What is NDIS Social & Community Participation Funding? [updated Nov 2025]

What is Social and Community Participation in my NDIS Plan?

[UPDATED 24/11/2025 - NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2025-26 V1.1]
 

Social and Community Participation funding can be found in both the CORE and CAPACITY BUILDING parts of your NDIS Plan. In this resource we will cover:

• Where to find Social and Community Participation funding in your NDIS Plan
• An example of what this funding looks like in your NDIS plan
• What you can spend this funding on
• Travel and Cancellation charges

CORE SUPPORTS

ASSISTANCE with Social and Community Participation 

Assistance with Social and Community Participation (Support Category 04) can be found in your NDIS plan, under CORE Supports.

This funding is used to help NDIS Participants to:

• take part in community, social and recreational activities and
• meet goals relating to participating in community, social or recreational activities. 

These activities may be provided one-on-one or as a group 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.

Example:

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 (e.g. day program) or
• out in the community (e.g. to attend a gardening group) 

This support could be charged 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.

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 and Centre Based Activities

Funding may also be provided in CORE to help Participants access community, social and recreational activities provided in a group setting, either in the community or in a centre.

These activities can be delivered as:

• standard support or
• high intensity supports (example: If the Participant has challenging behaviour or high medical support needs which require additional assistance) 

These types of supports are very effective because the price is low: The cost of this activity payable by the Participant is the cost of the support delivered divided by the number of people in the group. 

If you have additional disability-related costs of being able to independently engage in community, social and recreational activities, you may receive additional funding to cover this.

CAPACITY BUILDING SUPPORTS

INCREASED Social and Community Participation

Increased Social and Community Participation (Support Category 09) can be found in your NDIS plan, under CAPACITY BUILDING Supports.The supports in this support category allow Participants to:

• take part in skills-based learning
• to develop independence in accessing the community.

This support item can include funding for:

• mentoring,
• peer-support and
• individual skill development

Where can this support be delivered?

It is designed to give Participants help in their home or community to develop skills.

How can this support be delivered?

It can be delivered one-on-one to an individual or in a group setting.

Examples of Increased Social and Community Participation:

You can use your funding to build independence and skills that will alllow you to:

• attend appointments alone
• go shopping 
• pay bills
• take part in social activities 
• make friends 
• travel independently - learning how to catch public transport
• tackle busy shopping centres if you find this hard
• manage transitional times e.g going from primary to high school

Why do we find it in both CORE and CAPACITY BUILDING in an NDIS plan?

Your CORE funding helps with everyday activities, that's why its title has 'assistance' in it: ASSITANCE with Social and Community Participation. This funding is for right now. 

Your CAPACITY BUILDING funding helps you build your skills and independence, thats why the title has the word 'increased' in it: INCREASED Social and Community Participation. This funding is to help you build you skills to be independent in the future.

Travel Charges

This funding (in both CORE and CAPACITY building) may be used to fund the following travel and cancellation charges:

Non-Face-to-Face Support Provision

• This may be things like report writing, case notes - documentation about how you are building capacity
• Developing programs for specific individuals

Provider Travel

• General rule of thumb: Participant must have agreed to this charge and it should be in their service agreement.
• This is travel charged by the Provider before or after the activity.
• It is charged by km (not hour)
• TIP:  if the Participant is NOT in the car with you!

Activity Based Transport 

• This type of travel is charged when the Participant is in the car with the provider 
• The provider will charge by the hours and possbile by the km as well.

Short Notice Cancellation – 7 days

• Occurs when cancelled less than 7 days before the support was due to be delivered to you.
• Can only happen if there is a shift/ roster attached to a service - like a support worker. For example if there is an hourly charge attached.
• It reimburses the provider for the cost of staff losing their shift.

Is there anything I cannot spend my funding on?

You may not use your funding for these support items according to Section 10 of the NDIS Act (this is the support list that was published last October):

• Fees and payments for outside school hours care. This includes before school, after school, student free days, vacation care and school holiday programs.
• Costs associated with recreational sports and activities. This includes membership costs venue hire fees, uniforms and footwear.
• Standard (non-modified and not adaptive) recreational equipment and tools, including toys, balls and racquets.
• General health, fitness, social or recreational activity costs or services.
• Membership and entry to a recreational club and standard gym equipment.

Source:

• NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2025-26 V1.1