Additional requirements (specific to Integrated Hubs)
Service Model
Integrated Hubs bring preschool together with other health, wellbeing and education offerings so families and children can be supported to access the services they need in one place. Integrated Hubs deliver Preschool Plus, a preschool program of up to 30 hours per week for 3- and 4-year-olds, to improve their learning and development outcomes.
See the Integrated Hubs service model.
Service Offer
All Integrated Hubs are expected to provide a core offering of family and child health and development services and family support. Other services will be determined through place-based engagement with local communities.
In conjunction with their Local Enabling Group (LEG), Integrated Hubs will develop a summary of all their service and support offerings, referred to as its Service Offer. This includes services and supports offered through local partnerships, Preschool Boost programs and supports, and those developed with Ready Set Preschool funding to increase the enrolment, attendance and participation of children in the preschool program.
Integrated Hubs are expected to use their Ready Set Preschool funding for to deliver additional place-based and innovative approaches that support increased engagement of children and families into ECEC or programs and services that strengthen parenting capacity and family functioning – as aligned with approved local planning arrangements.
Development and regular review of the Service Offer will be coordinated by the integration role, with the support of the site leader and through input from the LEG to ensure they are meeting the needs of children and families. The Service Offer will also inform the Integrated Hubs’ Flying Start Partnership Plan.
Service eligibility
Individual Integrated Hubs are being identified through a commissioning process, detailed in the Integrated Hubs Partnership Guide. Partner Services operating an Integrated Hub site will have the individual Integrated Hub location and Funded Programs detailed in their Funding Agreement.
Minimum requirements
Partners operating an Integrated Hub must ensure:
- place-based programs and services are being delivered on site or at a location approved by OECD in writing, and
- the Service Offer is regularly reviewed and published to ensure they are meeting the needs of children and families.
Partner Services must deliver Preschool Plus to the minimum number of children as agreed in their Funding Agreement. Existing Services commencing as an Integrated Hub and delivering a preschool program to 3- and/or 4-year-old children, including as a Flying Start Partner Service, will be provided with an 18-month transition period to reach their agreed minimum number of Preschool Plus places.
The transition period allows for promotion of the hub and the Preschool Plus program and outreach activities to the community, as well as allowing any existing universal 15-hour enrolments of 4-year-old children to complete their program and transition to school, and their place to be filled with a 30-hour Preschool Plus placement, should those families not wish to take up a Preschool Place offer.
The exact transition arrangement, including identifying existing 15-hour enrolments and those that may be appropriate to transition to a Preschool Plus place, will be confirmed and documented by the Integrated Hub and the OECD in the year prior to commencing as an Integrated Hub.
Additional Trauma-informed Practice training
Partner Services operating an Integrated Hub are required to ensure all staff working in the Service participate and maintain training currency in ‘Trauma-informed Practice – Advanced Training’. This training will involve a face-to-face commitment and will be provided free of charge to Partner Services operating an Integrated Hub.
Additional Cultural Safety training
Partner Services operating an Integrated Hub are required to ensure all staff working in the Service participate and maintain training currency in Aboriginal Cultural Safety training. This must be delivered by an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation or an Aboriginal Business Supplier. The level of training for hubs is aligned to the “doing” level and builds on the foundational training.
Reports and additional information
Partner Services operating an Integrated Hub are expected to capture attendance and referral data on children and families accessing supports and services through their Service Offer, outside of the requirements of their data collection requirements for preschool enrolments. This data is expected to be used to inform review activities on the Integrated Hub’s Service Offer.
Partnership Plan inclusion
Integrated Hubs, as all other Partner Services, have to complete a Partnership Plan for the relevant Funded Program Streams.