existing Child Care Benefit (CCB) approved outside school hours care service provider, in the process of applying or preparing to apply for Child Care Benefit approval for the service; and
• any organisation meeting the eligibility criteria set out in the Application Form.

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Question 7: We were successful in receiving funds under this initiative (then known as Extra Support for Children with Disability Program) in 2008. Can you tell me if there are priority geographical sites identified for this round?

Answer 7: The Department will allocate funding according to the merit of the application and the ability of organisations to meet all the selection criteria. The Department will target known areas of high unmet need and take into account geographical location and community requirements when determining allocations. The Department will not be allocating funding to a predetermined number of services per state.

Question 8: Does this program cover a person with Aspergers syndrome?

Answer 8: Yes. This activity assists teenagers with disability aged 12 to 18 years and their families by funding services to deliver appropriate and flexible before school and/or after school and/or school holiday care.

Disability is defined as a condition either caused by accident, trauma, injury, genetics or disease that may restrict a person's mental, sensory or mobility functions to undertake or perform tasks in the same way as a person who does not have a disability. This includes physical, sensory, intellectual, psychiatric, neurological and learning disabilities, as well as physical disfigurement and serious illnesses. Disability may be temporary or permanent, total or partial, lifelong or acquired.

(See also Answer 6 above)

Question 9: Are any programs running in rural NSW areas? If not are there any other programs that are similar for this population.

Answer 9: This activity commenced in January 2008 and currently offers 1052 outside school hours care places in 48 locations across Australia. For details of the service providers please see our website.

The NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care, in partnership with the Department of Education and Training provide support for working parents and carers of secondary students with a disability attending high school. Teen Time focuses on supporting parents and carers to gain and maintain work and/or study commitments, through an after school and vacation support program. For further information about Teen Time email (info@dadhc.nsw.gov.au).

Question 10: We are a community group and have been doing school holiday programs with children in an aboriginal community. The community has asked us to come back and help them in all the school holidays. Would this project be within the guidelines for financial assistance through the Out of School Hours for Children with Disabilities Funding Grant?

Answer 10: This funding round is to increase the number of outside school hours care places for teenagers with disability aged from 12-18 years. Outside school hours care includes before school and/or after school and/or school holiday care. The funding enables organisations to provide new or expanded service provision and obtain the appropriate staffing, equipment and other important elements necessary for the target age group. The Department will consider all applications from eligible organisations to undertake the provision of outside school hours care for teenagers with disability aged 12-18 years.

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Question 11: Could you please provide me with the necessary documentation to set up for Vacation Care and OSHC?

Answer 11: The Department cannot provide documentation about how to set up the activity. Information about the framework for implementing and administering the program is provided in the Program Guidelines at: Services and Support for People with Disability Program Guidelines - Outside School Hours Care for Teenagers with Disability . The Department will assess the ability of Applicants to provide the activity based on responses to the selection criteria in the Application Form and will consider a range of delivery models. Each provider must demonstrate that it can provide stimulating, age-appropriate developmental, social and recreational activities for teenagers with disability.

In addition, providers will be encouraged to apply for Child Care Benefit approval as outlined in the Application Guidelines, Section 2 - Statement of Requirements - 2.1 Eligible Organisations. Further information about applying for Child Care Benefit is available on the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations website at: http://www.deewr.gov.au/EarlyChildhood/Programs/ChildCareforServices/Pages/default.aspx.

Question 12: Can you tell me what evidence is required to satisfy the question below:

Answer 12: The Department only requires proof if a provider is not already operating from these premises. If that is the case then proof could be in the form of a rental agreement or a letter from the owner/organisation/manager currently using the premises stating their agreement for the provider to operate from these premises.

Question 13: Is there any opportunity to access respite for people who are under 12 years old between 6 to 12 years.

Answer 13: This is not a respite program; it is specifically an outside school hours care program. Outside school hours care includes before school and/or after school and/or school holiday care. This funding round is seeking to increase the number of outside school hours care places for teenagers with disability aged from 12-18 years.

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Question 14: Can you provide any extra information on what areas are considered to be of high unmet need taking into account geographical location and community requirements? Can you list what they are so organisations do not tender for an area that does not fit the requirements?

Answer 14: There is no list of actual geographic locations. The need is still high across the country but the Department would be looking to avoid duplication and to secure services where there currently are none. The list of current providers is at: Outside School Hours Care for Teenagers with Disability

Question 15: Is this purely limited to after/before school time (3-6pm) and vacation care periods. We have a few projects and initiatives that we would like to look at for the teenage age group, however some of these would be on the weekend; primarily because these parents work on these days instead.

Answer 15: Yes it is limited. This funding round is to increase the number of outside school hours care places for teenagers with disability aged from 12-18 years. Outside school hours care includes before school and/or after school and/or school holiday care and does not include weekend care.

Question 16: Could you please let me know if funding is only being offered to existing CCB programs in the upcoming funding round?

Answer 16: No. The Outside School Hours Care for Teenagers with Disability initiative seeks wherever possible to leverage and incorporate the Australian Government Child Care Programs existing funding for outside school hours care, including Child Care Benefit. However the Department will not exclude services from this Activity that do not have Child Care Benefit approval.

Question 17: I am enquiring about the criteria for provider selection under the recently advertised 'Outside School Hours Care for Teenagers with Disability' tender. It appears from the criteria documentation for the service providers that they must be an existing out of school hours care provider to tender for this program. We would like to ask for clarification as to what type of organisations/programs may apply for this funding.

Answer 17: For the first part of this question please refer to answers 1 and 2 of the Questions and Answers above. The Activity seeks wherever possible to leverage and incorporate the Australian Government Child Care programs existing funding for outside school hours care, including Child Care Benefit. However the Department will not exclude services from this Activity that do not have Child Care Benefit approval.

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Question 18: Does the funding cover direct care staff wages or is this cost to be met through fees charged to parents?

Answer 18: This funding does cover direct care staff wages. Please refer to Section 2.6 of the Application Guidelines:

Question 19: Will the number of providers be increased or is it just the number of places available with the current providers.

Answer 19: This funding round is to increase the number of outside school hours care places for teenagers with disability aged from 12 to 18 years. This can be achieved either through increasing the number of providers and increasing the number of places with existing providers or a combination of both.

Question 20: Can you please tell me when it is expected that funded programs will commence service provision?

Answer 20: The Department would like the places to be operational as soon as is possible but will negotiate an Activity Start Date with each successful service provider following the assessment process.

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Question 21: Will projects be considered which would operate short-term from temporary premises while purpose-built premises which are currently in design stage, are built and operational?

Answer 21: Yes.

Question 22: We currently receive funding under this initiative. Can we apply for funding to meet the additional need for families in our region as well as ‘broker’ funding to agencies in our neighbouring regions.

Answer 22: Yes you can apply for funding to increase the number of outside school hours care places for teenagers with disability aged from 12 to 18 years that your service provides (see Answer 1 and 2 above).
You cannot apply for funding to ‘broker’ other agencies.

Question 23: If the teenage program is in an approved OSHC setting will they be eligible for ISS funding with support from the ISA?

Answer 23: You will need to contact your Inclusion Support Agency (ISA) for details regarding eligibility for the Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS). You can find information about ISS on the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations website.

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Question 24: Another government department provides funding for our after school and vacation support program.

1. Can we apply for FaHCSIA funding for our service to offer more places in our after school and vacation care program
2. Do we have to provide before school care in addition to after school and vacation care?

Answer 24:

1. You can apply for funding to increase the number of outside school hours care places your service provides for teenagers with disability aged from 12 to 18 years.
2. You do not have to provide before school care in addition to after school and/or vacation care. Outside school hours care includes before school and/or after school and/or school holiday care.

Question 25: Do organisations interested in operating this program need to be existing outside school hours care registered services who are already registered for Child Care Benefit?

Answer 25: The Activity seeks wherever possible to leverage and incorporate the Australian Government Child Care programs existing funding for outside school hours care, including Child Care Benefit. However the Department will not exclude services from this Activity that do not have Child Care Benefit approval.

Question 26: Will our service be required to meet the Children’s Services Regulations and Quality Assurance requirements in our state?

Answer 26: Yes.

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Question 27: Is there any information regarding base line staffing ratios for young people in terms of the number of funded staff positions to number of children ie minimum/maximum expected staff to child support for this program?

Answer 27: The National Standards for Outside School Hours Care recommend minimum staff:child ratios for standard outside school hours care services. However, staff ratios for teenagers with disability will vary depending on each individual’s support needs. For example, where the standard ratio may be 1:10, the ratio for staff to teenagers with disability may be 1:3 or in some cases even 1:1.

Question 28: We understand there are limited funds and would like to submit a proposal for two different regions. Would it be acceptable to provide information in the one submission about proposed services in both regions, indicating that we would be open to both or just one region; or would it be better to submit two separate submissions – one for each area?

Answer 28: If you intend to submit a proposal for more than one region, submit separate applications, one for each region.

Question 29: Have any schools offered this service themselves, or has it always been outside school hours care organisations? If schools have not in the past, can they apply for this funding?

Answer 29: Outside school hours care for teenagers with disability is offered at some schools. See the list of current providers.

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Question 30: We are based in Geelong and are wondering if this region is eligible for the Outside School Hours Care for Teenagers with Disability funding?

Answer 30: The Department will not be allocating funding to predetermined regions. The need is still high across the country but the Department would be looking to avoid duplication and to secure services where there currently are none. See the list of current providers.

Question 31: Our service is interested in applying for funding, however the responsibility for service providers regarding CCB approval appears to be an issue for our small service. I am working on some partnership areas that may help with this but my questions are:

1. is it necessary to have CCB approval to run this type of service?
2. what happens if we apply for funding and don’t get approved for CCB?

Answer 31:

1. The activity seeks, wherever possible, to leverage and incorporate the Australian Government Child Care Programs existing funding for outside school hours care, including Child Care Benefit. Where appropriate, services will be encouraged to seek funding from Australian Government Child Care Programs.
2. The Department will not automatically exclude services from this activity that do not have Child Care Benefit Approval.

Question 32: Is there any chance that the closing date can be extended?

Answer 32: No. All applications close at 2.00pm Australian Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday 8 September 2009.

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Question 33: We are an existing outside school hours care program looking to expand into transition teens into employment. We have several teen programs including outside school hours care and holiday programs. Would we be eligible to access the Child Care Benefit if we were providing a service to transition teens to employment?

Answer 33: This funding round is to increase the number of outside school hours care places for teenagers with disability aged 12 to 18 years. Eligibility for Child Care Benefit is set out under Division 4 of Part 3 in the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999.

Question 34: Thank you for answering my query (Question 30), as indicated we have not been included in the groups of organisations eligible to apply for the program. Is there anything that we can do to be considered for the next funding round?

Answer 34: Further to Answer 30 please note the following information. The list of current providers on our website is not a list of eligible providers, it is a list of all the providers that we already provide funding to for outside school hours care for teenagers with disability. Your attention has been drawn to this list so you are aware of locations already receiving this funding.

As long as you meet the organisation eligibility requirements in the Application Guidelines and the Application Form you are welcome to submit an application for funding in this round. The Department will allocate funding according to the merit of the application and the ability of services to meet all the selection criteria.

Question 35: I want to discuss the opportunity to apply for funding.

Answer 35: All questions must be submitted in writing to otdp@fahcsia.gov.au. We will not accept or respond to questions after 28 August 2009, or at any time during the assessment phase.

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Question 36: I read the materials provided and it seems like our proposed project will meet the outcomes required under this program but I am unsure about our eligibility for CCB approval.

Answer 36: Eligibility for Child Care Benefit is set out under Division 4 of Part 3 in the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999.

Question 37: We want to apply to re-establish a project completed in 2008. I tried to forward a copy of our final report to provide you with information about our project but the identified email address will not receive messages of this size. Can you advise an alternate email address so I can forward this information?

Answer 37: All applicants for funding are required to submit an Application Form. If you wish you can send a copy of your final report as part of your application. The Department will conduct an assessment of all applications following the application Closing Date. Applicants must provide the information required in the format requested and to the extent specified in the Application Guidelines and Application Form.

Question 38: We are a not for profit entity wanting to apply for funding. Given the nature of the application process we are now seeking to confirm our eligibility under this program prior to completing and submitting the application in full.

Answer 38: You need to make your own assessment of whether your agency meets the eligibility criteria based on the information provided in the Application Pack.

An eligible organisation for the purpose of Outside School Hours Care for Teenagers with Disability is:

• a legal entity that is able to confirm its legal status as defined in the application forms
• an existing Child Care Benefit (CCB) approved outside school hours care service provider, in the process of applying or preparing to apply for Child Care Benefit approval for the service
• any organisation meeting the eligibility criteria set out in the Application Form.

The Department will consider all applications from eligible organisations to undertake the provision of outside school hours care for teenagers with disability aged 12 to 18 years.

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Question 39: I am the Principal of a school in Victoria interested in this program. I am concerned about the cost to parents who would access outside school hour care for teenagers with disability. Secondary age students in Victoria are not subsidised through Centrelink. Would there be assistance for parents who access outside school hours care for a teenager with disability?

Answer 39: If a teenager is a Family Tax Benefit (FTB) child of an individual they may be eligible for Child Care Benefit (CCB). Eligibility for Child Care Benefit is set out under Division 4 of Part 3 in the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999.

The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations has information for child care services on operating a service, the different types of assistance available for services and the assistance available for services to help families on their Child Care for Services website.

Question 40: We want to apply for funding to run outside school hours care for teenagers with disability for two weeks in January and then a minimum of one week per school holiday period during the year. The school council would like to outsource ownership/management of the program. Can the school apply on this basis and if successful tender the outsourcing?

Answer 40: You cannot tender to outsource ownership/management of the program if your application is successful.

However, if your application is successful and you plan to sub-contract any or all of the service provision you will need to provide details of those sub-contracting arrangements and the organisations involved in your application.

Question 41: We are a Community Service Organisation in Victoria. Are we as an Agency eligible to apply or are there targeted providers for this program?

Answer 41: As long as you meet the organisation eligibility requirements in the Application Guidelines and the Application Form you are welcome to submit an application for funding in this round. The Department will allocate funding according to the merit of the application and the ability of services to meet all the selection criteria.

The Department does not have a list of targeted providers. The need is still high across the country and the Department will be looking to avoid duplication and to secure services where there currently are none. You can check the list of locations where services are already being delivered with funding through this program on the FaHCSIA website.

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Question 42: We are presently not able to provide the Child Care Benefit but would like to apply for this as soon as possible. Can you provide some information around the process to lodge an application for Child Care Benefit?

Answer 42: Information about applying for Child Care Benefit is available on the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations website.

Question 43: As there is no budget template for this application I need the following clarified please. In 5.5, the question asks for a cost/place. Is this cost inclusive or exclusive of fees?

Answer 43: Exclusive of fees.

Question 44: Re 5.5 on the funding application form. What does cost mean? do you require a budget breakdown?

Answer 44: Refer to Paragraph 2.6 of the Applications Guidelines. You can attach a budget breakdown to your application if you wish, however this is not a requirement.

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Question 45: Can a non-government organisation apply for funding and utilise facilities at a special school to provide the service? The principal at the school has approved the organisation using the school for this purpose.

Answer 45: Yes. If your organisation meets the eligibility criteria outlined in the Application Pack and has approval from the school, you are welcome to submit an application.

Question 46: Can we attach extra information regarding our submission to the application such as parent testimonials, proposed programs, etc, or must all information be contained within the 500 words available to each criterion?

Answer 46: Your response to each of the selection criteria must be within the limit of a maximum of 500 words per criterion. Only attach additional information where identified.

Question 47: I have noted Question and Answer number 12 and have the following questions:

1. Where a location has not been identified does this mean the application will be deemed ineligible?
2. Does this mean that applications from providers who do not currently operate in an area identified in the application are required to identify a location ahead of the outcome of the application? Our organisation has identified an area of need but has not identified premises. We provide services in a neighbouring area. If we were successful we would locate premises and have plans on how to achieve this. We feel it would be inappropriate to have a rental agreement or letter without intent to establish such a service, which is dependant on the outcome of the application process.

Answer 47:

1. You must provide all information requested in the application form otherwise it will be deemed ineligible.
2. You are expected to show evidence that you have identified suitable possible premises that you know are available for the purpose in the identified area. This evidence could be in the form of preliminary communications, such as emails, with possible premises that you have identified as being suitable and available. In these circumstances formal agreements are not required at the application stage.