Enrolment/ Inclusion/Practice

Enrolment/ Inclusion/Practice

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BISS Guide

Enrolment/ Inclusion/Practice

(depending on choice 1)

Language/Cultural background/Educator/Administrator (depending on choice 2)

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Content

Introduction2

What is BISS?3

How to make a referral to BISS4

How to contact BISS 4

BISS Model of Support

Enrolment/Inclusion/Practice (based on choice 1 made)

Language/Cultural Background: (based on choice 2 made)

Practice for the Educator/ Administrator (based on choice 2 made)

Access to support from BISS

What happens after you contact BISS?

  • Intro Page (ALL)

Dear Early Childhood Care and Education Professional

Thank you for choosing to create your personal version of the Bicultural Inclusion Support Services (BISS) Guide.

This guide has been developed to assist educators in the respectful and appropriate inclusion of children from Indigenous, culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Our service framework encourages educators to assist all children attending early care and education settings in the exploration of diversity as part of their social and emotional development.

The materials and information contained in your guide represent information collated by our team of diversity consultants in the provision of bicultural inclusion support services in Western Australia (WA) and the Northern Territory (NT).

Information, materials and links in your personalised BISS Guide:

  • have either been developed by us or sourced through the research of publically available materials
  • are a starting point to facilitate appropriate and respectful representation of diversity in the early care and education environment
  • are a sample of the knowledge, experience and resources available through the team at BISS

BISS does not take responsibility for the content or the use of the information, materials and links provided in the BISS Guide. It is up to the early childhood professional to select and implement strategies.

The guide is an evolving tool. Additional materials and information will be published and added to this guide as part of our ongoing service provision.

Bicultural Inclusion Support Services (BISS) are proudly supported by CHILD Australia through its Professional Support Coordinator in WA (PSCWA) and the NT (PSCNT). The Australian Government, through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), funds the Professional Support Coordinator (PSC) initiative as part of the Inclusion and Professional Support Program (IPSP).

Gudrun Benjamin

Manager – BISS

  • BISS Information Pages – 2 (ALL)

What is BISS?

BISS offers time-limited support when a child from an Indigenous, culturally and linguistically diverse or humanitarian refugee background is enrolling at the early childhood service or soon after the child has started attending the care and education setting.

Access to bicultural inclusion support is provided to eligible child care services free of charge and part of the Inclusion and Professional Support Program (IPSP).

Inclusion Support Facilitators (ISF) (hyperlink to: document attached - ISA Contact Details) are the first point of contact for early childhood professionals relating to inclusion support for children from Indigenous, culturally and linguistically diverse and humanitarian refugee backgrounds.

A pre-requisite for a referral to BISS is the development of a service support plan (SSP).

The team at BISS is available to share information and already existing materials and consult informally without a referral as part of our ongoing support to early childhood professionals.

How to make a referral to BISS

Once the SSP is developed you can either call your Professional Support Coordinator (PSC) or contact BISS directly to make a support request.

How to contact BISS

  • Phone: 1800 826 413
  • E-Mail:
  • Website:

BISS Model of Support

BISS has developed a framework for strategy assessments and support provision. Within this framework BISS is able to identify, implement and evolve strategies to meet the support requirements of early childhood practitioners in relation to bicultural inclusion. The model employed is based on the main beliefs that our support is respectful, professional, timely and flexible.

Our framework is based on three stages within an interrelated continuum of culturally and linguistically inclusive early childhood services. BISS diversity consultants use this framework to identify the most appropriate support strategies. Our philosophy is one of capacity building within the early childhood setting and uses a holistic approach to inclusion based on the principles of lifelong learning and development.

The Interrelated Continuum of Culturally and Linguistically Inclusive Services according to BISS

Enrolment

Refers to the period when the early childhood setting prepares for the transition of the child into its care and educational environment.

Inclusion

Represents the phase during which the child transitions into the early childhood setting.

Practice

Is the everyday representation of cultural and linguistic competence within the early childhood setting.

Based on the choices you made when creating this personalised BISS guide you will be provided with information, links and materials relating to one of these stages.

  • BISS Guide (first set of choices) [GB3]
  • Enrolment
  • Inclusion
  • Practice
  • BISS Guide (second set of choices) [GB4]
  • Enrolment/ Cultural and/or language background
  • Afghanistan
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Somalia
  • Vietnam
  • Inclusion
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Korea
  • Sudan
  • Turkey
  • Practice
  • Educator
  • Administrator
  • Closing (all)

Access to support from BISS

We hope that your personalised version of the BISS Guide provides you with sufficient information, materials and links to facilitate the inclusion of a child and/or increase the representation of culturally diverse practices into your early care and education setting.

The publication of the BISS Guide is only one of the professional development and support strategies that are free of charge to Australian Government Approved Child care Services (AGACCS).

Other strategies include:

Facilitating communication between eligible child care services and families by:

  • assisting educators to communicate with members of culturally diverse families and children (for example; interpreting in meetings between parents and service staff, verbal translation of enrolment documents and providing child care workers with key words and phrases that can be used to communicate with the child).

Facilitating cultural awareness by:

  • assisting the early care and edcuation services to better understand particular ethnic backgrounds, cultural experiences, and child rearing practices of the children and families.
  • facilitating the exchange and sharing of information between staff and parents about the child and his or her family life.
  • providing child care workers with an understanding of relevant cultural issues.

Supporting curriculum/programming by:

  • facilitating the implementation of culturally and linguistically appropriate practices and a culturally inclusive curriculum.
  • introducing techniques to the child care service to maintain the child’s bilingualism and the development of English as a Second Language.
  • encouraging the implementation of programs which support children and families who are newly arrived to Australia from humanitarian refugee backgrounds.

Supporting resources and linkages by:

  • where available, providing child care workers with information about relevant community resources and services to support the inclusion of culturally diverse children and families.
  • providing bicultural advice and support to Inclusion Support Agencies.

If you would like to access any of these additional support services please contact us on:

  • Phone: 1800 826 413
  • E-Mail:
  • Website:

What happens after you contact BISS?

Acknowledge Referrals

BISS acknowledges your referral in writing (via e-mail) within two working days of receiving a support request. We endeavour to contact the early childhood service and the Inclusion Support Facilitator (ISF) via phone to establish an initial assessment of support requirements.

Strategy Assessment

Once a referral has been received BISS will work in collaboration with the early childhood service and the ISF to identify appropriate support strategies. One of our diversity consultants will conduct a strategy assessment either via phone or during a face to face meeting. The assessment is usually conducted within five working days of BISS acknowledging the referral. BISS encourages the input of the primary educator and the ISF during the assessment.

Support Provision

Support strategies to be implemented and timeframes for support provision are part of the planning process during the strategy assessment. Factors impacting on support provision are; availability of resources, timeframes relating to the enrolment and transition of the child, and readiness of the early childhood setting to implement strategies effectively.

Service Finalisation and Evaluation

Active support provision will be finalised in agreement with the early childhood service and the ISF. Referrals are kept open for 3 months after finalisation to enable access to additional resources, materials and support if required.

We encourage you to provide us with your feedback. Our evaluation survey provides us with valuable information for service monitoring and development. Please take a minute to fill out the on- line form (hyperlink to: survey once set up).

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Bicultural Inclusion Support Services GuideDATE Page No:

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