HUME CITY COUNCIL
POLICY
Vacation Care Enrolment Policy
Policy Ref. No: CP2003/08/49
Date Adoption: 8 September 2003
Date Amended: -
Date of Review: -
Responsible Officer: Manager Community Services / Coordinator Youth Accommodation and Support
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 This policy is designed to provide fair and equitable access to Vacation Care for families who work, live or send their children to school in the Hume City Council municipality.
2 POLICY STATEMENT
2.1 To ensure fair and equitable access to Vacation Care Services provided by Hume City Council, all enrolments for vacation care must be in accordance with the requirements contained in this policy and will be accessed in line with the priority rankings.
3 POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
3.1 Conditions of Enrolment and Assessment
3.1.1 Vacation Care enrolment applications are accepted by mail and at Council Offices until the advertised closing date.
3.1.2 All enrolments will be placed into priority groups as described in the Community Based Outside School Hours Care Handbook and given individual numbers. Priority one is children at risk of abuse or neglect and families in crisis. Priority two is families with recognised work or work-related commitments. Priority three is all other enrolments.
3.1.3 Enrolment selection will be performed in order of priority groups through a ballot system. Confirmation of enrolment will take place only after the ballot has been performed.
3.1.4 An independent community representative will supervise the ballot system.
3.1.5 Payment is not required with enrolment form. Full payment for all booked days must be received by the payment closing date to secure enrolment.
3.1.6 Hume City Council through Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services approval offers families reduced fees for Vacation Care through Child Care Benefit. Full fees will be charged to families who have not had their Child Care Benefit eligibility confirmed. Families who have been charged the full fee but are eligible for reduced fees will receive a refund after their Child Care Benefit eligibility is confirmed.
3.1.7 Enrolments outside of this procedure will not be accepted.
3.2 Procedure
3.2.1 Promotion
3.2.1.1 Enrolment forms will be sent to:
· All families who have used Vacation Care in the past 12 months.
· All families with children at Primary School in the Hume City Council municipality.
3.2.1.2 Enrolment Forms will be distributed no later than five weeks before the end of each school term.
3.2.2 Completing the enrolment form
3.2.2.1 Families must indicate which days they would like to book on their enrolment form.
3.2.2.2 Payment is required for all booked days.
3.2.2.3 REFUNDS WILL NOT BE GIVEN FOR CANCELLATIONS.
3.2.2.4 Enrolment forms must be completed clearly and accurately to avoid processing delays.
3.2.2.5 It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to complete the enrolment form accurately.
3.2.3 Calculating how much you have to pay
3.2.3.1 The formula used to calculate your fees will be displayed on the program brochure.
3.2.3.2 Families will be able to contact a Vacation Care enrolment officer by telephone to receive a verbal quote for their Vacation Care fees. The telephone number and dates this service will be available will be advertised in the program brochure.
3.2.3.3 An on-line fee quote service is available at www.oshcas.com.au/humevac.
3.2.4 Enrolment form submission
3.2.4.1 Enrolment forms may be submitted by:
· Mail to - Vacation Care Enrolments, Hume City Council, PO Box 119, BROADMEADOWS 3047
· In person at any council office during business hours.
3.2.4.2 Do not send payment with your enrolment form. You will be invoiced after your enrolment form has been processed.
3.2.5 Priority of access
3.2.5.1 Enrolments will be placed into the following priority groups:
Priority 1 Children at risk of abuse or neglect and families in crisis.
Priority 2 Families with recognised work or work-related commitments.
Priority 3 All other enrolments.
3.2.5.2 Priority 1 will be determined on a case-by-case basis and will need to be supported by a reference from an appropriate independent agency. Families who believe their enrolment should be processed in priority 1 must contact the Team Leader Vacation Care on 9205 2573 before the due date for enrolment applications.
3.2.5.3 Priority 2 will be determined by the number of Child Care Benefit eligible hours indicated on the Assessment Notice for Child Care Benefit. Families eligible for 50 or more hours will be priority 2 and families eligible for 20 hours will be priority 3.
3.2.5.4 Where there is not an Assessment Notice for Child Care Benefit, priority 2 will be determined by the family declaration on the Vacation Care enrolment form.
3.2.6 The ballot
3.2.6.1 An independent community representatives will supervise a ballot to select the order in which enrolment forms will be processed.
3.2.6.2 A ballot will be performed for all enrolment forms in the priority 1 group. After the enrolment forms from this group have been processed and if there are still places remaining, a ballot will be performed for the priority 2 group. After the enrolment forms from this group have been processed and if there are still places remaining, a ballot will be performed for the priority 3 group.
3.2.7 Confirmation of Child Care Benefit eligibility
3.2.7.1 Child Care Benefit eligibility will be confirmed upon receipt of either
1. A current Assessment Notice for Child Care Benefit that is addressed to Hume City Council Vacation Care, or
2. An Assessment Notice for Child Care Benefit that is not addressed to Hume City Council Vacation Care accompanied by a Child Care Benefit advice of family details form (these forms are available from the Family assistance Office and on-line at www.oshcas.com.au/humevac).
3.2.7.2 To ensure that Hume City Council receives an Assessment Notice for Child Care Benefit, families must link their children to Hume City Council Vacation Care.
3.2.7.3 Where Child Care Benefit Eligibility cannot be confirmed at the time of processing, enrolments will be billed for the full fee.
3.2.8 Confirmation of enrolment
3.2.8.1 After your enrolment has been processed, you will be sent a confirmation of enrolment statement and invoice.
3.2.8.2 Families who miss out on days they have booked will be contacted to discuss options.
3.2.9 Payment
3.2.9.1 Payment is to be made by the advertised date, which will be before the commencement of the program.
3.2.9.2 Cheque and Money Order payments may be made by mail.
3.2.9.3 Cheque, cash, EFTPOS and credit card payments may be made at Hume City Council cashiers.
3.2.9.4 DO NOT SEND CASH PAYMENTS BY MAIL.
3.2.10 Dispute resolution
3.2.10.1 If there are any concerns with the operation of this enrolment system, a letter needs to be sent to the Team Leader Vacation Care, Hume City Council, PO Box 119, Broadmeadows 3047.
4 RELATED DOCUMENTS
4.1 Access and Equity Policy
H:\Policies\Council Policies\CP2003-08-49 Vacation Care Enrolment Policy Version 1-5-03.doc