Audience
Early Childhood Division
Purpose
The Early Childhood Grants Management Policy outlines the department’s approach to Early Childhood grant program development and administration in line with the Financial accountability handbook 2024, Volume 6 - Grant management.
Policy statement
The Early Childhood Division (EC) provides grant funding to the Early Childhood Sector to support children and families across Queensland to have access to high quality early childhood education and care services that provide safe, inclusive and nurturing learning environments. EC strives to deliver effective, efficient, and transparent end to end grant management to service providers within the early childhood sector. This policy has been developed in line with the Early childhood grants management framework and is supported by the Early childhood grants management procedure. The Department of Education (the department) is committed to managing grants in a manner that complies with the
Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld).
Principles
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Principle
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What this means for the department
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Collaboration and partnership
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- Working collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure grant funding achieves its objectives.
- The needs and interests of grantees and beneficiaries are considered in grant process design.
- Ensuring a shared understanding of expectations and positive working relationships with grant recipients.
- EC proactively seeks and receives feedback from grant recipients and applicants to improve grant outcomes and processes.
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Outcomes focus
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- Ensuring grant objectives are clearly defined, link to strategic objectives and contribute to building sustainable communities.
- Establishing performance measures for grant programs that will facilitate effective and efficient evaluation of grants.
- Focusing on outcome performance of grantees in addition to process compliance.
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Probity and transparency
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- Complying with the principles of public sector ethics, including integrity and impartiality, promoting the public good, commitment to the system of government and accountability and transparency.
- Ensuring decisions relating to grant opportunities are impartial, appropriately documented and consistent with legislative and policy requirements.
- Identifying and managing conflicts of interest - perceived and/or actual.
- Ensuring the department's actions, decisions and grants management processes are managed objectively, without bias and in a way that is compatible with, and properly considers, human rights.
- Fraud and corruption prevention activities are built into grants management functions and accountabilities.
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Proportionality
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- Performance and reporting requirements match the nature, scale, complexity and risks of the grant or grant program, thereby minimising ‘red tape’.
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Accountability
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- Formal documented processes are used to manage and administer grants management activities.
- Robust internal controls are built into all grant management activities.
- Roles and responsibilities for parties involved in grants management are clearly defined.
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Continuous improvement
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- Working together with stakeholders to identify improvements in the design, delivery and administration of grants.
- Regularly reviewing policies, procedures and other supporting resources to ensure relevance, accuracy and effectiveness.
- Reporting grant data internally and externally to communicate performance against strategic objectives and drive ongoing continuous improvement.
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Requirements
1. Scope of funding activities
Only grant funding paid to external providers is to be managed under the Grants management framework and policy. For the purpose of this policy, a ‘grant’ is funding provided to external entities (including community groups and organisations, statutory bodies, local government or commercial enterprises) that exhibits some, or all, of the following characteristics:
- a transfer to an external recipient in return for compliance with certain terms and conditions
- a transfer which may not directly give approximately equal value in return to EC
- a transfer where the recipient that has been selected on merit against a set of program-specific criteria.
Subsidies are a form of grant and are to be managed under this policy.
The following activities are not to be managed under this policy:
- funding or budget transfers from EC to regional cost centres to support the delivery of internally led programs
- funding or grants provided to state schools
- activities where an external provider has been selected in a procurement process to deliver a specific activity (this will be managed in accordance with the approved departmental Purchasing and procurement procedure)
- leasing arrangements where an external provider has entered into a lease for a department-owned asset.
2. Legislative framework
As all Queensland government grant programs involve the use of public money, EC is accountable for funds allocated in its grant programs. EC will meet the obligations in:
3. Grants management
This policy covers the full cycle of grant funding from program design, through to grants administration and program evaluation. This provides a continuous improvement loop with evaluation of performance and outcomes informing future program development. The three distinct stages of design, administration and evaluation each have associated activities which are outlined in the Early childhood grants management framework.
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– Early childhood grants management framework
The Early childhood grants management procedure details roles, responsibilities and operational processes for the effective delivery of end-to-end grants management.
4. Governance and accountability
Grants management will operate using good governance and clear accountability for all parties involved, ensuring individuals and organisations are accountable for their plans, decisions, actions and results. The principles, elements and mechanisms used to ensure effective governance of EC grants management align with the department’s Governance frameworkand Decision-making framework.
5. Applicant and recipient rights and responsibilities
When managing grant programs, EC must appreciate and acknowledge that applicants have a right to:
- seek information about grant processes and their outcomes
- be treated with respect and courtesy
- be treated fairly, equitably and in a way that is compatible with their human rights
- be informed of the conduct expected of them.
Complaints received about a grants management activity or outcome will be managed in accordance with the department’s Customer complaints management procedure.
6. Risk identification and management
Risk identification, assessment and management are fundamental elements of grant program planning, and a risk management plan will be developed and documented during the program planning process. The plan will address general and program specific risks for the grant program, from planning to evaluation. A risk-based approach will also be applied to performance management and assurance activities of all grant programs.
Risk management activities must follow the department’s Enterprise risk management frameworkand use the Grant Program Risk Assessment Cycle (GPRAC) tool's risk assessment (departmental employees only), to more effectively identify, evaluate, address and document grant program risks across the grants management cycle
7. Recording and reporting
QGrants, EdGrants Online, Content Manager, Survey Manager and SAP are EC systems for recording, administering and reporting grant programs and expenditure. These systems complement the grants management framework approach and support the delivery of effective grant management functions.
8. Monitoring and review
The grants management framework approach is to be reviewed at least every three years to ensure it continues to meet departmental needs and requirements. Information to inform the review may include:
- grant program evaluations
- survey results from grant applicants and recipients
- internal or external review or evaluations
- any changes in policy, legislation or organisational structure.
Definitions
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Term
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Definition
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Beneficiary/ies
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A service/organisation that delivers the early childhood program and is the end recipient of a grant.
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Entity
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A generic term referring to the various organisational units that deliver services or otherwise service Government objectives. The term can include departments, commercialised business units, statutory bodies, local governments or other organisations established by Executive decision.
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Funding
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An amount of financial assistance that is provided to an entity under the Service Agreement, as specified or included in a Funding Schedule.
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Grant
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A grant is a sum of money given to organisations or individuals for a specified purpose directed at achieving goals and objectives consistent with government policy. Specifically, funding provided to entities that exhibit some, or all, of the following characteristics:
- a transfer to a recipient in return for compliance with certain terms and conditions
- a transfer which may not directly give approximately equal value in return to the government
- a transfer where the recipient may have been selected on merit against a set of program-specific criteria.
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Grantee(s)
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The organisational entity (applicant) responsible for the grant. This is the registered legal entity with an Australian Business Number.
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Grants administration
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The processes that an entity undertakes to achieve government policy outcomes through grants. It includes: planning and design; selection and decision-making; executing the service agreement the management of grant agreements; the ongoing relationship with grantees; reporting; and review and evaluation.
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Grants management
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The means to efficiently, effectively and ethically administer funding to approved grant recipients in accordance with government policy outcomes.
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Grants management system
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The department’s online reporting system for the electronic lodgement of data and reports under the Service Agreement Reporting Requirements, such as QGrants or EdGrants Online.
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Grant programs
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Those activities and operations of the grantee which are necessary to carry out the purpose of the grant.
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Grant recipients
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Refer to Grantee.
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Performance measures
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Performance measures should show how well an organisation/service provider, government agency or service system is working. Of particular importance are performance measures that can identify and demonstrate whether clients are better off as a result of the service or program that they used or participated in.
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Service Agreement
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An agreement entered into by the Department of Education (the department) and the Grantee which details funding that will be provided by the department for the purpose of delivering services as outlined in a Funding Schedule. It is legally binding and outlines the Grantee's obligations and the specified performance measures and reporting requirements Grantees are expected to meet.
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Subsidy(ies)
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A sum of money granted by the Queensland Government to Grantees to help reduce the cost of early childhood education and care in Queensland.
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Legislation
Delegations/Authorisations
Other resources
Superseded versions
Previous seven years shown. Minor version updates not included.
Early childhood grants management policy v1.0