“Does he need SLES for this?”
Families often ask that as soon as they hear the words post-school program or day program. If SLES is not in the plan, they may assume the conversation is over before anyone has looked at what the program actually provides.
“Day program” is an everyday description. It is not an NDIS funding category. The useful question is what support the young person will receive.
A program focused on community participation, weekly routine, everyday independence and social connection is doing a different job from work experience, job-site training or structured employment preparation. The name on the brochure does not settle how the support fits an individual NDIS plan.
If you are comparing options after school, our guide to planning the year after Year 12 is a useful place to start.
Start with what happens during the program
Ask the provider to describe a normal day. Where does the group go? What do staff help people do? How are activities chosen? What is the intended purpose of the support?
A weekly program might involve planning a community outing, using public transport with support, shopping for ingredients, preparing lunch, trying a local activity or spending time with a small group. Those activities may help a young person build routine, make choices and become more comfortable taking part in community life.
That is different from a program built around preparing resumes, practising job interviews, completing work experience or learning tasks for a workplace.
The distinction matters because the support item and claim, and any service agreement, should describe what the provider is actually delivering.
Where Core community participation may fit
The NDIS describes Core supports as everyday activities and items a participant may need to live their life. Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation is one of the Core support categories that can appear in an NDIS plan. The NDIS guide to support budgets explains how those budgets are shown.
A participant may be able to use relevant Core funding for a community participation program when the support matches their goals, plan structure, available budget and current NDIS rules. That does not mean Core automatically pays for anything described as a day program.
Plans are individual. Some funding is flexible and some is stated for a particular purpose. The support also needs to meet the NDIS funding requirements. Families should check the current plan rather than rely on what worked for somebody else.
A more useful question than “Can Core pay for a day program?” is:
What support is being delivered, which goal does it relate to, and does this participant’s plan allow it to be purchased from the relevant budget?
A budget change to know about from 1 October 2026
From 1 October 2026, budgets for Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation are being reduced by 50% when a plan is created, reassessed or renewed. The change is being applied gradually to plans created, reassessed or renewed between 1 October 2026 and 30 September 2027. Some supports in this category are not affected, including supports in employment and high intensity supports. Until a plan is reassessed or renewed, the participant can keep using their current plan. The NDIS explains the details in its update on changes to support budgets from 1 October.
The Capacity Building budget for Increased Social and Community Participation is not part of this reduction. (A separate 10% reduction applies to Capacity Building: Improved Daily Living Skills.)
In plain terms, a young person may be able to use Core, Capacity Building, or both, depending on their goals and what is in their plan. The amount available will differ for every participant, so it is worth checking the current plan, and the date it is due to be reassessed or renewed, before committing to a weekly arrangement.
Why this is different from SLES
School Leaver Employment Supports, or SLES, are employment supports designed to help school leavers build the skills and confidence to move from school towards work.
SLES is now a transitional arrangement. Since 1 July 2024, employment support for school leavers has been funded as Employment Assistance under Capacity Building – Finding and Keeping a Job (support item 10_016_0102_5_3). The SLES transitional support item (10_021) can still be used until 30 June 2027. The NDIS guide to employment support for young participants explains the employment support available after school.
A community participation program does not become employment support simply because the person attending has recently left school.
If a Tuesday program helps a young person establish a weekly routine, take part in community activities, meet people and practise everyday independence, its purpose is community participation. It should not be advertised or claimed as job training when employment preparation is not what the provider delivers.
The reverse also applies. Employment support should not be relabelled as community participation to avoid the rules attached to employment funding. The description needs to match the service.
Can a young person have community participation support and employment support?
Different supports can serve different goals. Employment support may help a young person move towards work, while community participation support may help them maintain routine, social connection and involvement in everyday life.
Whether both are funded, and how each budget can be used, depends on the participant’s circumstances and plan. The same session cannot be claimed twice or given two labels to fit different budgets.
If the arrangement is unclear, the support coordinator, plan manager or my NDIS contact should check it before the support begins.
What to check before choosing a program
Start with the participant’s goals. Goals connected with community participation, independence, routine or relationships may help explain why a program is relevant, although a goal does not guarantee funding.
Then check the plan itself. Which support categories are included? Is the relevant funding flexible or stated? How much budget is available? Are there restrictions that affect how it can be used? When is the plan due to be reassessed or renewed?
Ask the provider for clear information about the program and its pricing, including the support being delivered, the proposed support item, the group ratio and any other charges that may apply. A written service agreement is recommended so everyone is clear on these details, although it is not mandatory for this type of support (service agreements are only mandatory for specialist disability accommodation, or SDA). The NDIS pricing arrangements page is the official place to check the current schedule and price limits.
Activity costs, such as food and entry fees, are usually paid by the participant rather than from their plan. Ask the provider what these are likely to be.
A provider can explain its service and charges. It should not promise that a participant’s plan will cover attendance.
Describing the support at a planning conversation
“Day program” does not tell my NDIS contact what the young person needs. A family may find it clearer to describe the actual support, for example:
a weekly community participation program focused on routine, independence and social connection
That wording should only be used when it is an honest description of the program.
The conversation can then cover what changes when school finishes, how much weekly structure the young person needs, why the format suits them and what other supports are already in place. The proposed frequency, support ratio and cost should also be clear.
At a plan review, it helps to describe each support and the support item it’s claimed under. That gives a clear picture of what the young person is actually receiving and which part of the plan it uses.
How Kickstart Academy fits a plan
Kickstart Academy isn’t an employment program, so you don’t need SLES or employment funding to attend. The confusion is understandable, because anything for young people after school can sound like job preparation.
Academy is different. Kickstart Academy — Tuesday Day Program is a weekly community participation program focused on routine, independence, confidence, social connection and getting out into the community. For many participants, that fits under Core: Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation, depending on what’s in their plan.
For one young adult, the first benefit may be having a consistent reason to leave the house and spend time with a group. Someone else may use the day to practise making choices, trying activities and becoming more comfortable in community settings.
Kickstart’s individual mentoring and skill building is different again. It is goal-based, with progress tracked over time, and is usually claimed under Capacity Building: Increased Social and Community Participation.
A young person may use one or both, depending on their goals and plan. Each support is claimed for what it actually is. A session is never claimed twice, and a support is never relabelled to fit a different budget.
Academy activity costs, such as food and entry fees, are usually paid by the participant.
Academy is not automatically suitable or fundable for every participant. Before somebody starts, the family and support team need to consider the young person’s goals, preferences, support needs, plan and available budget.
If the difference between participation support and mentoring is also causing confusion, read Community Access vs Youth Mentoring.
Frequently asked questions
Is a day program always funded through SLES?
No. SLES is employment-focused, and it is now a transitional arrangement: employment support for school leavers is funded as Employment Assistance under Capacity Building – Finding and Keeping a Job, with the SLES transitional item available until 30 June 2027. The funding discussion depends on what the program provides and how that support relates to the participant’s plan. A community participation program should not be called employment support merely because the participant has left school.
Can Core funding pay for a group program?
Core funding may be relevant when the program delivers community participation support and fits the participant’s goals, plan structure, available budget and current NDIS rules. The program name alone does not decide this. From 1 October 2026, Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation budgets are reduced by 50% as plans are created, reassessed or renewed, so check what is available in the current plan.
Can someone receive community participation support and employment support?
They may receive different supports for different goals. The individual plan and current rules determine what is funded and how it can be used. The same support must not be double-claimed or relabelled between budgets.
What should a support coordinator check before referring?
Check the participant’s goals, relevant budget, plan flexibility, plan reassessment or renewal date, proposed support item, program purpose, group ratio, likely activity costs and current pricing arrangements. A written service agreement is recommended. Clarify uncertainty before attendance begins.
Does Kickstart decide whether Academy can be paid for from a participant’s plan?
No. Kickstart can explain what Academy provides, how it is priced and the support item it is claimed under. The participant’s support coordinator, plan manager or my NDIS contact should help confirm how it fits the individual plan.
Start with the support itself
A missing SLES budget should not end every conversation about life after school. It should prompt a closer look at what the young person needs and what the proposed program does.
For information about Kickstart Academy, submit a referral or call 1800 229 736. We can explain the program so the family and support team can assess it against the young person’s plan.