Community Connections Solutions Australia (CCSA) is a not-for-profit, non-government, membership-based organisation that supports the management of high-quality early childhood services and other community organisations.

Together we acknowledge the contributions of the traditional custodians of this land. We acknowledge the contribution of Aboriginal Australians, Torres Strait Islander peoples, and Non-Aboriginal Australians to the education and care of all children and people in this country we live in and share.

Current issues

• Register now for the CCSA & ECA NSW conference, Continuing the conversation: are all the voices being heard?
  

• Forms for management committees/boards

There has been a change to the advice provided to us from the Department of Education and Communities about which people need to complete specific forms in relation to being an approved provider of an education and care service under the National Quality Framework.

The revised advice is that the following forms must be completed:
•    PA08 – Notification of change to information about approved provider - to be completed by the service provider
•    PA02 – Declaration of fitness and propriety - to be completed by all persons with management or control of a service
•    CSDF3 – Working With Children Check - to be completed by all persons with management or control of a service
•    Criminal history record check – to be provided by all persons with management or control of a service. Criminal history record checks can be completed online, through National Crime Check or any other authorised police clearance agency.

Who are ‘persons with management or control of a service’?
For education and care services which are run by a management committee or board, usually all members of the management committee or board (not just office bearers) would fall within the definition of ‘persons with management or control of a service’. If a service believes that someone who is a member of the management committee or board does not fall within that definition, the onus is on the service to show that the person concerned is not in management or control of the service. 

Please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you would like further information, including information for different management structures such as companies, partnerships or auspiced arrangements.

CCSA’s ‘Committee Members Guide’ provides a snapshot of your committee members role and responsibilities. If you haven't received your copy in the next two weeks please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

• NSW Government Reform Announcement

This morning the Minister for Education, the Hon Adrian Piccoli MP, announced a range of funding reforms for early childhood education.
The announcements include:

• Funding so that community-based preschools can reduce their fees from Term 2 2013 – NSW Government will contact each preschool individually with details about how much funding they will receive to pass on as fee reductions

• Funding for capital works programs to support the creation of new places – the initial round of applications will open in the second half of 2013, with priority given to rural and regional areas with the greatest level of unmet need for preschool places

• A new funding model to apply from 2014 – the NSW Government will consult with peak bodies, services and families about how the new model will work.

Details of the Minister’s announcement and information about the reform agenda are available from the Department of Education and Communities website.

The Minister said that the Government would be acting on virtually all of the recommendations made by Professor Brennan in her Review of NSW Government Funding for Early Childhood Education.

• Early Years Quality Fund

Recently the Commonwealth government announced the early years quality fund. The information that is available leaves many issues unanswered and raises a number of issues.
What we do know is:

• Long Day Care (LDC) centres approved for Child Care Benefit (CCB) will be able to apply for funding (non-CCB services will not be able to apply for funding; and neither will CCB-approved services that are not LDC)

• There has been no announcement of the funding application timetable

• There has been no announcement of the details around how to apply

• There has been no announcement of the details of the eligibility criteria beyond what is in the fact sheet (including whether services who already have an Enterprise Agreement will be eligible, how much of a pay rise needs to be included, and many other details)

• The Government is establishing an Advisory Board to provide advice on the implementation of the Fund, including advice on the content of the Program Guidelines which will no doubt provide clarification on some of those details.

Please read the media release from CCSA in response to the recent announcement by the Commonwealth Government for the Early Years Quality Fund.

CCSA congratulates the Commonwealth Government on their recent announcement to support quality outcomes for children by supplementing wage increases for early childhood education workers in long day care. However, CCSA notes that NSW state funded preschools continue to miss out.

CCSA is seeking further information from the Commonwealth Government and will be passing information on to members when it becomes available.Early Years Quality Fund and NSW Preschools

• CCSA 2013 Calendar now available
  

  Our yearly planner and monthly calendars for 2013 are available here.