DISABILITY VACATION CARE

In reply to the Hon. K.L. VINCENT (23 November 2010).

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises): The Minister for Education has advised that:

1. There are four special schools that have an on-site vacation care program offering up to 124 places for students during school holiday periods. One of these programs also offers twenty five before and forty after school care places.

In addition, 13 Department of Education and Children's Services (DECS) schools with Special units or Disability units provide up to 257 before school care, 506 after school care and 591 vacation care places.

2. OSHC and Vacation Care services which receive Australian Government subsidies must fill child care places using the Australian Government's Priority of Access Guidelines. These Guidelines set out the following priorities:

Priority One—children at risk of abuse or neglect;

Priority Two—child of a single parent or parents who both satisfy the work study and training test; and

Priority Three—any other child

Within each of these categories, priority is given to children in families which include a person with a disability.

3. OSHC services are approved by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations to provide care for school age children. School age children are defined as those attending a primary or secondary school. As such, secondary students with disabilities are able to attend any approved OSHC or vacation care service.

At June 2010 there were 331 OSHC services and 253 vacation care services across South Australia offering 22,471 OSHC places and 13,206 vacation care places.

There are two services that cater for the specific needs of teenagers with physical and intellectual disabilities in the 12 years to 18 years age group.

4. The number of children with a disability attending OSHC and vacation care services has doubled over the past 10 years. Attendance data from 2009 indicates that 2,220 children with disabilities attended OSHC each week and 1,860 children with disabilities attended vacation care.

DECS provides funding to facilitate the inclusion of children with additional needs or disabilities in approved OSHC services. In 2009-10, 94 OSHC services accessed this funding to provide extra support to 352 children, representing 24,096 hours of subsidised care.

Further care is available through the Home and Community Care Respite Program in addition to OSHC services.