For Families
Are you already receiving In Home Care (IHC)?
IHC Support Agency Tasmania will assist families who were receiving IHC under the previous program to transition to the revised IHC care type or to other suitable approved child care services with minimal disruption.
The new In Home Care Program commenced on 2nd July 2018. Transition to the new program is not automatic. There are some requirements you need to know about.
Register for the new Child Care Subsidy.
The IHC Support Agency will make contact with you to arrange either a face to face or phone conversation to undertake an assessment of suitability for the program. If you have not received a phone call or email, please contact us on 1300 052 057.
If you do not meet the eligibility criteria we will work with you to find suitable alternatives for your family.
New to In Home Care?
The In Home Care Support Agency is here to support and advocate for your family. Your first step is to look at the information and guidance on https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/child-care-subsidy to see whether you are eligible for Child Care Subsidy. We will then work with you to assess your eligibility and refer you to an IHC Service Provider who will organise an educator for your children and family as quickly as possible. It is important to note that access to an educator may not be automatic as the IHC Service Provider needs to ensure they have an educator available in that area, and for the times required. This may take some time, but we will continue to advocate and work with the IHC Service Provider to achieve a positive outcome. You will be placed on the IHC Support Agency waitlist
Not sure if you are eligible for In Home Care? Check the Criteria on https://www.education.gov.au/in-home-care
Role of the IHC Support Agency in Supporting Families
The IHC Support Agency Tasmania will work closely with IHC Service Providers to arrange care for families who meet the eligibility criteria. IHC Support Agency Tasmania will:
- be the primary conduit between families and IHC Services and advocate for the family needs
- assess families’ needs and circumstances to determine the most appropriate mix of support services documenting them in a Family Management Plan that includes matching them to IHC Services and to referral pathways to other assistance such as National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) or other state programs
- review and update Family Management Plans quarterly or sooner if circumstances change
- monitor service provision to ensure it focuses on education and care and service providers offer high quality education and care and to ensure fee-charging practices are appropriate
IHC Support Agency Tasmania must comply with state and territory government guidelines and requirements, where they apply.
Do you require In Home Care?
IHC Support Agency Tasmania is the primary contact for families to access the IHC program. Contact the IHC team to make an appointment to discuss your needs. After an initial phone conversation, we can arrange a meeting either via phone, Skype or face to face (which ever is more convenient for you) to develop a Family Management Plan that will be utilised to match you with a IHC Service Provider.
The initial phone call will gain information from you to assess your suitability for the IHC Program and advise you of links to eligibility requirements for the Child Care Subsidy.
Family Management Plan
The details of the education and care provided under the program should be based on a Family Management Plan agreed between the family and the IHC Support Agency. The purpose of a Family Management Plan is to:
- identify the family’s unique circumstances and child care requirements
- identify if a family may be eligible for additional assistance through other relevant support programs
- develop a strategy to transition the family to other approved child care service types over time, where available and appropriate
The Family Management Plan will be a shared resource for use by the family, IHC Support Agency, Approved Provider of IHC Services, and IHC Educator to foster a common understanding of your requirements. All these parties have a shared responsibility to exchange information about any changes in family’s current circumstances.
Personal details contained in the Family Management Plan will be protected under the Privacy Act 1988 (“the Privacy Act”). The Department, IHC Services, and the IHC Support Agency are required to secure this information and only use it for the purpose of providing IHC.
Review of the Family Management Plan
We will contact you quarterly to review the Family Management Plan. The review is initially undertaken over the phone unless a face to face appointment is requested.
Change in family circumstance
If there is any change in your circumstances, you must notify the IHC Support Agency Tasmania and also update your details with the Department of Human Services (DHS) on the Child Care Subsidy System, if necessary.
Support to access other types of approved child care
The IHC Support Agency will, wherever possible, support you to find appropriate and available places in a mainstream approved child care centre.
The IHC Support Agency also works closely with the Inclusion Support Programme (ISP). The ISP assists early childhood and child care services to include children with additional needs by providing tailored inclusion advice and support from Inclusion Agencies. The ISP also provides specialist equipment and funding to address inclusion barriers where required, so that all children are able to participate meaningfully and experience a true sense of belonging within the programme.
The IHC Support Agency personnel can provide you further information if required.
Support to access other government funded or community support services
The IHC program supports families whose child care needs cannot be met through mainstream child care, and at the time when this occurs. As part of supporting families with complex or challenging needs who are currently accessing IHC, or new families seeking to access the program, the IHC Support Agency will identify possible referral pathways that may meet your child care and other support needs, but it is important to note that services other than early childhood education and care will not be subsidised through CCS or ACCS.
Matching families with services
The IHC Agency will match families eligible for CCS and suitable for IHC with IHC Services to meet the family’s needs.
Where more than one IHC Service is available to meet the needs of the family, the family will be given a choice of service.
Families who wish to nominate their own educator, or retain an existing educator, may be able to do so, provided both the family (provided the family is eligible for CCS) and the educator meet the requirements for IHC and the educator is engaged by the IHC service.
IHC Services are responsible for the actual service delivery which includes engaging educators, undertaking home inspections, monitoring quality service delivery and compliance, and CCS administration and compliance activities.
Family waiting list
Families will be matched to IHC services on a ‘first come first served’ principle which includes taking into account the location and the family, and the location of service delivery by available IHC services.