Disability Inclusion Funding and Support

Changes to other funding allocations

The following program changes will be implemented as part of the transition to the new tiered funding model:

• the Program for Students with a Disability (PSD) will be progressively replaced by the new Disability Inclusion funding and support model
• the Language and Learning Disabilities Support Program (LLDSP) funding allocation will be progressively replaced by the Tier 2 funding
• transition support funding will be progressively phased out from 2022, as the Disability Inclusion Profile and process is introduced.

Funding through these programs and allocations will continue to be available to schools until they transition to Disability Inclusion during the staged 5-year roll-out schedule between 2021 to 2025.

The new tiered funding model includes a significant increase in investment, well above the existing budgets of these existing programs.

The Inclusive Schools Fund is separate to school and student based funding, and will continue to operate rounds of grants for small innovative building projects. The Inclusive Schools Fund is not affected or changed by the introduction of Disability Inclusion.

Use of Tier 2 funding to support the mental health and wellbeing of students

Schools can use their Disability Inclusion Tier 2 funding to purchase programs and resources to improve the mental health and wellbeing of students with disability.

Purchases from the Mental Health Fund and Menu should primarily be funded from the School’s Mental Health Fund allocation. Where schools have exhausted their Mental Health Fund allocation and see benefit in targeting or expanding a program or initiative from the Menu to strengthen support for a group of students with disability, Tier 2 funding and other equity funding allocations can be used.

Disability Inclusion and Student Resource Package equity funding allocations

In some cases, schools may already be providing support and programs for students with disability by using other Student Resource Package equity funding allocations, such as Equity (Social Disadvantage) funding. Student backgrounds and needs can be intersectional and individual students may be identified in both target cohorts.

Where this is the case, schools may consider:

• the broader cohort of all student needs across their school (social disadvantage, catch up and disability and additional needs)
• opportunities to build on or expand current programs or interventions for students with disability and additional needs, utilising Disability Inclusion funding and other resources available to the school.