Frequently Asked Questions - August 2017

LDCPDP FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions - August 2017

For: Child care providers, Child care workers, Parents and carers

This document provides further information on questions for which providers are commonly seeking clarification. This document should be read in conjunction with the LDCPDP Funding Agreement and Funding Guidelines, available at

LDCPDP FAQ

What is the Long Day Care Professional Development Programme (LDCPDP)?

The Long Day Care Professional Development Programme concluded on 30 June 2017. LDCPDP was a one off investment of $200 million to support long day care services with the cost of upskilling educators to meet the requirements of the National Quality Framework (NQF).

What reporting do I need to do?

There is no progress report 3, instead every service under a funding agreement needs to complete two separate reports.

Firstly complete the Final Report which asks for details of the professional development activities funded by this programme. The final report is due within three months of funds being fully expended or if funds are not all spent the final due date for final report submission is 30 September 2017

Secondly complete a Financial Report which will acquit the program funds and end your reporting obligations with LDCPDP.

What evidence do I need to keep?

Services may be required to provide evidence of expenditure at any time during the funding period.

Dated invoices and receipts are acceptable evidence of purchase of training, resources, conference fees, subscriptions and travel expenditure. Copies of timesheets, payslips and wage records may be required to provide evidence of backfilling and/or travel allowances.

The Department may also seek details of the specific training and professional development and how it relates to the NQF and your QIP.

What the funds cannot be used for.

The LDCPDP funds are for staff professional development; as such they cannot be used for:

wages, wage increases and overtime payments. These are considered normal operational costs of the child care service
expenses outside of the funding agreement period (check when your service signed the letter of offer, that is the start of the funding agreement period. The end date is 30 June 2017 or a later date if certain conditions are met (see the information sheet LDCPDP activity after 30 June 2017)
expenses that are improper use of taxpayers money that does not withstand public scrutiny, for example: business class travel;catering with alcohol; and staff rewards such as movie tickets.
engaging services of a financial auditor for the purposes of reporting
purchase of capital (except for professional development related IT up to a maximum of $3,000 per service)
undertaking capital works or renovations
purchase of playground equipment or other resources for the children including books, educational shows, excursions, arts and crafts supplies, movable play equipment etc
staff police checks
general centre administration and operational costs
an activity already funded by another entity, e.g. a state or territory government.
overseas professional development, including training, conferences, study tours or workshops
Mandatory costs such as registration fees
training that is not related to the EYLF or the NQF (note, if unsure, please contact ).

What can I spend the funds on?

Examples of purposes for which the funding can be used include:

provision of specific training related to the National Quality Framework, for example, educational program and practice (Quality Area 1), first aid (Quality Area 2) or management training (Quality Area 7).
training can include purchasing a course delivered offsite, online or paying a trainer to come to the service to deliver the training.
assisting staff to meet the costs of gaining relevant qualifications such as diploma or early childhood teaching degrees.
recognition of prior learning (RPL).
costs associated with backfilling staff who are absent to attend professional development activity that is part of the educator’s professional development plan
backfilling only for staff absent due to participating in a professional development activity
purchasing of materials such as text books, academic journals, teaching packs, subscriptions or minor resources
reasonable travel and accommodation costs related to attendance at professional development training/activities, or travel costs for trainers.
attendance at industry conferences with a professional development focus (within Australia).
information technology equipment that facilitate access to professional development for staff (up to a total of $3000 per service). This can include computers/tablets for the service that will assist staff to upgrade qualifications or that can be demonstrated as an essential requirement for professional development purposes and/or facilitates access to online courses or training.

If you have a question about what the funds can be spent on please contact the Department at .

Long day care services need to ensure that expenditure:

is commensurate with the needs of the educator.
represents value for money.
can withstand public scrutiny, and will not bring the service or the Commonwealth into disrepute.
complies with existing legislation and requirements in relation to Occupational Health and Safety.

Is apportioning for a parent organisation permissible?

Yes. For a funding recipient that is a parent organisation and has many services, apportioning is permissible for sharing costs across multiple services. The funding recipient must document the methodology of the split across the services and must have an invoice with the total amount.

Can I use LDCPDP funds to pay for improvements to the Long Day Care service?

No. The funds are for professional development for staff not for operational costs or capital improvements (such as playgrounds/soft fall areas/water tanks).

Services that have spent LDCPDP funds on capital will need to acquit the equivalent funding on professional development activity or return the funds to the Department.

The only exception is for minor IT equipment up to a total of $3,000 per service to support professional development activities.

How can I use LDCPDP funds for backfilling?

Costs associated with backfilling staff who are absent to attend professional development activity that is part of the educator’s professional development plan are an approved LDCPDP expenditure.

Example: Person A attended a professional development activity and the wages expense was for person B to backfill their position whilst person A was away.

The allocation for funding must be only for the actual staff member that is undertaking a backfilling role for another staff member undertaking appropriate professional development activities – it cannot be apportioned across multiple services and/or ‘averaged out’. Backfilling is for actual costs only for each LDCPDP funded service.

This can also be applied to training that is held out of hours. An educator can be granted Time Off in Lieu at the rate allowed under the enterprise agreement or award e.g. if two hours are spent on an approved LDCPDP activity that would normally attract a 1.5 loading, then the educator would be given three hours of TOIL the following work day and a replacement educator could be funded for those three hours from the LDCPDP funding.

When do the LDCPDP funds need to be spent by?

The activity period ends on 30 June 2017, therefore all funds need to have been expensedby 30 June 2017 with any unspent funds at that time to be returned to the department.

The funds can be used to pay for a course or other professional development activity that starts after or continues past 30 June 2017 only if the conditions outlined in the <NAME OF DOC> on the LDCPDP website are met, including that the PD activity must be completed by 31 December 2017. The <NAME OF DOC> can be found at <URL Hyperlink>.

Can I use LDCPDP funds to purchase vouchers to use for future professional development activities?

Any vouchers purchased with LDCPDP funds must be used by 30 June 2017. The purchase of vouchers is not considered a professional development activity.

If an educator is already studying a course of study, can the fund assist with the costs of that course?

Yes. If educators have already commenced a course of study, providers may use the LDCPDP funding to assist them to complete the course. Units of study undertaken during the funding period would be eligible (as long as the course meets the other criteria outlined in the LDCPDP Funding Guidelines) Any HECS/HELP applicable course can be funded as long as the contribution is paid up front and directly to the institute. The funds are to be filed and acquitted within the financial reporting period but you cannot claim for units commenced prior to the funding agreement.

Can a director who does not have a direct contact role with children undertake professional development funded by the LDCPDP?

Yes. Long day care services have flexibility to use funds in accordance with its professional development priorities to meet the NQF. This could for example include management training related to Quality Area 7.

Can the LDCPDP be used for training that is being funded by another government or organisation?

LDCPDP funding cannot be used on an activity already funded by another entity (e.g. a state or territory government). However, if the service has out of pocket costs associated with that activity, such as travel costs, it may use LDCPDP funding to cover those costs (so long as the training is in keeping with the other criteria in the guidelines).

For example, if the service has a trainee for which it is receiving a state government incentive payment, but is also being charged an administration fee for training that is not covered by the state government, payment of the administration fee would be an acceptable use of LDCPDP funding.

What type of training/ courses/ qualifications can I claim for?

Providers must ensure that the training undertaken by an educator is relevant to the requirements under the National Quality Framework (NQF) and the National Quality Standard (NQS). For information on the NQF and the NQS, go to:

The Department may request this evidence as part of a compliance audit or may request the additional information as part of the final report and acquittal process.

How can I check if professional development I want to purchase is eligible?

Providers should refer to the Programme Guidelines and the Funding Agreement as these documents provide guidance on the types of professional development to be considered.

If you are still unsure whether an activity falls within the scope of the programme guidelines, please contact the Department at or call the LDCPDP Hotline on 1800 020212.

I have spent all of our funding - what do I need to do?

Service operators are required to submit a final report on the activities undertaken that utilised LDCPDP funding as well as submit a financial statement. Both need to be submitted within three months of the LDCPDP funding being fully expended.

Please contact us at to request the relevant templates for the report and financial statement.

What happens when a service is sold during the funding period?

The Department will not be considering any applications for the transfer of funding following a change of service ownership after 31 March 2017.

If you sell or transfer your LDCPDP eligible service after 31 March 2017 all unspent funds will need to be returned to the Department.

Will there be any more funding?

No. All funding has been allocated and there is no intention to extend the programme.

Are there any caps as to the amount that can be spent on travel and accommodation?

Yes, as noted in the Funding Guidelines under clause 3.3 “What can Funding be used for?”, -all travel funded under the LDCPDP must be in accordance with the travel conditions specified in Remuneration Tribunal, Determination 2004/03, Official Travel by Office Holders, Tier 3 Rates. This Determination has since been superseded by Remuneration Tribunal Determination 2016/07 - Official Travel by Office Holders which is available through this link: Remuneration Tribunal Determination 2016/07 - Official Travel by Office Holders

I have seen some products and services advertised as eligible for Long Day Care Professional Development Programme funds; are these endorsed by the Government?

No. The Australian Government has not endorsed any specific services, products or programmes as being LDCPDP eligible. While many activities promoted as LDCPDP eligible will be, some may not be. Long day care services need to make their own assessment as to whether the product or meets the guidelines. (Note, if unsure please contact for clarification.)

Need more information?

Email:

Call: 1800 020 212 between 9 am and 5.00 pm (AEDT) Monday to Friday