What is The Infants’ Home ‘Integrated ECEC Service’

The Infants’ Home brings together (or ‘integrates’) early intervention and early childhood education and care (ECEC) within our daily childcare programs for all children. This is achieved by having speech pathologists and occupational therapists working with early childhood educators and teachers directly with the children in the education and care services each day.

A speech pathologist and an occupational therapist are assigned to each childcare centre. They work with educators to deliver a play-based learning program for all children. Having regular therapists attending each program:

• ensures continuity for children
• supports consistency in the focused support provided for children with additional needs
• builds on the educational program for all enrolled children

The combined team of therapists and educators is known at The Infants’ Home as the ‘Integrated Team’.

Early intervention is the process of providing specialised support for children to aid their development, wellbeing and ability to take part in their community. Early intervention is important for all children, and especially for children who need extra support due to disability, developmental delays or complex challenges. Every child at The Infants’ Home, regardless of their needs, benefits from access to therapeutic support within their centre each day by having access to the Integrated Team of professionals working in the service.

As an Integrated ECEC service, The Infants’ Home uses a Response to Intervention (RTI) model. This is an evidence-based model where the levels of early intervention are increased in direct response to the specific needs identified for individual children and families. The model also includes a commitment to maintaining staffing ratios that operate above the base regulatory requirement.

Universal support for all children

High-quality integrated early childhood programs for all children at The Infants’ Home are the foundation of RTI. The Integrated Team works with all children, and informally assesses each child’s strengths and needs through daily observations of their play, learning and interactions. The model builds the whole team’s capacity. The educational program’s delivery draws on innovative, current and best practices approaches to supporting children’s development, mental health and wellbeing.

Integrated Child Plans (ICPs) are maintained for every child, to record information about children’s learning and development, strategies and goals.

Each child at The Infants’ Home is assigned ‘focus educator’ who is principally responsible for overseeing that child’s learning and development.

Increased individualised support

When the need for more focused support for a child or family is identified, a more collaborative and coordinated approach is required. Strategies and goals are planned jointly by the family, focus educator, therapists and centre director. These are included in the child’s ICP, and progress is reviewed, with the team and family touching base regularly to assess progress and decide next steps as needed.

Coordinated support for children with high-level or complex needs

Children and families with complex needs and/or children who have a diagnosed disability, or significant developmental concerns, are assigned a family coordinator. A team is created around the child and family to provide coordinated early intervention and family support, usually over an extended period. This team includes the family coordinator, a therapist, the centre director, the child’s focus educator and, if necessary, the Child and Family Practitioner (social worker). Liaison with external therapists or agencies working with the child and family ensures that the Integrated Team embeds any strategies and interventions within the natural play-based education and care environment at The Infants’ Home.

Children and families receiving a more coordinated approach experience this within their familiar mainstream early childhood education and care environment. Throughout their attendance in a high-quality education and care program, children are fully supported, and their development is documented to ensure that short and long terms goals are monitored and achieved.

• The Integrated Team provides innovative, evidenced-based learning programs for all children covering all aspects of learning and development. These are delivered with the professional expertise of both educators and therapists.
• The Integrated Team works together to meet every child’s needs and to monitor every child’s progress and development.
• Each child receives the level of support they need to learn, develop and thrive within their mainstream and inclusive education and care setting.
• Support and early intervention are provided for children in their familiar education and care setting, by the professionals they see every day.
• The focussed teams around children and families ensure that support is coordinated and consistent, and that families do not have to repeat their ‘story’ to multiple people.
• Early intervention support is provided as part of The Infants’ Home’s regular early childhood education and care programs.
• The need for intervention is identified early, meaning that it can be delivered during the critical period from birth to five years, increasing the likelihood of better short- and long-term outcomes for children.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please email us at childrensservices@theinfantshome.org.au.