Disability and Inclusion Program Evaluation
The NSW Department of Education commissioned the Social Policy Research Centre at the University of New South Wales and the Australian Institute of Family Studies to undertake an evaluation of the Disability and Inclusion Program (DIP).
The DIP has provided funding and support to enable children with disability and additional needs in community preschools to participate in quality early childhood education on the same basis as their peers since 2018.
The DIP has 4 components:
- High Learning Support Needs funding
- Sector Capacity Building program
- Minor Capital Works funding
- Early Childhood Inclusive Education scholarships.
The High Learning Support Needs funding and the Sector Capacity Building program were in scope for this evaluation.
Overall, the evaluation found that:
The Disability Inclusion Program provides critical supports for NSW community preschools to meaningfully include children with disability and high learning support needs in early education programs with benefits for all children.
For a detailed list of recommendations from the evaluation, download the executive summary (PDF 309 KB).
Our response to recommendations
Funding rate and payment timing
Summary of recommendations
- Review the High Learning Support Needs (HLSN) funding rate to help preschools attract and retain experienced and qualified staff.
- Provide funding prior to the start of the preschool year.
Department’s response
- The department will continue to review funding and program arrangements to support the inclusion of children with a disability in early childhood education.
- Cost escalation has been applied to the 2023 funding rate, under the 2023 HLSN Funding Guidelines.
Minor Capital Works (MCW)
Summary of recommendations
- Investigate why preschools would like to use HLSN funding to purchase equipment.
- Explore ways to make Minor Capital Works funding more accessible for preschools.
Department’s response
- The evaluation was unable to determine whether community preschools are unaware of existing minor capital works funding, or if the funding does not meet the needs of services.
- The department will investigate ways to improve the minor capital works program.
Applications with supporting observations
Summary of recommendations
- Consult with community preschools to develop observation templates.
- Investigate why observations-based applications are less likely to be funded for the hours requested.
Department’s response
- Observations templates have been developed and were released to the sector in October 2022.
- The department will monitor program data and sector feedback to assess any trends or issues in evidence for applications.
NDIS plan
Summary of recommendations
- Remove requirements to provide evidence of disability for children who have NDIS plans or are participating in the NDIS Early Childhood Approach (ECA).
Department’s response
- Under the 2023 HLSN funding guidelines, NDIS plans are now accepted as evidence to support an application.
Application process
Summary of recommendations
- Refine the HLSN application process and platform to ensure greater reliability and efficiency for community preschools.
Department’s response
- The department has commenced scoping a new digital platform, which will include future arrangements for HLSN applications.
Unsuccessful applications
Summary of recommendations
- Provide feedback to community preschools on unsuccessful applications, with the opportunity to request more detailed feedback.
- Regularly analyse the reasons why HLSN applications are unsuccessful.
Department’s response
- The department provides feedback on unsuccessful applications.
- The department will monitor program data and sector feedback to assess any trends or issues in application eligibility.
Consistency and quality assurance
Summary of recommendations
- Promote consistency in the quality of Sector Capacity Building (SCB) provider services, including developing a quality assurance system for SCB providers.
Department’s response
- New SCB provider arrangements are now in place, following a rigorous tender process completed in June 2022. Five providers were awarded contracts to deliver the SCB program. Provisions have been included in the contracts to promote consistency in the quality of supports provided to preschools. The department will continue to engage with SCB providers on contract delivery.
Feedback
Summary of recommendations
- Collect feedback from community preschools about the delivery of the SCB program and share feedback with SCB providers.
Department’s response
- SCB providers are required to survey their preschools to gauge their satisfaction with the service they receive.
- The department is working with providers to standardise the survey method. This will ensure consistency of data and improve the collection and monitoring process.
Funding applications
Summary of recommendations
- Provide feedback to SCB providers about HLSN funding applications to inform the support they provide to community preschools.
Department’s response
- The department will continue to engage with SCB providers on HLSN funding arrangements, including opportunities to share any insights and patterns.
Funding expenditure for support services
Summary of recommendations
- Allow SCB funding to be used to access specialists or health professionals to inform support provided to community preschools.
Department's response
- The SCB Program now allows for specialists, which can include health professionals, to be engaged to inform the support provided to community preschools.
- The department will monitor program data and sector feedback to assess any trends or issues relating to this.
Workforce
Summary of recommendations
- Investigate ways to support preschools with workforce shortages to engage with the program and to clarify the role of the SCB program.
Department’s response
- SCB providers are contracted to work with preschools to encourage their participation in the program.
- The department will work with SCB providers to explore opportunities to support preschools with workforce shortages.
Supporting all services
Summary of recommendations
- Explore how the SCB program can be best utilised to support services with no children with disability or additional needs enrolled.
Department’s response
- The SCB program supports community preschools to implement evidence-based inclusive education as well as to enhance ongoing inclusion readiness.
- The SCB contracts require the providers to engage with all eligible services in their awarded region(s), regardless of whether children with disability or additional needs are enrolled.
- The department will support quality of practice amongst providers in building inclusion readiness through networking sessions and encouraging the sharing of resources.
Monitoring
Summary of recommendations
- Improve the data collection and analysis of HLSN funding and the SCB program to monitor the DIP.
Department’s response
- To effectively monitor the DIP, the department is reviewing its processes for data collection and analysis of HLSN funding and the SCB program.