Navigating NDIS Rules for Disability Camps: How to Secure Your Child’s Funding Without the Stress
Let’s face it.
The recent NDIS pricing overhaul has left a lot of families feeling completely stranded.
With old funding models thrown out the window, you might be looking at your child’s plan and asking one vital question:
“Can my child still attend disability camps?”
The short answer? Yes, absolutely.
But there are important changes you need to know about.
The strategy you used last year to claim camp expenses might no longer work. If you try to claim everything under a single, flat-rate package, your claim may get rejected.
Here is the good news: unlocking your child’s funding is actually straightforward once you know how the new system breaks things down.
Today, I’m going to give you the exact blueprint to navigate these changes seamlessly, so your child doesn’t miss out on life-changing adventures.
Let’s dive right in.
The Death of the All-Inclusive Daily Package
In the past, funding a camp was incredibly simple.
Providers bundled accommodation, activities, and staff care into one single daily rate. You submitted one or two codes, and you were done.
That system is now history.
The NDIA has completely unbundled camp pricing.
Now, the NDIS demands that providers split the invoice wide open. You must separate the physical roof over your child’s head from the actual hours of human support they receive.
Why did they do this? The NDIA wants total transparency. They want to ensure providers aren’t overcharging for basic rooms while under-delivering on actual care.
It looks more complex on paper, but it actually gives you much more flexibility. Here is exactly how we split those components using your Core Supports & Capacity Building budget.
The Core Pillars: Splitting Your Care and Stay
To successfully fund an upcoming camp, your provider must map worker hours precisely to the time of day and the day of the week.
Because our programs run strictly as weekday school holiday camps, we completely avoid expensive weekend surcharges. This keeps your plan budget highly efficient.
First, we tackle the stay itself. Code 01_250_0115_1_1 is utilised strictly for the Short-Term Accommodation framework—covering the venue and standard facility access. Think of this as the “hotel” component.
Note: Under current compliance rules, food and meal prep costs must be itemised distinctly from the room hire.
Next, we layer in the actual support workers. This is where personalised care ratios shine.
The majority of our campers receive dedicated 1:1 support to ensure absolute safety and personalised mentoring. For campers who are ready to build peer-to-peer relationships, we offer highly tailored 1:2 support pairings.
When your child is out conquering team challenges and making friends during the day, we use 01_011_0107_1_1 (Standard Weekday Daytime Support). If your child requires more specialised, complex behavioral or medical care, we step this up to the High-Intensity code 01_011_0104_1_1.
When the sun sets and the evening campfires begin, the line item automatically transitions to 01_015_0107_1_1 for evening routines and wind-down care.
And for your ultimate peace of mind while they sleep? Active overnight protection or sleepover care is covered via the standard weekday night-time sleepover item: 01_010_0107_1_1.
A Quick Example: What Funding a Disability Camp Looks Like
Let’s look at how this plays out during a standard disability camp. Imagine your child goes on a 3-day weekday camp (i.e. running Monday to Wednesday) with a 1:1 support worker.
Under the old rules, your invoice statement would just say “3 Days of STA or Social Participation.”
Under the new unbundled framework, your statement will mirror our exact weekday schedule:
- The Venue Component: 2 nights of physical venue accommodation under code 01_250_0115_1_1 (Short Term Accommodation – Participant Accommodation).
- Daytime Activity Support: Active weekday daytime 1:1 mentoring under code 01_011_0107_1_1 (Assistance With Self-Care Activities – Standard – Weekday Daytime).
- Evening Support: Dinner prep, team reflection, and winding down under code 01_015_0107_1_1 (Assistance With Self-Care Activities – Standard – Weekday Evening).
- Night Time Sleepover: 2 nights of standard weekday sleepover care under code 01_010_0107_1_1 (Assistance with Self-Care Activities – Night-Time Sleepover).
Supercharging Independence with Capacity Building
Here is a secret that many families miss: Camps aren’t just a form of respite. They are a massive catalyst for personal growth.
Because of this, you don’t have to rely solely on your Core budget. You can actively tap into your Capacity Building funds to back their goals.
- Want to conquer social isolation? Code 09_011_0125_6_3 targets increased social and community integration, funding the specialised peer frameworks built into every activity.
- Want to master independent living? Code 15_037_0117_1_3 delivers explicit skill-building workshops, teaching campers how to organise their belongings, manage routines, and step up their independence.
How We Handle the Heavy Lifting for You
At Life Skills & Adventures, we understand how these regulatory shifts would stress parents out.
So, we did something about it.
We completely redesigned our quoting and invoicing engine to do the heavy lifting behind the scenes.
When you book a camp with us at LSAdventures.com.au, we build a highly customised, itemised schedule. We seamlessly balance your Core social participation, travel, accommodation and access to capacity building activities so your plan stays completely compliant.
Your child gets an unforgettable adventure packed with new friends, outdoor challenges, and newfound confidence.
And you? You get a stress-free administrative process and the refreshing break you deserve.
The new rules are here, but your child’s goals don’t have to stop. Let’s look at your current plan and build their next adventure together.
| 04_210_0125_6_1 | Core – Assistance with Social and Community Participation |
| 09_011_0125_6_3 | Capacity Building – Increased Social and Community Participation |
| 15_037_0117_1_3 | Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living – Skill Development And Training |
| 01_011_0107_1_1 | Assistance With Self-Care Activities – Standard – Weekday Daytime |
| 01_015_0107_1_1 | Assistance With Self-Care Activities – Standard – Weekday Evening |
| 01_250_0115_1_1 | Short Term Accommodation – Participant Accommodation |
| 01_010_0107_1_1 | Assistance with Self-Care Activities – Night-Time Sleepover |
| 15_622_0118_1_3 | Early Childhood Intervention Professional – Speech Pathologist |
| 01_799_0107_1_1 | Provider Travel – non-labour costs |
