High Intensity Outside School Hours Care Initiative builds on the outside schools hours care (OSHC) Demonstration Program operating since 2018 allowing children and young people with disabilities to access appropriate OSHC services for free.
OSHC for students with disabilities
Children and young people with disabilities often require more intensive and different supports to participate fully in outside school hours care (OSHC) than their typically developing peers. This includes young people in their teens who need OSHC because of their disability, but cannot attend mainstream services, which are for primary-aged children only.
A survey found that 81% of Victorian parents and carers of children and young people with disabilities have experienced difficulties in finding appropriate OSHC services.
Parents raised this issue with the Premier in 2017 during roundtable discussions, and the OSHC Demonstration Program was launched in response.
The program was intended to pilot a model of service delivery to fill this gap and provide an evidence base to inform the future provision of these services.
Funding
OSHC funding is included within the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector and is primarily a funding responsibility of the Commonwealth.
From 2018 to 2021, the Victorian Government funded a small number of OSHC services providing higher intensity support through the OSHC Demonstration Program in six schools.
From January 2022 as part of the 2-21-22 State Budget, the Victorian Government has committed further funding to continue the delivery of high intensity (OSHC) services at the OSHC Demonstration Program sites until December 2023.
Participating schools
The High Intensity Outside School Hours Care Initiative continues access to after-school and holiday care at the six government school Demonstration Program sites. Participating schools include five specialist schools and one mainstream school.
They are:
- Jackson School – St Albans
- Yarrabah School – Aspendale
- Bendigo Special Developmental School – Kangaroo Flat
- Kalianna School – Bendigo
- Officer Specialist School – Officer
- Laurimar Primary School – Doreen
Services
After school care and holiday programs are delivered by third-party service providers, including their care - a large mainstream OSHC provider, Interchange Loddon-Mallee Region - a disability services provider and a school council managed service.
Children and young people are involved in a diverse range of activities, including incursions and excursions. They are given opportunities to engage in a range of social and life skills activities with the support of higher staff to child ratios, with an average of one staff member for every two children or young people.
Funding is available for providers to purchase specialised resources and deliver professional learning and training to educators, to ensure the services and supports meet the unique needs of each child and young person participating.
Program evaluation
Findings from the evaluation undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting found that inclusive OSHC programs provide a wide range of benefits to participating children and young people, their families, their schools and the community. These include:
- parents and carers can increase their participation in work, training or study (48% of those surveyed agreed that the program had already enabled them to increase their participation, with a further 44% stating that they intended to if the program continued).
- an increase in family wellbeing, with parents/carers having more time to take care of themselves and/or their other children.
- participating children and young people are exposed to a wide range of experiences they may not have been able to access otherwise, including opportunities to access and form connections within the community.
- children and young people can build and embed social and life skills.
- children and young people experience improved social and emotional wellbeing and positive educational outcomes.
- Victorian communities becoming more inclusive of all people living with disabilities.
IncludED@OSHC
The learnings from the OSHC Demonstration Program helped to inform IncludED@OSHC – guidance, resources and tools to support the delivery of high-quality inclusive OSHC.
A suite of online resources is available now for OSHC providers, educators, schools, leaders and managers.
Please visit to find out how you can make a difference in the lives of children living with a complex disability.
Reviewed 21 March 2022