The Child Information Sharing Capacity Building Grants Program (CIS Grants Program) aims to build workforce capability in using the Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS) to promote the wellbeing and safety of Victorian children and young people.
The CIS Grants Program forms part of the Victorian Government’s response to the independent CISS Two-Year Review and Five-Year Review. Each review recommended grants be provided to organisations to better support prescribed workforces understand and embed CISS.
Funding for the Program
The 2021-22 State Budget allocated $5 million over 3 years for grants to support peak bodies and lead organisations in prescribed sectors to implement and embed information sharing in service delivery and cross-sector collaboration.
Prescribed sectors include:
- education
- child and family services
- health
- justice.
Year 3
The third year of the CIS Grants Program has 3 areas: deepening workforce practices, cross-sector collaboration, and inclusion and diversity. Enabling sustainable practice change is a core focus across each of these to maximise professionals integrating and utilising CISS as an essential element of their practice.
The following 11 organisations are receiving grant funding in Year 3 to support a range of workforces in using CISS to promote children’s wellbeing and safety.
Education sector
Fka Children’s Services (fkaCS) advocates for children’s cultural and linguistic rights.
Grant activities will focus on strengthening cultural inclusion support by incorporating a cultural lens when using CISS.
Independent Schools Victoria (ISV) is the peak association for independent schools in Victoria.
Grant activities will focus on increasing CISS awareness and use through culturally sensitive practices.
Early Childhood Australia (ECA) is a peak early childhood advocacy organisation, working to ensure quality, social justice and equity in all issues relating to the education and care of children from birth to 8 years.
Grant activities will focus on the engagement and use of CISS in the early childhood sector.
Child and family services sector
Anglicare Victoria works with children, young people and families across 42 sites in Victoria.
Grant activities will focus on promoting a proactive information sharing culture across Anglicare Victoria.
Health sector
Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) is the peak body and professional membership association for all nurses working outside of a hospital setting.
Grant activities will focus on enabling a deeper understanding of CISS policies and information held by different Information Sharing Entities among primary health care nurses, General Practitioners (GPs) and other multidisciplinary care teams.
Centre for Mental Health Learning (CHML) is the central agency for public mental health workforce development in Victoria.
Grant activities will focus on cross-sector collaboration to ensure sustainable practice change.
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is the largest professional General Practice (GP) network in Australia.
Grant activities will focus on promoting child welfare and safety within the general practice setting.
Cross sector
54 reasons is a leading child rights organisation delivering local services across Australia.
Grant activities will focus on engaging organisational leaders and practitioners to support a shared understanding of CISS across workforces.
Jewish Care provides care and support underpinned by Jewish values for the community they serve.
Grant activities will focus on building awareness and confidence in child information sharing in Jewish schools and early childhood centres.
Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) is a membership association and the legislated peak body for local government in Victoria.
Grant activities will focus on establishing and strengthening professional relationships across various local government areas, embedding knowledge, and best practice in the use of CISS.
Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) is Victoria's leading Aboriginal child and family services organisation.
Grant activities will focus on strengthening pathways with other service providers and statutory agencies to ensure that CISS is being used effectively and in a culturally appropriate way to support the best interests of Aboriginal children and their families.
Year 2
In Year 2 the grant program supported 8 sector leads and peak bodies who received grants that leveraged CISS awareness and that developed and highlighted resources to build workforce confidence to proactively embed information sharing in professional practice. Projects included:
- establishing communities of practice
- organising professional networking events and reflective practice sessions
- incorporating CISS guidance materials in workforce practice.
Year 1
In Year 1 the grant program supported 12 sector leads and peak bodies who received grants to understand sector needs, increase awareness of child information sharing in prescribed workforces and to build workforce confidence in using the Child and Family Violence Information Sharing Schemes. This included implementing outreach and communication activities.
Online resources created by CIS Grant recipients in Year 1 and 2
Education sector
Australian Childcare Alliance Victoria (ACA Victoria) is a not-for-profit, member-funded organisation supporting and advocating for privately owned long day care centres.
- ACA Victoria's CISS webpage has a range of resources to help long day care centres understand CISS, including case studies, threshold tests and a decision tree.
Community Child Care Association (CCCA) is the voice of community-based early childhood education and outside school hours care (OSHC) services in Victoria.
- CCCA's CISS webpage has information for education and care services, including a stakeholder toolkit.
Early Childhood Australia (ECA) is a peak early childhood advocacy organisation, working to ensure quality, social justice and equity in all issues relating to the education and care of children from birth to 8 years.
- ECA's When can I request and share information? webpage includes a summary of CISS and case studies.
The Early Learning Association Australia (ELAA) supports independent kindergartens, early years managers, long day care, integrated services and local governments with advice, training, resources and advocacy to help realise its vision of ‘excellence and equity in Early Childhood Education and Care’.
- ELAA's It's ok to share, you could make a difference webpage includes links to its practice guide and online learning tool for educators.
Child and family services sector
The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare (the Centre) represents over 100 Victorian organisations working across the continuum of child and family services, from prevention and early intervention to the provision of out of home care.
- The Centre's MARAM and Information Sharing Resource Hub website has an extensive range of resources, including information sheets and case studies.
- The Centre's Snapshot of Good Practice: Putting the Information Sharing Schemes into Action (pdf document)
Health sector
The Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) is the peak body and professional membership association for all nurses working outside of a hospital setting in Australia.
- APNA's news article 'Victoria's information sharing reforms: What do PHC nurses need to know?', Primary Times Winter 2022
- APNA's CISS webpage has resources to help primary health care nurses implement CISS, such as a flowchart, FAQs and case studies
The Centre for Mental Health Learning (CMHL) is the central agency for public mental health, including lived experience, workforce development in Victoria.
- CMHL's Family Violence and Child Wellbeing and Safety Resource Hub links to resources for mental health clinicians.
- CMHL's Child Information Sharing Scheme - Applications to mental health work video presentation
Cross sector
The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) is a membership association and the legislated peak body for local government in Victoria.
- MAV's Information Sharing and MARAM reforms webpage has a range of resources to help council services understand and implement CISS, including FAQs and an informative video.
- MAV's CISS Week Forum webpage includes video recordings and powerpoint presentations from the sessions at the Forum.
Note: The Department of Education highly values the important sector specific resources produced by CIS Grant recipients. Resources produced under the CIS Grants Program provide a range of contextualised supports developed at a specific point in time. For the most up-to-date information available to all information sharing workforces, please see the Victorian Government's Child Information Sharing webpages.
For more information
For more information about the grants program, contact childinfosharing.grants@education.vic.gov.au
Updated