Request for Tender for the provision of Inclusion Agency services under the Inclusion Support Programme.

On 8 May 2015, the Australian Government announced a $409 million Inclusion Support Programme (ISP). The ISP is a key component of the Government’s Child Care Safety Net and will provide support to early childhood and child care (ECCC) services to build their capacity and capability to include children with additional needs in mainstream services thereby providing them with an opportunity to learn and develop alongside their typically developing peers.

The ISP will commence on 1 July 2016, following the closure of the Inclusion and Professional Support Program (IPSP) on 30 June 2016

The Department of Education and Training (“the department”) is seeking Tenders for the provision of Inclusion Agency (IA) services under the ISP. The department will procure the services of seven IA organisations across eight state and territories to deliver practical inclusion advice and support to eligible ECCC services within each jurisdiction. IA services will be delivered by the same organisation in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

Support provided by IAs to ECCC services may include (but is not limited to) visiting services to assess care environments and existing inclusion capability, assisting services to develop tailored inclusion plans and facilitating access to further supports from the programme including funding support under the Inclusion Development Fund.

The ISP Programme Guidelines are currently being finalised and, once completed, will be posted as an addendum on AusTender. You may wish to access the ‘draft for consultation’ version of the Programmes Guidelines, available on www.education.gov.au/inclusion-support-programme.