1.1 PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN IN CARE

DATED: July, 2005

SOURCED: Commonwealth Department of Family & Community Services,

Handbook, 2005-2006

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POLICY

Every effort will be made to accommodate the requirements of each family seeking care with Bayside Family Day Care. The principles of social justice and access and equity will be applied within the placement process.

PROCEDURE

When a family is seeking childcare the Coordination Unit will offer the family a referral and inform them that they may meet as many Carers within the scheme as they require in order for them to find a placement with a Carer who is most able to meet their needs.

For the efficient operation of the scheme, it is expected that the Carers will work to capacity. Consideration will be given to issues such as ability, health, and family circumstances.

Carers have the right to accept or decline the offer of a placement taking into consideration factors such as ability, the make-up of children in care – ages, disability, etc; compatibility between family and Carer, and Carers own circumstances.

Carer and parents have the right to terminate a placement where either party believes that the placement is no longer working. One weeks notice is required by the person terminating the placement.

Where a family approaches the Coordination Unit for a placement and they have an existing debt within the Scheme, the parent is asked to settle the debt prior to placement. If the debt is not paid the placement will be declined.

The Federal government Department, Family & Community Service, outline the Priority of Access (below) for childcare that applies to all government funded childcare services.

Priority of Access

The Department of Family & Community Services Handbook 2005-2006

States:

6.3 Priority of access

The Australian Government funds child care with a major purpose of meeting the child care needs of Australian families. However, the demand for child care sometimes exceeds supply in some locations. When this happens, it is important for services to allocate places to those families with the greatest need for child care support.

The Australian Government has determined guidelines for allocating places in these circumstances. These guidelines apply to centre-based long day care, in-home care, family day care and outside school hours care services. They set out the following three levels of priority, which child care services must follow when filling vacant places:

• Priority 1 – a child at risk of serious abuse or neglect
• Priority 2 – a child of a single parent who satisfies, or of parents who both satisfy, the work/training/study test under section 14 of the Family Assistance Act
• Priority 3 – any other child.

Within these main categories priority should also be given to the following children:

• children in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families
• children in families which include a disabled person
• children in families on lower incomes
• children in families with a non-English speaking background
• children in socially isolated families
• children of single parents.

There are some circumstances in which a child who is already in a child care service may be required to leave the service.

Any child care service that has no vacant places and is providing care for a Priority 3 child may require that child to leave the service in order for the service to provide a place for a higher priority child.