The Child Information Sharing Capacity Building Grants Program (CIS Grants Program) aims to build workforce awareness and confidence in using the Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS) to promote the wellbeing or safety of Victorian children and young people.
The CIS Grants Program forms part of the Victorian Government’s response to the independent CISS Two-Year Review. The review recommended grants be provided to peak bodies to help prescribed workforces understand and apply CISS.
Funding for the Program
The 2021-22 State Budget allocated $5 million over 3 years for grants to support peak bodies in prescribed sectors to implement and embed information sharing in service delivery and cross-sector collaboration.
Prescribed sectors include:
- education
- health
- child and family services
- justice.
In 2021-22, twelve grantees received funding to deliver one-year projects focused on understanding sector needs and implementing outreach and communication activities to build workforce capacity and confidence to share information in a timely and effective manner.
In 2022-23, grants have been awarded to 8 organisations. Projects are focused on building on the work accomplished in Year 1 through further embedding a child information sharing culture within prescribed workforces. This includes:
- establishing communities of practice
- organising professional networking events and reflective practice sessions
- incorporating CISS guidance materials in workforce practice.
Online resources by CIS Grant recipients
Education sector
Australian Childcare Alliance Victoria (ACA Victoria) is a not-for-profit, member-funded organisation supporting and advocating for privately owned long day care centres.
- ACA Victoria's CISS webpage has a range of resources to help long day care centres understand CISS, including case studies, threshold tests and a decision tree.
Community Child Care Association (CCCA) is the voice of community-based early childhood education and outside school hours care (OSHC) services in Victoria.
- CCCA's CISS webpage has information for education and care services, including a stakeholder toolkit.
Early Childhood Australia (ECA) is a peak early childhood advocacy organisation, working to ensure quality, social justice and equity in all issues relating to the education and care of children from birth to 8 years.
- ECA's When can I request and share information? webpage includes a summary of CISS and case studies.
The Early Learning Association Australia (ELAA) supports independent kindergartens, early years managers, long day care, integrated services and local governments with advice, training, resources and advocacy to help realise its vision of ‘excellence and equity in Early Childhood Education and Care’.
- ELAA's It's ok to share, you could make a difference webpage includes links to its practice guide and online learning tool for educators.
Child and family services sector
The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare (the Centre) represents over 100 Victorian organisations working across the continuum of child and family services, from prevention and early intervention to the provision of out of home care.
- The Centre's MARAM and Information Sharing Resource Hub website has an extensive range of resources, including information sheets and case studies.
- The Centre's Snapshot of Good Practice: Putting the Information Sharing Schemes into Action (pdf document)
Health sector
The Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) is the peak body and professional membership association for all nurses working outside of a hospital setting in Australia.
- APNA's news article 'Victoria's information sharing reforms: What do PHC nurses need to know?', Primary Times Winter 2022
- APNA's CISS webpage has resources to help primary health care nurses implement CISS, such as a flowchart, FAQs and case studies
The Centre for Mental Health Learning (CMHL) is the central agency for public mental health, including lived experience, workforce development in Victoria.
- CMHL's Family Violence and Child Wellbeing and Safety Resource Hub links to resources for mental health clinicians.
- CMHL's Child Information Sharing Scheme - Applications to mental health work video presentation
Cross sector
The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) is a membership association and the legislated peak body for local government in Victoria.
- MAV's Information Sharing and MARAM reforms webpage has a range of resources to help council services understand and implement CISS, including FAQs and an informative video.
- MAV's CISS Week Forum webpage includes video recordings and powerpoint presentations from the sessions at the Forum.
Note: The Department of Education highly values the important sector specific resources produced by CIS Grant recipients. Resources produced under the CIS Grants Program provide a range of contextualised supports developed at a specific point in time. For the most up-to-date information available to all information sharing workforces, please see the Victorian Government's Child Information Sharing webpages.
For more information
For more information about the grants program, contact childinfosharing.grants@education.vic.gov.au
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