Dear Service Provider,
As previously communicated, the Early Years Hive does not yet have the review functionality for 2026/2027 AIM Level 7 applications. As a temporary measure until this functionality becomes available, reviews will be processed manually through the Requests page on the Early Year Hive.
There are two types of reviews:
Child Needs reviews
Child Needs reviews relate to the direct needs of the child, for example:
- The child’s needs have changed, which may impact the support level awarded.
- Additional information has become available that may affect the support level awarded to the child. Service Providers should not attach child reports or any documentation containing sensitive personal information to requests submitted through the Early Years Hive. This information should be attached directly to the child’s AIM Level 4 application.
Service Needs reviews
Service Needs reviews relate to circumstances affecting the service provider, including:
- A service provider has received a Shared Support type for children who are not attending the same ECCE and/or NCS sessions. Please : A request is not required where children have been awarded a Shared Support type , for example, one attends an AM session and the other a PM session, as once ECCE registrations become available on the system, these cases will be automatically identified.
- The service provider does not require all supports allocated.
- The service provider wishes to apply for Maintenance of Reduced Ratio.
- The service provider is unable to recruit AIM Level 7 staff.
These are some common examples. Other circumstances may also require a Child Needs or Service Needs review.
Important information
Where a child has been awarded a support level and has an active ECCE and NCS registration, supports will be awarded automatically following the submission of the AIM Level 7 application. If a service provider does not need all supports awarded to a child, they must submit a request on the Early Years Hive to let us know. For example, this may apply where a child has an active NCS claim however does not need support during NCS hours.
How to submit a review request
To submit a review request through the Early Years Hive, please select the following categories on the Requests page:
- Programme: AIM Level 7
- Request Type: Review
- Request Type Detail: Standard
Please allow sufficient time for your request to be reviewed and responded to, as all reviews are currently being processed manually.
We will provide further updates through the Early Years Hive when the review feature becomes available. Please continue to check the Hive regularly for updates.
AIM timeline for service providers
A document outlining the timeline of the AIM redesign is now available on the Early Years Hive here . The AIM Level 7 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document is available here.
An animation video which explains AIM Level Support Levels is also available for providers here.
Regards,
The Early Years Team
