To create a high-quality, inclusive OSHC service, you will need to cultivate solid relationships with a range of people and organisations.

The National Quality Framework for education and care explains the requirements you need to meet.

National Quality Standard

Explore the following pages to learn how to achieve and exceed the National Quality Standard.

Resources

• School/provider partnership meeting agenda template (docx - 360.87kb) – use this when you meet and work with the schools of children with complex disabilities.

The IncludED@OSHC learning modules are hosted on the Learneyo platform. Register as a user to access the modules and to ensure technical compatibility use Google Chrome or Safari as your browser.

• Learning module 1: Introduction to complex disability and inclusion – what your staff and the other children should or should not say when interacting with children with disabilities.
• Learning module 2: Working collaboratively – who to work with and what collaborative processes to use to plan how to support a child with a complex disability.
• Learning module 6: Supporting children with complex communication needs – how your service and the other children can communicate with children who use augmentative and alternative methods of communication, such as text-to-speech technology or a picture book.

You may encounter a parent of another child who is worried about children with complex disabilities using your service.

They may be concerned about safety risks, and whether their child will still get the right amount of care.

To address these concerns, discuss the policies and strategies that have been put in place to support all children. Emphasise the benefits to their child of being in an environment that includes children with complex disabilities. And remain open to feedback and suggestions from the parent.

Conversations like this are an opportunity to change the perspective of the parent from one of concern and negativity to positivity and support for inclusion. They can take place without compromising the privacy of the child with a disability and their family.

Tips on what you could say to parents with concerns

Parent's concern: my child would not get the support they need if the staff are focused on children with complex disabilities.

Suggested response: explain the staffing mix and ratios, and how they have been set up so staff can balance running the broader program and providing extra support to any children where needed.

Parent's concern: my child would not get the support they need if the staff are focused on children with complex disabilities.

Suggested response: explain the staffing mix and ratios, and how they have been set up so staff can balance running the broader program and providing extra support to any children where needed.

Parent's concern: my child's safety is at risk by including children with complex disabilities. My younger, smaller child could be hurt by an older, larger child who has previously displayed behaviours of concern.

Suggested response: explain your risk-management planning process, and how staff identify hazards and risks, assess potential impacts and put strategies in place to manage or reduce these risks. Explain your response plans if an identified risk occurs.

Parent's concern: the program or activities may not suit my child's abilities and interests if they have been designed to suit the needs of children with complex disabilities.

Suggested response: explain how you plan programs and activities to be inclusive of all needs and that every activity is designed to be flexible so every child can participate. Give an overview of the unprogrammed play activities that give children the chance to pick and choose their own tasks. Explain how their child can practise and develop their leadership skills by helping guide a child with a complex disability through an activity.

Example of building family confidence

Potential concern: concern that their child would not get the support they need at OSHC if the educators are focused on children with complex disabilities.

Suggested response: communicate the OSHC staffing mix and ratios, and how these have been set to make sure staff are able to balance running the broader OSHC program and providing additional support to any children where needed.

Potential concern: concern that the safety of their child is at risk by including children with complex disabilities at the OSHC. For example- a concern that their younger, smaller child could be hurt by an older, larger child who has previously displayed behaviours of concern.

Suggested response: communicate the OSHC risk management planning process, and how staff identify hazards and risks, assess potential impacts, and put strategies in place to manage or reduce these risks. Communicate the response plans the OSHC has put in place if an identified risk occurs.

Potential concern: concern that the program or activities at OSHC may not suit their child’s abilities and interests if they have been designed to suit the needs of children with complex disabilities.

Suggested response: communicate the OSHC program planning process, and how staff design activities to be inclusive of all needs. Explain that each activity is designed to be flexible, so each child can participate. Overview of the available play equipment and activities that exist outside of the program-planned activity, where children can pick and choose their own tasks. Communicate the opportunity for their child to practice and develop their leadership skills by partnering with and helping guide a child with a complex disability through an activity.

Your staff will need to have:

• training or professional development to build their skills and confidence to work with children with complex disability
• the right staffing mix at sessions, such as staff with general OSHC skills and staff skilled in providing specific support for children with disability
• specialised equipment to provide medical or personal care, or to help hold activities (such as hoists, sensory toys or stabilised cookware)
• children's individual support plans so they understand how to support the child.

How to support the other children

Have open conversations with the children at your service. Children are naturally curious and will most likely ask questions about others. It's important to provide a safe, open and respectful space where children can ask these questions – this is a learning opportunity for them.

Staff can explain that a child with a complex disability may have diverse needs and that the other children can help them to take part in the activities and play with others.

They can remind a child it is OK if they make a mistake or say the wrong thing – this can happen from time to time, and the best thing they can do is apologise and think about what they can do differently next time.

Staff can help with the first few interactions. After some practice and experience, the children will feel more comfortable understanding the best way to communicate with each other.

Sometimes, when playing with another child, a child with a complex disability may show concerning behaviour (explored in Learning module 4: Positive behaviour support).

Your staff can explain to the other children the reasons why the child displays these behaviours, what might trigger their behaviours (for example, losing a game or becoming overwhelmed by loud noises) and how they should respond to keep themselves and the other child safe.

Staff can encourage the other children to:

• remain calm (the situation will only get harder if they also get angry, upset or violent)
• let the child know they don't like what they are doing and ask them to stop
• walk away so that both children can take a break
• let an educator know what is happening so they can step into the situation and help.

Case study: Communicating with Shiloh and Meiling

Shiloh and Meiling have recently started at a new OSHC service. Shiloh has a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and does not communicate using speech. She understands some verbal information and visuals and communicates using gestures, visuals and the communication program on her tablet

Meiling has cerebral palsy and communicates through a combination of minimal speech and a communication book.

The staff knew the other children had never met someone who communicates in different ways. They wanted to prepare the other children to understand how Meiling and Shiloh communicate, so they would feel confident interacting with them.

They held an activity where the children practised using communication books and visual communication boards with each other. They also did a small demonstration of the communication program that Shiloh uses to run text into speech – the children thought it was really cool that Shiloh talks through technology.

The staff also discussed patience with the other children. They explained it was important to be patient with Shiloh and Meiling as communication using a book or tablet could take a little longer than speaking.

Activities to help the other children be inclusive

Children are more likely to be nervous about interacting with a child with a complex disability if they are unsure of what to do.

Look for opportunities to recognise and celebrate when children show inclusive attitudes and behaviours – positive reinforcement will encourage them to be inclusive.

Here are some activity ideas that will help the other children feel prepared to interact with children with complex disabilities:

• provide the children with situations and get them to have a go at acting out 'what to do' and 'what not to do'. For example: 'do ask the child if they want to join in your game', 'do ask for their permission when offering to help them with something, 'don't yell at them if they are getting frustrated and throwing toys'
• write and read short stories that describe social situations that children may find themselves in, and the positive behaviours they should use in these situations. Plan an activity where children write and share their own stories about including others with disabilities. Read children's books about disability at storytime
• invite the parents or carers of a child with a complex disability to visit your service and talk to the other children. They can explain what their child's disability means, what they like and don't like, and how the other children can interact with and include their children
• look for opportunities for children with and without disabilities to pair up and work together on an activity or during a game. This can help the children interact with each other and feel good by helping each other.

How you can influence the broader community

Your inclusive practices can have a ripple effect in the wider community.

Families that use your service may see their children developing values and feel more positive about living in a supportive and inclusive community. And local organisations may be influenced by your inclusive practices.

Provide your local community with easily accessible information about your service, including what you are doing to be inclusive and your capabilities and resources.

Case study: A positive partnership

OSHClusion* is an OSHC service. Its mission is to support the individual needs of children of all abilities.

Through advertisements, it makes its mission known to the community and it partners with a neighbouring day program that provides support for adults with disabilities. In an activity held once a term, the children spend time at a community garden with adults with disabilities.

This positive partnership means the children get the chance to meet other people and also take part in fun gardening activities.

Note: *OSHClusion is a fictional service used for this case study.

Your service will need to work with the child and their family to share information, understand the child's abilities and plan individual support.

Information your OSHC service needs from the family

• the child's strengths and interests
• the child's disability, safety and participation support needs
• the child's behaviour and support needs
• the child's health and personal care support needs
• the child's methods of communication
• medical documentation or support plans
• how the child's support needs are changing over time
• feedback on the child's experience at your service and the support they are receiving.

Information the family needs from your OSHC service

• the program and types of activities being run
• the staff's capabilities, training and experience
• the resources, facilities and equipment your service has access to
• your capacity and plans to include and support their child
• how their child is taking part, behaving and working towards their goals
• any incidents that occur to their child at your service.

You may also need to work with others in the child's support team (such as the child's school, disability workers and medical/health workers) to get detailed, specialist information about the child's needs.

How to help build the family's confidence

Some families may be nervous about sending a child with a complex disability to OSHC. They may have limited experience with mainstream services, be unsure of what to expect or be concerned about whether staff can provide complex support.

Communicate well with the family to address any concerns as this will help give the family confidence your service can support and keep their child safe.

Here are important questions to discuss with the family to help build confidence

• what inclusive policies are in place?
• what training has the staff received (have they had general training on how to include children with complex disabilities or specific training for providing individual medical care)?
• what activities will be run and how will their child be able to take part?
• what adjustments have been made to the environment to make sure their child will be comfortable and safe (for example, what hazards have been removed and how will noise levels be managed)?
• what support can they reasonably expect their child to receive (for example, what equipment do you have access to, and how much one-on-one versus group support will the child receive)?
• what are the safety and risk-management plans (both general and specific to their child)?

Many people play an important role in creating an inclusive environment for children with complex disabilities at your service.

They include the other children attending your service, the parents of these children, your staff and the broader community.

Encouraging all children to be inclusive

• role model respect, acceptance and understanding of diversity. For example, demonstrate ways to ask questions about disability that use appropriate language
• show the other children how to communicate and play with a peer with a complex disability
• answer questions from the children. For example, appropriately explaining why a peer uses a tablet or sign language to communicate
• show children with complex disabilities how to navigate social environments and relationships with peers.

Encouraging all parents to be inclusive

• communicate openly and welcome feedback from the parents
• be aware that parents may influence the way their children interact with peers with complex disabilities. Parents are role models who teach their children about respect, acceptance and understanding of diversity.

Encouraging staff to be inclusive

• foster supportive staff relationships; this enables staff to debrief, seek guidance, share ideas and address concerns
• make sure staff are aware that, as an expectation of their role, they need to develop skills to work with all children
• make sure staff are familiar with the children's individual profiles and support plans and can develop enriching educator-to-child relationships.

Encouraging the broader community to be inclusive

• partner with local organisations to open up your service to benefits such as sharing community resources, celebrating community achievements and receiving grants (for example, you may be able to apply for local council grants for facility upgrades or equipment)
• offer employment opportunities to people in the broader community
• inspire community services, such as schools, sporting clubs and youth organisations, to adopt inclusive practices.

Case study: Helping a family stay together

With school holidays looming, the parents of Jay*, a child with a complex disability, were facing an awful choice. With a lack of other care options available to support the family during the holiday period, they considered placing their child into foster care.

But after a meeting between Jay's parents, school and OSHC, Jay's OSHC enrolment was fast-tracked, staff were trained and, within a week, Jay was attending the service's holiday program. Jay then continued on to the after-school care program during the school term. OSHC helped Jay's family to stay together.

*Name has been changed.

Responding to questions and concerns

When a child with a complex disability attends your service, you may find yourself having difficult conversations with various people as you field questions and concerns.

These scenarios may involve the parents of the child, the parents of other children, the child's teachers, or medical and disability professionals.

It's important to make difficult conversations solution-focused. You may need to:

• request extra information
• devise strategies
• ask others to help at your service (such as support workers or therapists)
• explore equipment or resources.

Developing a positive, supportive relationship with the child and the important people in their life will help the child feel included and strengthen the family's trust in your service.

It's recommended you communicate openly with the child, their family/carers and their support team at both the enrolment and orientation phases, and keep communication channels open for as long as the child continues to attend your service.

How to communicate with the child

• allow every child, including those with complex disabilities, to provide input into the activities they take part in
• listening to the child's ideas and preferences when making decisions about what happens at Outside School Hours Care (OSHC). For example, include the child in talks about their health care needs or behaviours of concern. This will help them develop trust and ownership in the program.

How to communicate with the child's family/carers

• work with the family to gather information and understand the child's abilities, interests and support needs – families know their child the best
• communicate regularly so you have the most up-to-date information, particularly if the child's needs change often (possibly daily)
• have parent support meetings or a daily communication book, which may travel with the child between school, OSHC and home
• when communicating with the family, focus on positive experiences and outcomes, not only on challenges or incidents
• share feedback and information given to the family with the child's support team to help improve support strategies
• be aware some families may require additional support with tasks such as completing forms. Be responsive, patient and respectful of each family's circumstances.

How to communicate with the child's support team

• work closely with the care providers, such as disability and health workers, who give the child specialist and individualised support
• determine what is needed to meet the child's individual needs with the help of the support team, which often has a wealth of information about the child's specific support needs
• ask the team if they can share any tools, templates and resources to help you support the child, such as sensory profile information, communication boards, mobility equipment funded by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) or other assistive technology
• meet members of the team to discuss how to support a child's goals and development – this will help create a holistic approach.

How to communicate with the child's school

• ask what techniques and strategies work well for the child at school, so you can provide the same kind of support – schools have valuable insights
• where possible, shadow a lesson at the child's school to see inclusive practices that you can replicate
• communicate daily with the school about any incidents that have occurred, as the impact on the child may flow from one setting to another
• meet regularly with the school to build a positive relationship. A template for a partnership meeting agenda is available.

Children have different levels of disability, from mild to moderate to complex.

When planning your OSHC program, you will need to take into account the unique needs of the children with complex disabilities who attend your service. You will also need to adapt your program to make sure all activities can be done by everyone, including children with complex disabilities.

The National Quality Framework for education and care explains the standards for child-centred and individualised planning you should meet:

Below, learn how to achieve and exceed the National Quality Standard.

Introducing an individual support plan

An individual support plan is the most important document you will need to create for each child with a complex disability, to help you better understand the child. Staff should have easy access to this document.

An individual support plan covers a child's:

• background, personal circumstances and diagnosis
• strengths, interests and capabilities
• support needs such as medical, personal or communication supports (where required)
• positive behaviour support plans (where required)
• Child-centred and individualised planning areas

Child-centred and individualised planning areas

Resources

• Child enrolment questionnaire (DOCX - 362.32KB) – use this during conversations with the child with complex disability, their family and support team to develop the child's individual support plan and child profile.
• Individual support plan template (DOCX - 697.32KB) – use this to create an individual support plan for a child with a complex disability. An optional positive behaviour support plan is available in this template.
• Inclusive OSHC programming tool template (DOCX - 361.41KB) – use this when planning and designing your program and activities to make sure all children, including children with complex disabilities, are able to take part.

The IncludED@OSHC learning modules are hosted on the Learneyo platform. Register as a user to access the modules and to ensure technical compatibility use Google Chrome or Safari as your browser.

Child-centred approach

When your service takes a child-centred approach, this means it:

• plans and designs all aspects of the service to meet the individual needs and abilities of every child
• gives all children the same opportunity to access and participate in all parts of the service
• adjusts and tailors activities towards all children's unique needs
• includes the child, their family and support team in decision making
• makes the 'child's voice' and preferences a priority
• reflects and seeks feedback from all involved.

Examples of a child-centred approach

Below are examples of how you can adopt a child-centred approach at your service, and which quality area each example meets in the National Quality Framework Standards.

Example 1

You provide various art and craft options for children with different fine motor abilities (such as children who cannot hold a paintbrush).

This meets Quality Area 1 (program design): you have designed your program to support children with complex disabilities to participate on the same basis as their peers.

Example 2

You make notes on the daily or weekly program plan so staff know exactly what adjustments to make to the program. You help a child to navigate social interactions in a group performance activity.

This meets Quality Area 1 (individualised support): you have provided targeted support and made individualised adjustments so children can participate in program activities.

Example 3

You meet the child, their family, school and care professionals before enrolment, and then on an ongoing basis, to discuss support needs and strategies.

This meets Quality Areas 5 and 6 (collaborative partnerships): you have worked closely with the child, their family and support team to understand the child's abilities and individual support needs, and plan to meet those needs.

Ideas on how to seek input from a child with a complex disability

Ask the child to suggest ideas and help plan your program

Observe the child's actions

Enable creative participation

Let children help design the space

Invite children to run activities

Encourage children to help each other

Involve children in planning their support

Work with the child's family and support team

Ask the child for feedback

Case study: Meiling's experience at OSHC

Meiling is 8 years old, has cerebral palsy and uses a powered wheelchair. She does not have an intellectual disability and is very conscious of experiencing the same opportunities as all the other 8-year-olds at OSHC.

She is excited to spend more time with other kids her age and play new games at OSHC, as these are things she doesn't get to do as often as she would like.

Meiling asked if the OSHC could hold an athletics carnival, as this is something she's always wanted to do. The OSHC educators made sure to set up the athletics activities on the evenest ground outside and clear any objects, large rocks or branches to make sure it would be stable and safe for Meiling and all the other children.

Meiling was able to race the other children in her wheelchair and had a lot of fun. Her team even came second in the relay race!

The other children also loved the athletics carnival and thanked Meiling for her great idea. Meiling was very happy the OSHC used her suggestion and that everyone had as much fun as she did.

Activities

• Make sure children can choose from the same activity options as the other children.
• The appropriate level of 'choice' may differ between children. Some may be overwhelmed by too many options or need help to decide.

Play

• Some children may decide to not pick any activity options during playtime – opting, instead, to relax or take part in self-directed play. They may need help with self-directed play.
• Some children may be more likely to display escalated behaviours during unstructured play and will require greater supervision (to reduce this likelihood, consider creating a timetable for the child with more scheduled activities).

Accessibility

• Create a space in which children can independently move about, switch between activities or play areas, and go inside or outside with little help (make sure doors are easy to open).
• Place equipment and toys somewhere that all children can access (unless there is a safety reason to keep them out of reach). The Inclusion Development Fund and the Specialist Equipment Library may be able to help your service with equipment and toys.

Spaces

• A child may prefer a space to relax or play depending on their emotional state or energy that day. Set up different play areas so children can choose between quiet and busier spaces, and group or solo play. Rugs and floor markings to mark a space can work well.
• To keep activities away from busy entries and exits, so children are less distracted and the activities are calmer.

Case study: Jamie gets to be a role model

Jamie is 15 years old and has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder and an intellectual disability.

As the oldest child at his OSHC, he sees himself as a role model and leader. He likes to invent his own games for others to play and enjoys the responsibility of running activities and his favourite games for the other children.

This also provides him with the opportunity to work on his goal of practising playing with others without displaying aggressive behaviours when he thinks someone is cheating or if he loses a game.

Children with complex disabilities have the ability, and the right, to make their own decisions. But they may need help, such as information presented in a few different ways, more time to consider choices, and guidance from family, friends or educators.

For some children, multiple options are overwhelming and can cause confusion or emotional distress or make reaching a decision harder.

Simple ways you can help a child with a disability make decisions

• Present two or three clear and simple options
• Give children a sticker to place next to their preferred activity option on your routine chart for the day
• Ask a child to lead an educator to their preferred area or resource
• Give the child plenty of time to make a decision. Some children may need more time to understand and process the options presented
• If the child is struggling to decide, gently suggest an option they will enjoy (such as an activity they have enjoyed in the past)
• Provide opportunities for the child to try other options in rotation
• Be flexible if the child changes their mind, wants to join a new activity, takes a break or moves to unstructured play

Case study: Supporting Shiloh to make decisions

Shiloh has a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and communicates using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) tablets and communication boards.

She can become confused and overwhelmed when she finds things too complicated at OSHC. Shiloh benefits from situations where she is presented with just a few clear options simply explained, so she feels confident about making a decision without becoming overwhelmed.

The OSHC service gives Shiloh her own personal schedule at the start of every program, which outlines the activities planned for the entire OSHC in a simple way, using pictures. Shiloh can see all the activities in advance, which gives her lots of time to think about the options and choose what she wants to do. Shiloh places stickers next to the activities she wants to do, to show the staff what she wants to participate in.

When creating your program, make sure every planned activity and unstructured play option is also suitable for the children with complex disabilities who also use your service. The individual support plan for a child with a complex disability will help your program plan.

Do not provide separate activities for children with complex disabilities, as this is not inclusive.

Adjust the parts of your program or environment that don't meet the needs of all children, and support individual children to take part.

If adolescents with complex disabilities attend your service, adjust your program so it also reflects the abilities, interests and maturity of their age group.

Planning excursions can be more complex. Carefully plan those to make sure all children can take part. You will need to include how to handle the extra risks associated with the outing.

The importance of ‘child agency’

Child agency is defined as children being able to make choices and decisions that influence their world and experiences.

Children with complex disabilities have the same right as other children to influence what they do at OSHC. Make sure that children with complex disabilities 'have a say' in their experience at your service.

Some children may communicate without speech or express themselves in ways that are different to others. It's important they have input in the way that best suits them.

Ways you can help a child have input

• look for opportunities for the child to express their ideas and help make decisions
• give the child the chance to show their capabilities and maturity by being responsible for a task
• ask the child what their interests are and think of ways they could pursue those interests
• ask the child to set goals and work towards them
• consider the level of independence that is appropriate for the child's age and ability.

The 'My Time, Our Place' Framework (PDF, 542KB) for School Aged Care in Australia states that all children have the right to be included in OSHC.

The Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority states that supporting children's agency (PDF, 1.2MB) is about recognising that children have a right to make choices and decisions and are capable.

It's important that children feel their preferences are heard, and their decisions are accepted and respected.

Staff should not try to encourage children to alter decisions once they are made, even if they believe another choice may be more suitable to the child's interests or abilities.

The only time it may be appropriate to overrule a child's decision or preference is if it creates a safety risk or potential harm.

When children have choices, they:

• feel more confident and develop their independence
• can build their sense of identity and explore individual interests
• start to take on responsibility and become more conscious of the impact of their actions
• are more likely to take part in the program and enjoy activities, especially if they have been involved in the planning process and can see their ideas incorporated.

Children with complex disabilities may gravitate towards activities they already know and that feel familiar. To encourage children to try new things, brainstorm activities with the child, and test ideas to see what the child is open to or excited about trying.

Staff may need help in building their knowledge, capabilities and confidence in working with children with complex disabilities.

The National Quality Framework for education and care explains the standards for supporting staff and educators you should meet:

Staff may need help in building their knowledge, capabilities and confidence in working with children with complex disabilities.

The National Quality Framework for education and care explains the standards for supporting staff and educators you should meet:

• Quality Area 4 – Staffing arrangements: staff are supported to deliver care and support that meets professional standards, and are able to collaborate and learn from each other.
• Quality Area 7 – Governance and leadership: staff are supported to undertake learning and development, and their performance is assessed to identify improvement opportunities.

Below, learn how to achieve and exceed the National Quality Standard.

How to support staff

Staff are likely to turn to their leaders for guidance in how to support children with complex disabilities. Here are ways to help them develop their skills and confidence:

• give staff opportunities to identify and address their knowledge gaps through professional learning, such as training in personal care or disability. Make sure they have enough time to complete their studies and professional learning
• hold meetings to reflect and debrief on how sessions have run gone and any incidents that have occurred. Whether one-on-one or in a team, they will help create a positive professional learning environment that acknowledges it can take a few attempts to become familiar with something different, such as supporting children with complex disabilities
• meet regularly with each staff member to reflect on performance and goals, such as demonstrating inclusive attitudes and behaviours
• encourage staff to ask questions openly and seek advice.

Communities of practice

Part one of the IncludED@OSHC learning journey

As a leader of OSHC, you play a crucial role in making sure children with complex disability are included in your service. Your job as a leader, after all, is to lead the way.

In an organisation, leaders are typically responsible for:

• organisational culture
• professional learning
• program development
• individualised support.

These responsibilities are reflected in the National Quality Standard – governance and leadership:

Creating an inclusive culture in your OSHC

Below are three important ways you can lead the way in creating a culture in your OSHC service that includes children with complex disabilities.

Role model inclusive behaviour

• As a core part of your service, show how committed you are to making children feel included
• Be open and willing to try new things, take advice and continuously improve
• Lead by example at an operational level, engage with all levels of staff and be ready and willing to provide hands-on support and care to children with complex disabilities
• Champion inclusive practice by being an inclusive employer and recruiting staff members with disabilities
• Establish close working relationships with schools so you can learn about their inclusive experiences

Introduce inclusive policies and practice

• Set expectations, policies and procedures to support children with complex disabilities
• Develop individual support plans adjustments for the children
• Communicate your service's expectations and policies to all staff, parents/carers, families and program partners
• Make sure your inclusive policies and practices are in line with the requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992

Embed and embrace the IncludED@OSHC framework

• Put in place all seven elements of the framework
• Make sure staff have access to the resources and equipment they need to deliver services and support
• Identify what funding is available for extra support from sources such as the Inclusion Support Program or community grants
• Help staff access professional development so they can better understand how to provide care to the children

Part five of the IncludED@OSHC learning journey

Children with complex disabilities need to feel safe in their environment and also with staff and peers.

Safety is not just physical safety – it includes emotional, psychological and cultural safety.

At your service, you will need to create safe spaces, minimise risks and support children's physical and mental wellbeing.

The National Quality Framework for education and care explains the standards for safe environments you should meet

Below, learn how to achieve and exceed the National Quality Standard.

Safe environment pages

Resources

• Risk management plan templates (docx - 404.54kb) – use these when developing risk management plans.

• Individual support plan template (docx - 697.32kb) – use the optional section ‘behaviour support plan’ section in this template as part of a child’s individual support plan.

The IncludED@OSHC learning modules are hosted on the Learneyo platform. Register as a user to access the modules and to ensure technical compatibility use Google Chrome or Safari as your browser.

These modules are relevant to this section:

A continuation of part five in the IncludED@OSHC learning journey, safe environments.

It's not possible to remove all risks from your environment, but they will need to be planned for and managed.

Common risks

Some risks may be more common with a child with a complex disability. They are:

• risk of a child harming themselves. The child may have a physical disability that makes them more prone to injury or cognitive impairment that means they do not understand the risks
• risks of a child harming others. A child with challenging behaviours may have aggressive outbursts and accidentally hurt other children or staff
• risks associated with personal care, such as toileting, feeding, mobility or giving medication. This can lead to occupational health and safety risks for both the child and the staff member. Staff may need to have extra training to reduce these risks
• risks associated with a child damaging property, such as breaking a window.

Case study: Keeping Amir safe

Amir loves the different activities and toys he gets to play with at his OSHC service. However, he struggles to remember rules and positive behaviours. Amir will often take toys from others and run away to avoid having to give them back. The service is on a busy main road and needs to keep Amir safe in case he tries to run out of the service with a toy.

To manage this risk, the educators gather information and strategies from Amir's support team, including Amir's father. They make sure the facility doors and gates are always closed. They have also assessed whether it is possible for Amir or another child to climb over any of the fences. They have moved the toy corner to the spot furthest away from any of the exits to give more time for an educator to stop Amir if he tries to run away with a toy.

How to manage risks

Risk management will help you identify health and safety hazards and know how to respond if an incident occurs.

It makes sure you can run your activities and include children with complex disabilities, even when a risk has been identified.

The parents of the other children may have safety concerns, such as their child being hurt or intimidated by a child with escalated behaviours. Address these concerns by telling parents about your risk management plans and strategies.

For excursions, be sure to develop separate risk assessments and risk management plans. Excursions often have different risks because of the kinds of activities they involve and because they take place in external, more unfamiliar environments.

Children can still be exposed to risks or participate in activities that have some level of risk, as long as the risks have been identified and reduced to a manageable level.

You will need to create a risk management plan to identify risks and develop strategies to control or reduce their impact or likelihood. A template risk management plan (docx - 404.54kb) is available to support you. Frequently review and update your risk management strategies.

You will need a risk management plan before activities such as:

• excursions
• incursions
• accepting a new enrolment from a child with a complex disability
• emergency evacuations, lockdowns and other procedural drills
• evacuations or lockdowns because of escalating behaviours
• temporarily moving your service to a new area while renovating.

Case study: Risk planning for an excursion with Jamie

Jamie's OSHC is going on an excursion to a local museum this week. His OSHC has identified a number of risks due to Jamie's disability.

He might refuse to follow instructions, get distracted, or run off during the museum tour. He also might display aggressive behaviours when playing in the interactive children's exhibit.

Jamie's OSHC has planned to manage these. There will be enough staff on the excursion so one staff member can follow Jamie if he tries to wander off. If Jamie struggles to pay attention during the tour or gets agitated or frustrated in the children's exhibit, he can be taken to the playground, which is open to all children when they want a break. Jamie has said his goal for the excursion is to see all the exhibits and 'play nicely' with everyone. The educators will continue to remind him of his goal throughout the day.

What to include in a risk management plan

Use these headings and explanations to help you document your plan:

Identified hazards

Identify any threats to the health and safety of children or staff at your service.

Risk description

Explain the risks associated with the hazard and what impact they may have on health and safety.

Impact assessment

Rate and assess the likelihood of the risk occurring (high, medium or low) and the extent of the impact on safety.

Control plan

Explain how to manage or reduce identified risks, and how to monitor hazards and risks.

Response actions

Explain your strategies and actions if an identified risk occurs.

Regular reviews

Review whether there are any new hazards or changes to the likelihood or impact of hazards. Update your control and response strategies if required.

Responding to incidents

Even if you've planned for risks, an incident could still occur. If this happens, you should already have a response plan in place that identifies what needs to be done.

Worst-case scenarios are highly unlikely to occur when risk management plans have been put in place. However, response plans should still be developed for all types of incidents, from the milder (such as when a child falls down and scrapes their knees in the playground) to critical incidents (such as when a child runs away from your service and on to a busy main road).

Some incidents may lead to emergencies that require you to enact your emergency management plan. This plan should give details of when to evacuate, when to call an ambulance and when to notify parents.

A child with a complex disability may require their own personal emergency management or evacuation plan (such as a child who cannot hear an emergency alarm or has past trauma triggered by the sound of an emergency alarm).

Help the other children learn how to respond when an incident happens. Role model calmness, use simple language and be consistent in your response (for example, always evacuate in the same way to the same space) so children know what to expect and remember what to do.

You will need to have reporting policies and processes in place for any incidents that occur (such as reporting the incident and seeking medical care for an injured child).

Case study: Escalating behaviours

At one OSHC service, a child with a complex disability has escalated behaviours, including throwing objects and attempting to wreck the space around them.

When the child's behaviour escalates to this point, the service's incident response plan is to evacuate the other children from the space and have them participate in an outdoor game or move their activities to available gym space. This keeps all the children safe and provides the necessary space and time for the child with escalated behaviours to self-regulate, which usually takes about 45 minutes.

Some children with complex disabilities express behaviours of concern.

Behaviours of concern are escalated behaviours that can impact the wellbeing or physical safety of the child or people around them. This behaviour can disrupt day-to-day life and activities.

The behaviour may involve emotional outbursts, shouting or screaming, violent reactions, running away or loss of control.

It's important that staff understand it is the behaviour that is of concern, not the child.

The behaviours happen for reasons that are individual to each child. They are triggered by environments or situations. They are not the result of a child being 'bad' or 'naughty'.

Triggers include stress, anger, anxiety, fear, sensory overload, being overwhelmed or tired. They often occur when a child moves from a state of calm to experiencing agitation or strong emotions.

Children with complex disabilities may express these behaviours because they can't clearly verbalise their feelings or regulate their emotions.

Some behaviours of concern may pose safety risks. The child could hurt themselves, other children or staff, or damage property.

Your service can help a child manage and change their behaviour patterns by creating a positive behaviour support plan.

Behaviour support plan

This is a plan that details how to respond to and support a child's specific behavioural needs or escalated behaviours. It provides staff with information on what behaviours to look out for, how to respond and how to help the child de-escalate their behaviours and replace them with more positive responses.

When developing a behaviour support plan:

• check if the child already has a behaviour support plan from their school, family or disability support provider
• if they do not have a behaviour support plan, develop one with the child, their family and support team using the individual support plan downloadable template (docx 697kb)
• make sure the plan is individualised to the child – a strategy that works for one child may not work for another
• ask the child, family and support team about the behaviours of concern, the triggers and what support the child needs
• agree and document the strategies
• make sure all staff are aware of and understand the plan
• work out if you need to adjust your program or spaces
• regularly monitor and review the child's behaviour and the impact of the strategies, and update the plan if needed
• regularly discuss any behaviours or incidents with the child, their family and support team
• provide and ask for feedback from the child and their family on the child's behaviour and how you can improve your support
• discuss the child's needs with their school and other support professionals, and put in place consistent strategies.

Behaviour support plans may include:

• information on the child, such as their strengths, motivators, likes and dislikes
• agreed behavioural or developmental goals
• supports or adjustments to meet the child's behavioural needs
• stimuli, triggers, emotions or events that may escalate the behaviour
• signs of escalation to look out for
• strategies to manage or de-escalate the behaviour when needed.

Case study: Behaviour support planning with Jamie

Jamie is a 15-year-old who goes to OSHC. He has a lot of energy and loves playing games that involve a lot of running around and aren't too complicated, such as soccer or tag.

Jamie sometimes displays escalated behaviours, including verbal aggression to other children if he loses a game. As he is physically larger than most of the other children at the service, the educators need to make sure that Jamie is quickly supported to safely let out his energy and calm down when he displays aggressive behaviour.

The service met with Jamie, his parents, teachers and National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) psychologist to discuss strategies to help de-escalate Jamie's aggression at the service.

Jamie responds well to being offered a break to run around the yard and 'get out' any angry words. He joins back in the game when he feels calm. The other children understand that sometimes Jamie will take a break in the middle of the game, and the educators make sure to adjust the activity so that no child is disadvantaged by Jamie taking a break.

Self-regulation

Some children with complex disabilities have difficulties with self-regulation.

Self-regulation is a child's ability to understand what is happening around them and manage their social interactions, behaviour and emotional reactions.

You can help a child to self-regulate by providing the time and space they need and adjusting your program and space.

Make your program consistent, stable and familiar, with clear expectations. Here are ways to adjust your program to help children self-regulate:

• develop a structured program with a consistent routine
• make information about the program easily understandable to all children (use both words and pictures, for example)
• schedule staff to work on consistent days and times. If a staff member is leaving, develop a transition plan to help children adjust and connect with new staff members
• to avoid changing or rearranging the environment – keep it predictable and familiar. If the location has to change, it's very important to provide children with advance notice and involve them in the transition plan. This may include using some of the existing resources and decor to make sure the children feel connected to the new location
• provide choices for activities so children can choose those that feel familiar or comfortable or that they feel confident in doing.

Case study: Providing structure for Shiloh

Shiloh has a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and thrives on routine and structure. She uses a routine chart at school, so her OSHC service set up a similar chart on the wall to outline the day's activities.

Shiloh and the other children can now clearly see the plan for the day when they arrive. Shiloh was also given her own personal schedule so she can choose what she wants to do.

How to support a child to self-regulate using an individualised approach

You can help children self-regulate by providing individual support. The ways a child likes to be supported should be described in their individual support plan. Here are some ideas you may see in an individual support plan to help a child to self-regulate:

• offer a child the chance to take a break from the activity, environment or being around others
• ask a child about their emotions and validate what they are feeling
• take a child through a calming or distracting activity, such as reading their favourite story
• provide an object that a child finds comforting or relaxing, such as a favourite toy, book or blanket
• give the child the chance to release their energy if they need to, such as running around in the yard.

Once the child is calm, the following strategies can help them reflect on what has happened and build self-regulation skills for next time:

• talk about what positive self-regulation responses look like
• roleplay or encourage the child to practise alternative positive responses
• recognise and acknowledge when the child self-regulates and uses positive responses
• brainstorm with the child what strategies work for them, and what they can do in the next challenging situation.

Each child is different and therefore will respond to different self-regulation strategies. Discuss with the child, their family and support team the strategies that work well at school or home that could be copied at your service.

Case study: Helping Shiloh to self-regulate

Shiloh can often become overwhelmed and struggle to self-regulate when she hears loud noises. In response, her Outside of Schools Hours Care (OSHC) service has reduced excessive noise and music. Staff have also put in place strategies to support her when she feels overwhelmed.

The strategies include providing her with her 'comfort blanket' to hold and helping her focus on something structured and easy for her to understand, such as slowly counting to 10 or finding all the blue objects around the room.

How to adjust your spaces to help children self-regulate

Small adjustments to your environment can help children self-regulate. Here are some ideas:

• minimise potential triggers for sensory overload. Assess colours and smells in your space, reduce excess noise and stimulation by turning off music, and space out activity stations
• provide different areas of play so children can choose where they spend their time based on their preferences for noise, activity or level of interaction
• provide positive and safe spaces to discuss and debrief about emotions
• locate quieter or more relaxing activities in spaces away from doors or pick-up spaces where people tend to gather
• create movement spaces such as 'ninja warrior' zones where children can play with high energy
• introduce 'emotion charts' or 'zones of regulation' so children can visually indicate how they are feeling, and whether they prefer to be around others or need more space to relax that day.

Case study: Creating different spaces to help children self-regulate

An OSHC service uses moveable equipment, such as storage 'cubby holes' on wheels, as a creative way to divide its room into several spaces. The cubby holes are moved around to block off areas for quiet or regulation spaces.

Visual materials are stuck to the back of the cubby holes to help children work through self-regulation exercises. An iPad with a meditation session is also available to help children relax.

A continuation of part five in the IncludED@OSHC learning journey, safe environments.

There are ways to set up indoor and outdoor spaces that will help children with complex disabilities feel physically, emotionally and culturally safe. Small adjustments to environments can significantly improve safety.

Here are some ideas on how to create safe safes:

Physical safety

• clear or widen walkways
• remove any injury or tripping hazards (make sure equipment is packed away when not needed)
• consider how you will supervise children who may be at risk of running away – think about your entry and exit points and how your area is enclosed
• select softer toys that are less likely to cause injury if stood on or thrown
• provide safe play equipment for a range of ability levels, such as children with mobility or neurological conditions.

Emotional safety

• make sure children feel safe to express their feelings, which will be recognised and addressed
• make sure they know everyone cares about them and is there to support them
• set up ‘emotion charts’ so children can visually indicate how they are feeling
• get specialist training so you can effectively support children who have experienced trauma – many children with complex disabilities have also experienced trauma.

Cultural safety

• create a space that reflects the children’s cultural diversity – put up decorations that celebrate cultural events and have books that tell stories about children with disabilities and from different cultural backgrounds.

Part six of the IncludED@OSHC learning journey

Giving a child with a complex disability the chance to engage with local community groups has many benefits.

Not only does it bring new experiences into the child's life, but it also enables your OSHC service to:

• share resources with another organisation
• promote your service
• raise general awareness of how to include children with complex disabilities in the community.

Examples of organisations you could partner with include local football clubs, men's sheds and dance classes.

The National Quality Framework for education and care explains the standards for community engagement and partnerships your service should meet.

It spells out the standards in Quality Area 6(opens in a new window) – Collaborative partnerships with families and communities: working with other community groups, schools, disability or care providers to improve the support provided to children with complex disabilities in OSHC.

Below, learn how to achieve and exceed the National Quality Standard.

How to partner with local organisations

There are many ways to team up with local organisations. Here are some ideas:

• invite cultural groups to your service to show the children diverse backgrounds and recognise important events such as Reconciliation Week. Make these partnerships ongoing, rather than only coinciding with calendar events
• invite community groups to teach the children new skills they would find interesting
• invite adult disability groups to help lead an activity
• take the children on an excursion to your local library for storytelling or to visit residents of an aged care facility
• take the children to a local sporting club that offers all-abilities sports in a mainstream setting
• explore partnerships that already exist between the school and community organisations.

If a child decides to be regularly involved in a particular group or activity, you can help them settle in with the group. This may include organising enrolment meetings with the family and community group and helping the child to get ready to go from OSHC to an afternoon activity.

How to partner with other organisations

By teaming up with other organisations, including those in the health and disability field, your service can better meet the needs of a child with a complex disability. Here are some ideas on how to partner with these groups

• partner with disability organisations, such as advocacy bodies or disability support providers, to help them better understand specific disabilities and support needs
• guide these groups on how to provide individual support to meet the needs of a child with a complex disability
• partner with training providers to upskill your staff
• explore existing relationships children and families have with disability support organisations, schools, care professionals and NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) providers
• build relationships with other organisations that work with the child and their family, so they can better understand the child's needs and develop a consistent approach to providing support.

Part seven of the IncludED@OSHC learning journey

Plenty of resources are available to help you include children with complex disabilities at your service. It's important you know how to access them.

The National Quality Framework for education and care explains the resourcing standards your service should meet:

Below, learn how to achieve and exceed the National Quality Standard.

How to get support and funds

How to get suitable equipment

How to create inclusive spaces

As a leader of OSHC, you play a crucial role in making sure children with complex disabilities are included in your service. Your job as a leader, after all, is to lead the way.

Learning modules

The IncludED@OSHC learning modules are hosted on the Learneyo platform. Register as a user to access the modules and to ensure technical compatibility use Google Chrome or Safari as your browser.

• Learning module 1: Introduction to complex disability and inclusion – introduces complex disability and how to include children with complex disabilities in your service.
  
• Learning module 2: Working collaboratively – introduces a child's support team, and how to work together with a child and their support team in your service.
  
• Learning module 3: Program planning for children with complex disabilities – overviews how to plan and design your program to include children with complex disabilities, plan individual support and adjust your service so the children can take part.
  
• Learning module 4: Positive behaviour support – covers how to support positive behaviour at your service.
  
• Learning module 5: Health and personal care support needs – introduces you to the individual health care and personal care support that children with complex disabilities may require at your service.
  
• Learning module 6: Supporting children with complex communication needs – overviews your service can communicate with children who use augmentative and alternative methods of communication.
  
• Learning module 7: Supporting adolescents with complex disabilities in OSHC – introduces how to support adolescents with complex disabilities in your program.
  
• Learning module 8: Risk management planning – covers how to manage risks and safety and how to develop a risk management plan.
  
• Learning module 9: Diversity, trauma and complex disabilities – covers how to consider the safety and wellbeing of children with complex disabilities who come from diverse backgrounds or have experienced trauma.

Tools and templates

The following tools and templates can be adapted at your OSHC service to support you to embed inclusive OSHC practices.

• OSHC service assessment tool (docx - 370.46kb) – use this tool as a starting point. It will help you assess how your service is already inclusive and what areas need improving. It will also introduce you to the seven topics of the IncludED@OSHC framework.
  
• Risk management plan templates (docx - 404.54kb) – use these when developing risk management plans.
  
• Individual support plan template (docx - 697.32kb) – use this to capture the goals, interests, strengths and needs of each child at your service. Where needed, include optional sections 'behaviour support plan' and 'medical and personal care plan' in this template as part of a child's individual support plan.
  
• School/provider partnership meeting agenda (docx - 360.87kb) – use this when you meet and work with the schools of children with complex disabilities.
  
• Inclusive OSHC weekly program template (docx - 361.41kb) – use this when planning and designing your program and activities to make sure all children, including children with complex disabilities, can take part.
  
• Child enrolment profile questionnaire (docx - 362.32kb) – use this during enrolment conversations with the child with complex disability, their family and support team to develop the child's individual support plan and child profile.

Additional resources and support

• National Quality Framework – The National Quality Framework (NQF) provides a national approach to regulation, assessment and quality improvement for early childhood education and care and outside school hours care services across Australia.
  
• National Quality Standard – The National Quality Standard (NQS) sets a national benchmark for early childhood education and care and outside school hours care services in Australia.
  
• ACECQA – The Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) supports all governments and the education and care sector by providing guidance, resources and services to support the sector to improve outcomes for children.
  
• Inclusion Support Program – The Inclusion Support Program offers support for child care services including OSHC across Australia to address barriers to inclusion.