Creating Connections Education Employment Pathways (CEEP)

You can email CEEP or phone 03 9534 3685.

Our postal address is: 5 Duke Street, St Kilda VIC 3182

You can apply for up to $1,200 to assist a young person who is homeless or at risk of homelessness to maintain or access education, employment and training. Please see our ‘Funding Caps’ for limits relating to specific items.

One application per young person can be made within a financial year.

The funds can be used for goods or services that are directly related to the young person’s education, employment or training (EET) pathway.

Examples of items that can be applied for:

• course costs
• stationery
• travel tickets
• uniform
• work boots
• computer
• ’tools of the trade’
• material items directly related to the young person’s EET pathway (e.g desk; chair)

These are examples only – applications are not confined to the above items.

CEEP funding cannot be used for the following items:

• goods/services that can be accessed through alternative sources
• assistance that can be provided through the Housing Establishment Fund (e.g. rent in advance, rent arrears and emergency accommodation)
• agency infrastructure (e.g. computers, office equipment etc. or capital items)
• general household goods or furniture
• mobile phones
• to pay a young person’s outstanding debt (utility bills, fines) which are not related to their EET plan
• as additional funding for staffing and/or program infrastructure of the applying agency
• for large personal outlays that do not directly relate to effective participation in EET
• items that have an ongoing cost (e.g. a car).
• food vouchers or equivalent
• costs that are intended/should be covered by other government departments, e.g. Department of Employment, Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) costs.

Only furniture directly linked with the young person’s EET pathway will be funded. (e.g. desk, chair.)

Beds, televisions, couches and other general household furniture will not be funded.

Yes, feedback is required to be submitted 3 months after the initial approval date.

The applying worker should utilise the progress/feedback form, and it is their responsibility to fill this in and return it at the appropriate time.

Due to limited funding availability, all funding applied for must be used within a month of approval, unless an alternate arrangement has been made with the CEEP Administrator.

If the funding is for a time beyond that it will not be approved.

Yes. The funding is required to be expended prior to invoicing CEEP for the money.

Expending the funding prior to invoicing reduces the need to refund unspent portions of the money and ensures that all necessary evidence is submitted to CEEP.

If your service is unable to do this, please contact your CEEP Administrator to arrange another alternative.

Yes. Photocopies of all receipts (please do not submit originals) are required to be submitted within one month of receiving the approval of the application.

It is expected that receipts and the invoice will be submitted labelled clearly with the CEEP reference. Services that do not submit invoices within this period (except by prior arrangement) will not be reimbursed.

The applying worker and their agency is responsible for administering the funding as per the original application within one month of approval.

Yes, in consultation with the CEEP Administrator. Changes to the original application are not guaranteed, however they will be considered.

It is important that any changes being requested are linked with the young person’s pathway. These changes must be requested in writing, however it is suggested you discuss them with the CEEP Administrator prior to doing this.

CEEP understands that young people often move between services. To accommodate for this, brokerage funds will always follow the young person.

It is the responsibility of the original support worker to ensure, whilst maintaining confidentiality, that this information is handed over to the next service.

If this occurs it is the responsibility of the original worker and the new worker to ensure the Creating Connections regional youth hub CEEP Administrator is informed of these changes in writing.

If a young person leaves the service system completely it is the responsibility of the applying worker to ensure that arrangements are put in place that support the young person to continue with their pathway.

In this instance you must inform the CEEP Administrator of the changes in writing.

If the young person disengages from a service before the funding has been spent it is the responsibility of the applying worker to inform the CEEP Administrator in writing and withdraw the application.

In this case the application will not be paid.