Child Care - City of Darebin

Child CareWaiting ListINFORMATION SHEETDarebin City Council administers the Child Care Waiting List on behalf of community managed participating childcare centres that are located in Darebin.The primary objective of this Waiting List is to simplify the application process for child care for Darebin familiesand to offer a fair and equitable allocation system. Council does not administer on behalf of private child carecentres, they should be contacted directly.Eligibility to attend Child CareTo commence child care a child must be between 3-6 months.(The minimum age varies between centres)When to apply for Child CareFamilies can apply for child care from birth onwards. Applications can be submitted any time throughout theyear. Families will be required to update their details if they wish to remain on the Child Care Waiting List.Email or letter reminders will be sent to families requesting this information on a six monthly basis.Please note: In the event of details not being updated the child’s name will be made inactive on thesystem and no allocations can occur until details are updated.Priority of AccessIn accordance with the Commonwealth Priority of Access Guidelines, places will be allocated according to thefollowing criteria:• Priority 1 – Resident child at risk of serious abuse or neglect• Priority 2 – Resident child of a single parent who satisfies, or of parents who both satisfy thework/training/study test under section 14 of the Family Assistance Act.• Priority 3 – Any other child (please note: Darebin residents will receive priority)Within all priority categories, priority will be given to the following children:• children in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families• children with a disability or in families which include a disabled person• children in families on lower incomes• children in families with a non-English speaking background• children in socially isolated families• children of single parentsWhere are application forms available?Application forms are available from:1. www.darebin.vic.gov.au/childcare2. City of Darebin Customer Service Centres3. Child Care Centres4. Maternal and Child Health CentresConfirmation and changes to applicationApplications received will be acknowledged within four weeks of receipt of application by email or in writing fromthe Centralised Waiting List Office.Changes to your application (for example address; telephone number, child care venue preference, days, workdetails, extended holidays, child development) need to be made in writing or emailed to the below addressCancellation of applications can be lodged in writing at any time.Address: Child Care Centralised Waiting List, P.O Box 91 Preston VIC 3072Email: childcarewaitinglist@darebin.vic.gov.au

Allocation ProceduresPreference will be made to priority groups (outlined above) based on the date of application and the age ofthe child at the time of the vacancy.Children within the same priority group will then be allocated based on the date of application, the child’sage at the time of the vacancy. (For example: the vacancy is in the 0-2 room, and the child’s age is withinthis age range and the day’s suit)SiblingsSiblings of children already attending the centre will be given priority weighting in the allocation process. Toensure Priority of Access Guidelines is adhered to siblings must be allocated through the waiting listsystem.Child Care Centre notifies the Child Care Waiting List Office of vacancy↓The Child Care Centralised Waiting List Team will contact the family and/or support worker whenapplicable to offer a place↓Families will be sent a letter via email/mail confirming a place. The family is required to contact the centrewithin a specified time frame↓The Child Care Centralised Waiting List Team will email details of the child/family to the centre once theplace has been confirmed↓The centre will complete the enrolment process with the family. At this time the family is able to negotiatetheir requirements with the service (starting date)↓It is the family’s responsibility to inform the centre as soon as possible if they are not accepting the placefor their childIf no contact is made with the centre the Child Care Centralised Waiting List Team will then allocatethe place to the next child/family on the waiting list according to the information on the data baseThis process will be repeated until the vacancy is filled (families who are not contactable with beleft a phone message or email, detailing that they need to respond before 5pm the next businessday or the place will be reallocated)Enquiries for child care should be directed to the City of Darebin Child Care Centralised Waiting List Teamvia email: childcarewaitinglist@darebin.vic.gov.au or 8470 8118 / 8470 8100For all other privately management childcare centres within Darebin please visit: www.darebin.org→ community directory → children services → child care privately managed.PO Box 91, Preston, Vic 3072274 Gower Street, Preston, Vic 3072Tel: (03) 8470 8888 Fax: (03) 8470 8877TTY (Hearing Impaired): 8470 8470Multilingual Telephone Line: 8470 8470Email: mailbox@darebin.vic.gov.auWebsite: www.darebin.vic.gov.au