You can use the Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS) and Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme (FVISS) to get the information you need to create effective, informed plans to support children as they transition into new environments and routines.
Under CISS and FVISS, you can request or share information to promote a child’s wellbeing or safety, or assess or manage family violence risk, from other services authorised to share information. These include:
- early childhood centres (kindergartens and long day care)
- out of school hours care (OSHC)
- schools
- Maternal and Child Health
- GPs, general practice nurses and public hospitals
- The Orange Door
- Victoria Police
- Child Protection.
By using CISS and FVISS, you can get the full picture of the children you work with, identify needs, risks and issues earlier, and put appropriate supports in place. Information sharing also directly supports the outcomes of the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework, which prioritises wellbeing and safety.
If you know of children who would benefit from additional support as they transition to other services or into primary school, you can proactively share information with the child’s new school or service. Schools and other services can also request information from your service.
Stacey Brown, CEO of Yappera Children’s Service Co-operative, said children in her service will directly benefit from information sharing.
In this short video, Stacey discusses her insights into using the information sharing schemes.
Want to know more? Sign up for training
All early childhood services are authorised to request and share information under the reforms, including kindergartens, long day care and OSHC.
To learn more about your responsibilities and obligations under CISS and FVISS, you can access free eLearn or webinar training options through the Information Sharing and MARAM Online Learning System.
To organise tailored information sharing training for your team, contact the department’s Victorian Child Information Sharing team by email: childinfosharing@education.vic.gov.au
Webinar: Information Sharing for Education Workforces
These 3.5-hour interactive webinars are presented by a team of educators and are appropriate for all early childhood professionals. Morning and afternoon sessions are available several times a week.
Register through the Information Sharing and MARAM Online Learning System. To enrol, select the ‘Education Workforces’ tile and select from the webinar options available.
Funding is available to support early years educators who want to attend information sharing webinars. For more information, contact the department by email: cisandfvis@education.vic.gov.au.
Find out more
For more information about the information sharing reforms, refer to Child protection in early childhood: privacy and information sharing.
For further enquiries, contact the Victorian Child Information Sharing team by email: childinfosharing@education.vic.gov.au.
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