Social & Community Support (NDIS)

What Is Social & Community Support?

Social and community support is one-on-one, NDIS-funded assistance that helps you take part in social, recreational and community activities of your choosing. It's also sometimes called NDIS community participation support, and it sits within Core Supports, Support Category 04: Social and Community Participation, in your NDIS plan. Rather than therapy or clinical intervention, this support is about doing: getting to the footy, joining a club, catching up with friends, or simply having company while you're out. A Supportr team member accompanies you one-on-one, so support is shaped entirely around what you want to do.

What's Included

Social and community support, sometimes called community access support, can include almost anything that gets you out, connected and doing what you enjoy, one-on-one with a familiar support worker. In practice, that looks like:

• Community outings, such as the movies, local markets, sporting events or a day at the beach
• Hobbies and interests, from art classes and gardening groups to gym sessions and live music
• Transport to and from activities, appointments and social events
• One-on-one social skill building, like practising conversations, ordering at a café, or joining a new group with support alongside you
• Appointments and errands, including medical visits, banking and shopping trips
• Building and maintaining friendships, and staying connected with family
• Trying something new, whether that's a sport, a class or a volunteering role

Who It's For

Social and community support suits any NDIS participant who wants to get out into the community more often, but would prefer not to do it entirely alone. It works well if any of this sounds like you:

• You'd like company at appointments, outings or errands
• You're building confidence with public transport or new places
• You want to try a hobby, class or activity but don't want to go it alone
• You're working towards more independence, one outing at a time

Take Josh, a Supportr participant in his twenties on Brisbane's southside. He wanted to start going to the gym and catching the bus into the city to see friends, but felt anxious doing it alone. His Supportr team member joined him for the first few months, then gradually stepped back as his confidence grew. These days Josh catches the bus solo most weeks, and his support worker still joins him for the gym sessions he enjoys most.

How It's Funded (Core Supports)

Social and community support is funded through the Core Supports budget in your NDIS plan, under Support Category 04: Social and Community Participation. Core Supports is generally the most flexible of the three NDIS budget types, so funding can often move between categories to cover what you need most.

The amount allocated to Category 04 is set at your NDIS planning meeting, based on the goals you discuss with your planner. If you're self-managed, you pay Supportr directly and claim the cost back; if you're plan-managed, your plan manager pays Supportr on your behalf. For a full explanation of how NDIS budgets work, visit our NDIS information page, or read our guide on how to use your NDIS funding for community participation.

Social & Community Support vs Group Activities

The easiest way to tell these two services apart is group size. Social and community support is delivered one-on-one: it's just you and your support worker, doing the activities that matter to you, on your schedule. Group activities bring a small number of participants together for a shared, structured program, like an art class, a fitness session or a cooking group.

Both are funded from similar parts of your NDIS plan and both help build connections and confidence, so the right choice comes down to what suits you. If you'd prefer one-on-one attention and full control over your day, social and community support is the better fit. If you'd enjoy meeting other participants in a planned group session, take a look at our group activities page instead.

Areas We Service

Supportr provides social and community support right across South East Queensland, with dedicated, consistent teams based in Brisbane and Ipswich. We also cover Logan, the Gold Coast, Caboolture and the Redlands, so wherever you are in SEQ, there's a good chance we already have a team working nearby.

Coverage means more than a service area on a map. It means a support worker who knows the local buses, the nearby shops, and the activities on offer in your part of town. If your support needs go beyond getting out and about, our daily living support and in-home support services are also available across the same regions.

FAQs