Policy
The purpose of this policy is to ensure schools appropriately administer, and support families to access, the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) so that a family’s financial circumstances are not a barrier to student participation.
Summary
- The Department of Education (department) administers the CSEF to help eligible families with the costs of camps, sporting activities, excursions and incursions.
- Schools must communicate to families the availability of the CSEF.
- Schools must process applications for a CSEF payment by 4 July 2025. It is the school’s responsibility to ensure that all applications are entered by the due date.
- To access the 2025 CSEF form and information sheets for parents, translated into many languages, please refer to the Resources tab.
- Schools must use the funds for the benefit of the eligible student.
Details
Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund expenditure
The CSEF provides payments to assist eligible families to cover the costs of camps, sporting activities, excursions and incursions.
Payments are made directly to an eligible student’s school. Schools must use a CSEF payment only for the eligible student or for that student’s siblings.
Where the eligible student leaves the Victorian education system and there are remaining and unspent funds these funds can be used by a sibling attending the same school.
Leaving the Victorian school system includes students leaving school for further education such as TAFE, university or other vocational institutions.
Students that are home schooled are not eligible for CSEF. Schools are required to keep CSEF funds for 12 months from the time a student is home schooled in the event the student may return to school. If the student is home schooled for more than 12 months, CSEF can be absorbed by the school to assist other students in need.
Some common examples of school-organised programs for which a CSEF payment may be used include:
- school camps/trips
- swimming extension activities and other school-organised sporting programs
- outdoor education programs
- excursions/incursions that are extracurricular as defined in the Parent Payments policy
- graduations/valedictories. This cannot be used for social events such as formals and end of year functions.
The CSEF payment cannot be used towards:
- books
- stationery
- school uniforms
- before/after school care
- locker hire
- classroom and homework materials
- formals or debutant balls
- other expenses unrelated to camps, sports or excursions.
Schools
Schools are responsible for:
- nominating staff to be responsible for the administration and approval of CSEF
- periodically reviewing and updating user access
- communicating to families the availability of CSEF to eligible students
- accepting application forms from families by 4 July 2025
- entering all applications onto the CSEF (staff login required) for processing by 4 July 2025
- ensuring any monies received from the CSEF are used for the cost of eligible activities for the benefit of the eligible student
- communicating to an eligible student’s parent/carer as to what activities CSEF may be used for as soon as practical. It is the responsibility of the parent/carer and not the school to determine which activities the CSEF will be used for
- checking all the details on the application are correct, and the completed forms are clear
- checking the CSEF portal on a regular basis and to keep up to date on the status of the applications
- schools should not delete failed applications or ones that receive an error until they have checked the status of the applications with the department.
Processing applications
Schools must process applications for CSEF payments as set out in the guidance by 4 July 2025.
Multiple students can be listed in the one application form.
Before processing a new application through the CSEF , schools must sight and retain a copy of the parent/carer’s current concession card to ensure that the name and Centrelink Reference Number (CRN) on the CSEF application form matches the Centrelink concession card.
Communication with parents/carers
Schools must communicate the availability of the CSEF to their school community, including in the school newsletter, and provide application forms to parents/carers.
Schools must take steps to ensure families are aware that applications for CSEF payments must be submitted by 4 July 2025.
Schools will need an agreement with parents/carers before allocating CSEF. A credit note will stay on the family account until the family advises the school how they want the funds allocated.
The Resources tab contains the CSEF application forms and promotional flyers (translated in different languages) that schools can use to communicate with families.
Expenditure and acquittal
Schools must only use CSEF payments to help the eligible student to which it is allocated (unless as otherwise set out in the Guidance Use of funds).
Schools must follow the acquittal processes when accounting for the expenditure of CSEF payments.
Record keeping
CSEF records are treated as financial records that detail the receipt and expenditure of public monies. Government schools must retain CSEF records for 7 years (as set out in the Retention and Disposal Authority for Records of Common Administrative , issued by the Public Records Office ).
Schools must securely store consent records for at least 2 years from the date the family leaves the school in a form that we can audit Refer to: Your businesses obligations for Centrelink Confirmation eServices (CCeS) – Services .
Schools must securely store CSEF records during the 7 year document retention period. For more information about security of storage refer to: Records Management — School Records.
Definitions
CSEF – Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund
A payment administered by the department to schools for the purpose of paying costs of camps, sport and excursions for an eligible student.
Related policies
Reviewed 03 February 2025