Community Participation Programs for Older Adults Under the NDIS and Support at Home

Published by SESI Care Services · Updated August 2026 · 2-minute summary

Quick answer: Older adults can get funded support to take part in community life through two systems. NDIS participants use Core – Assistance with Social and Community Participation for a support worker to go with them, and Capacity Building – Increased Social and Community Participation for skill-building programs. Older Australians in aged care use the Support at Home program, where social support and community engagement sit in the independence category. Both can fund transport. On top of that, Victoria has free and low-cost options — neighbourhood houses, U3A, libraries and council programs — that a support worker can help you get to.

Key takeaways

• Community participation is a funded support, not a luxury: both the NDIS and Support at Home pay for it.
• NDIS: support-worker time to join activities comes from Core; programs that build skills come from Capacity Building.
• Support at Home: social support and community engagement are funded services with a means-tested participant contribution.
• Two dates to watch: 1 October 2026 (NDIA tightens some Capacity Building participation budgets) and 1 January 2027 (price cut for some unregistered community participation providers).
• Victoria’s Companion Card gives a support worker free entry to participating venues and events.
• SESI supports community participation across Victoria for NDIS participants and older people at home.

What is community participation, in funding terms?

Community participation means taking part in ordinary life outside your home — a class, a club, a volunteer shift, a swim, a coffee with friends, a church service, a day trip. Both funding systems treat it as a legitimate support because isolation affects health, and because getting out is what most people say they want their support for.

What is funded is the help you need to take part, not the activity itself in most cases. A support worker’s time, transport, and skill-building programs are funded. The cost of the cinema ticket or the pottery class is usually yours, with exceptions where the program is itself a disability-specific support.

How does the NDIS fund community participation?

Two budget lines do most of the work, and the difference between them matters.

Budget line	What it pays for	Examples
Core – Assistance with Social and Community Participation	A support worker’s time to help you take part, one-to-one or in a group	Going with you to the pool, a men’s shed, a market, a concert; group outings run by a provider
Capacity Building – Increased Social and Community Participation	Programs that build the skills to participate more independently	A cooking course, a social skills program, an art class with a tuition component, a camp with a skill-building purpose
Core – Transport	Getting there when you cannot use public transport because of your disability	Taxi or provider transport to activities; funded at Levels 1–3 depending on need

Core is flexible, so hours can move between community access, domestic help and personal care within the same budget. Capacity Building is not flexible across categories.

Group activities are priced by the ratio of workers to participants — a 1:3 group costs each participant less than one-to-one support — which is why providers run group outings. Ask what ratio you are being charged and whether a centre fee is included.

SESI’s community participation service supports access to local events, groups and volunteering, and our innovative community participation program runs creative workshops, digital skills training and social events.

What is changing in the NDIS from October 2026?

Two changes are worth knowing about if community participation is a big part of your plan:

• From 1 October 2026, the NDIA is tightening some Capacity Building budgets, including Increased Social and Community Participation, as part of the 2026 NDIS changes. The Government has said everyday living supports are not the target. Expect closer questions about how a program builds skills, and keep evidence of progress.
• From 1 January 2027, price limits for some unregistered providers of community and social participation supports reduce by 10%. Prices for registered providers, including SESI, are unchanged. Our 2026–27 price guide has the detail.

Neither change affects the Core support-worker hours that get you out the door.

How does Support at Home fund community participation?

The Support at Home program replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025. Its service list sorts supports into three categories — clinical care, independence, and everyday living — and community participation sits in independence:

• Social support and community engagement — a worker to accompany you to activities, or group social programs.
• Transport — getting to appointments and activities.
• Allied health and restorative care — where the goal is regaining the ability to get out, a restorative care pathway can fund a short, intensive block of therapy.

Independence services carry a participant contribution based on your means; clinical care does not. Your budget is set by one of eight classification levels and released quarterly, so social support is planned against the quarter alongside your other services. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing describes the service list in About the Support at Home program.

If you receive the Commonwealth Home Support Programme instead, social support group and individual services continue under CHSP, which was extended to 30 June 2029 on 21 August 2026. Access to either program starts with My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.

SESI delivers NDIS disability supports and aged care support, including Support at Home services, across Victoria.

NDIS or aged care — which one applies to me?

Your situation	Which system funds participation
Under 65 with a permanent and significant disability	NDIS
NDIS participant who has turned 65	Your choice — stay on the NDIS or move to aged care; talk to your planner first
65 or over (50 or over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people), not on the NDIS	Support at Home or CHSP via My Aged Care
Not eligible or waiting	Private support, plus the free options below

What free and low-cost options does Victoria have?

A support worker’s job is partly to know what is on locally. Some of the options that exist in most of Victoria:

• Neighbourhood houses. Over 400 across the state, running classes, meals, gardens and groups at little or no cost. Find yours through Neighbourhood Houses Victoria.
• U3A (University of the Third Age). Volunteer-run learning groups for retirees — languages, history, walking, music — for a small annual fee. See U3A Network Victoria.
• Public libraries. Free tech help, book groups, talks and warm spaces.
• Men’s sheds and community gardens.
• Council programs. Most Victorian councils run seniors’ programs, social support groups and accessible exercise classes.
• Companion Card. If you need a support worker or carer to attend, the Victorian Companion Card gives them free entry at participating venues and events, including many sporting, cinema and transport operators.
• Seniors Card. Discounts on public transport and at participating businesses for Victorians aged 60 and over who work fewer than 35 hours a week — seniorsonline.vic.gov.au.

Funded support-worker hours go much further when the activity itself is free.

How do I set this up?

NDIS participants

1. Check your plan for Core – Assistance with Social and Community Participation hours and any Capacity Building participation funding.
2. Decide what you actually want to do — one specific activity beats “get out more”.
3. Choose a provider and agree the roster, the worker ratio and how transport is handled.
4. Keep simple notes of what you did and how it went; they are your evidence at the next reassessment.

Older Australians

1. Call My Aged Care for an assessment, or ask your Support at Home provider to add social support to your care plan.
2. Agree the activities and the quarterly hours.
3. Apply for a Companion Card if a worker will attend with you.

Family members and carers

If you are arranging this for a parent, the most useful thing you can do before the first conversation is write down three things they used to enjoy and stopped doing. That is the plan.

Frequently asked questions

Talk to SESI

If you, or someone you care for, has stopped getting out and you want that to change, tell us what is going on. We support community participation across Victoria under the NDIS and Support at Home.

Tell us what’s going on: sesi.com.au/referral · Call: 1800 017 374

This guide is general information based on the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2026–27, NDIA guidance, and Department of Health, Disability and Ageing material on Support at Home, current at August 2026. It is not advice about your individual plan or care package.