What is Social and Community Participation in my NDIS Plan?

Social and Community Participation funding can be found in both the CORE and CAPACITY BUILDING parts of your NDIS Plan:

CORE SUPPORTS

Assistance with Social and Community Participation

Assistance with Social and Community Participation (Support Category 4) is a funded support category that you may find in your NDIS plan, under CORE Supports.

This funding covers the SUPPORT of NDIS participants to engage in community, social and recreational activities and meet goals relating to participating in community, social or recreational activities. These activities may be provided in a centre or in a community setting.

All supports funded under this item need to be determined as reasonable and necessary given the participant’s plan goals.

You could use this funding for a Disability Support Worker to support you to travel to and attend a music concert.

This funding also covers support for activities that are either centre-based or out in the community (e.g. to attend a gardening group) at standard or higher intensity rates.

Under Assistance with Social and Community Participation, the NDIS may fund a support worker to support you to:

• attend personal development courses
• join a social group
• take an outing or a holiday
• go on a holiday camp
• visit your local library
• see a movie or a concert
• go to community events, and/or
• join a sporting club.

This funding can also be used for:

• Non-Face-to-Face Support Provision
• Provider Travel
• Short Notice Cancellation – 7 days

Providers of these supports can also claim for the costs of:

• Provider Travel – Non-Labour Costs using the support item 04_799_0125_6_1
• Activity Based Transport – Social, Economic and Community Participation Supports using support item 04_590_0125_6_1

In the latest NDIS Price List (Support Catalogue), the rate paid for the support worker may vary based on day of week, time of day, the intensity of support required and the ratio of support workers.

Group Activities

Where the provision of support is to enable a participant to engage in community, social and/or recreational activities in a centre as part of a group activity, rates depend on the staff:participant ratio.

If the participant has challenging behaviour or high medical support needs which require additional assistance, this is referred to as higher intensity support and the cost reflects this additional need.

Providers of group-based supports are not permitted to bill for 'non-face-to-face services' - this would include writing reports, phone calls, emails, research and training of staff etc. This is because the hourly price limits for these supports already include an allowance for non-face-to-face services.

Participation in Community, Social and Civic Activities – High Intensity Supports

These support items enable a participant who requires High Intensity Supports, to engage in community, social and recreational activities in circumstances where a more skilled or experienced support worker is required.

They can be delivered to individual participants or to groups subject to the rules set out in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.

As well as direct service provision, these support items can be used to claim for:

• Non-Face-to-Face Support Provision
• Provider Travel
• Short Notice Cancellation – 7 days

Providers of these supports can also claim for the costs of:

• Provider Travel – Non-Labour Costs using the support item 04_799_0104_6_1
• Activity Based Transport – Social, Economic and Community Participation Supports using support item 04_592_0104_6_1

Different price limits apply depending on the Time of Day and Day of Week WHEN the support is delivered and WHO delivers the support.

Community, Social and Recreational Activities (previously Innovative Community Participation)

This support item is designed to enable providers to claim reimbursement for the costs of enabling a participant to independently engage in community, social and recreational activities when costs of participation exceed an affordable level and without, the participant would be at risk of social isolation.

Participants may use this funding for activities such as:

• camps,
• vacation and outside school hours’ care,
• course or membership fees.

This support item should only be used to recover the costs of the participant’s attendance at the community social and participation activities. 

Group and Centre Based Activities Group and Centre Based Activities – Standard

These support items assist participants to access community, social and recreational activities provided in a group setting, either in the community or in a centre.

These support items can be delivered to individual participants or to groups.

If a support item is delivered to a group then the price limit for each participant is the price limit divided by the number of people in the group.

Providers should make a claim for each participant using the relevant support item.

Each claim should be for the total time of the support but is subject to the lower price limit as set out above.

These support items can also be used to claim for:

• Non-Face-to-Face Support Provision
• Provider Travel
• Short Notice Cancellation – 7 days

Providers of these supports can also claim for the costs of:

• Provider Travel – Non-Labour Costs using the support item 04_799_0136_6_1
• Activity Based Transport – Social, Economic and Community Participation Supports using support item 04_591_0136_6_1
• Centre Capital Costs using support item 04_599_0136_6_1, when the support is provided in a centre rather than in the community.

These support items are subject to price limits as set out in the following Table. Different price limits apply depending on the Time of Day and Day of Week when the support is delivered or Implementing Intensive and Complex Behaviour Supports.

CAPACITY BUILDING SUPPORTS

Increased Social and Community Participation 

Increased Social and Community Participation (Support Category 9) is a funded support category that you may find in your NDIS plan, under Capacity Building Supports.

Provision of these supports can be found in the NDIS Support Catalogue.

This category of funding can be used to pay for tuition fees, art classes, sports coaching and similar activities that build skills and independence. 

It can be used to pay for camps, classes and vacation activities that have capacity building components. These may include assistance to establish volunteer arrangements in the community, mentoring, peer support or individual skill development. 

All supports funded under this item need to be determined as reasonable and necessary given the participant’s plan goals.

Examples provided by the NDIS of support that can be funded include:

• Universal recreational activities: A limited number of lessons could be funded to enable a participant to try out an activity and test their capability and interest in pursuing this activity further – such as horse riding, art, dance or singing classes
• Funding to attend a “camp” or groups that build a person’s relationship skills and offer a range of activities and opportunities to explore wider interests.
• Other items or adjustments such as customised tools required because of the person’s disability, could also be funded. An example of this is if you wanted to play all abilities golf and needed to buy an adapted golf club to play. Or you wanted to do a drumming class and needed to buy an adapted glove to allow you to grip the drumsticks.