Priority of Access implementation guidance

Children identified under Tier 1 Priority of Access cohorts include:

• children at risk of abuse or neglect, including children in out-of-home care
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children
• asylum seeker and refugee children.

To avoid creating additional barriers to participation, services and CRES providers should not require families to provide formal documentation or evidence to confirm eligibility under these cohorts, including when enrolling in more hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder (Pre-Prep).

Eligibility may be identified through:

• information provided verbally or in writing by a parent, carer or professional
• existing knowledge of the child or family held by the service or CRES provider
• information already available through local enrolment or support processes.

Services and CRES providers should confirm eligibility during the registration or allocation process for the following PoA criteria:

• additional needs
• multiple births (triplets or more)
• concession cards including:
  • Commonwealth Health Care card
  • Pensioner Concession card
  • Veterans’ Affairs card

Eligibility under these criteria may require additional confirmation as it is not always identifiable through standard enrolment information or existing administrative processes.

There are different approaches that may be used to confirm PoA eligibility. Services and CRES providers may:

• collect supporting documentation during the registration or enrolment process.
• sight supporting documentation during registration or enrolment process.

For example, eligibility relating to additional needs or a child with complex medical needs may be supported through documentation from a qualified practitioner or specialist.

Services may also develop local templates or guidance materials to support families in providing relevant information to confirm eligibility.

Services and CRES providers should clearly communicate to families that eligibility information and supporting documentation may be validated prior to kindergarten places being allocated.

Evidence requirements should remain proportionate, aligned with the intent of PoA, and should not create unnecessary barriers for families seeking access to kindergarten.

Where a child or family becomes eligible for PoA after offers of places have been made, services should prioritise the child for any available places.

Services and CRES providers are not expected to routinely collect formal evidence where this may create barriers to participation, duplicate existing information, or require families to repeatedly disclose sensitive circumstances.

Additional verification should only be sought where reasonably necessary and should remain proportionate, trauma-informed and consistent with the intent of the PoA policy.

Services may refer to the department’s website on the PoA eligibility requirements for children and families with additional needs, refer to the Priority of Access 2027 page.

Services and CRES providers may apply local knowledge and professional judgement when determining how places are prioritised within Tier 1 cohorts.

Services and CRES providers may either:

• apply the Tier 1 cohorts in the order they are listed within the PoA policy

or

• retain flexibility to determine an alternative prioritisation approach within Tier 1 cohorts that is responsive to local context and consistent with the intent of the PoA policy.

The department does not intend for the PoA policy to limit providers or CRES councils’ ability to respond to local circumstances or exercise judgement where there are more Tier 1 applicants than available places.

Whichever approach is taken, it is important that the application of PoA is clearly and transparently communicated to local families.

If the second option above is applied, there should still be a focus on ensuring the following cohorts of children are offered a kindergarten place that meets their needs:

• children at risk of abuse or neglect, including children in out-of-home care
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
• asylum seeker and refugee children.

Where a child or family becomes eligible for PoA after offers of places have been made, services should prioritise the child for any available places.

Documents supporting eligibility under concession cards should be valid at registration or before the allocation of places.

There is no departmental requirement for councils to routinely follow up on time-limited evidence such as concession cards.

Services and CRES providers may choose to check whether documents remain current closer to the start of the kindergarten year, particularly where there is a long period between collecting information and making offers.

Services and CRES providers may determine their own local practices based on their circumstances, provided these practices do not create barriers for families.

Further guidance on this for children eligible for more hours of Four-Year-Old Kinder will be communicated shortly.

Where a family seeks eligibility for PoA under complex medical needs, the evidence should reasonably demonstrate that a child, parent or carer has significant health, disability-related or medical circumstances requiring multiple supports, which materially affect a child’s access to, or participation in a kindergarten program.

Evidence requirements

Evidence should be provided by a qualified professional in the ongoing care, treatment, or support of the child, parent or carer, such as a medical practitioner, specialist, psychologist, psychiatrist, allied health professional.

Existing documentation or confirmation from a relevant professional may be used where appropriate, and families should not be required to obtain kindergarten-specific medical evidence.

Where a child has accessed an additional year of 3-Year-Old Kinder and is moving to 4-Year-Old Kinder, the PoA should be applied based on the child’s circumstances at the time of allocation.

If the child is continuing at the same service, they would generally be eligible under Tier 2 as a child currently attending the service.

However, where the child meets Tier 1 criteria at the time of allocation, including where their circumstances have changed or they meet the criteria for additional needs, Tier 1 applies.