Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)

Use of funds

Permitted uses

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) provides payments for eligible students to attend activities like:

• school camps or trips
• swimming and school-organised sport programs
• outdoor education programs
• excursions and incursions
• graduations.

The CSEF payment cannot be used towards:

• books
• stationery
• school uniforms
• before or after school care
• music lessons
• formals or debutant balls.

Schools will need an agreement with parents before allocating CSEF funds and a credit will stay on the family account until the family advises the school how they want the funds allocated.

Year 7 and Prep students in government schools who are eligible for CSEF will receive financial help with the cost of school uniforms. For more information about this initiative, refer to State Schools' Relief.

Unused funds

Where an application is approved, the full CSEF payment for that year will be granted.

If the family has already paid for some camp, sports or excursion costs, the CSEF payment cannot be used to reimburse families for those payments. However, families may:

• carry over the unused amount to be used on eligible activities in the following year
• create a ‘family credit’ for the costs already paid. The credit can then be used towards other school expenses. To process this type of credit the following CASES21 process must be completed to ensure the Business Activity Statement (BAS), family account and various other reports are correct:
  1. Ensure that the parent/carer has actually paid for an excursion/camp/sports activity earlier in the year.
  2. Create a family invoice in DF31006 or DF31001 using the original Fee Code to which the CSEF funds will be allocated, and for the amount to be allocated.
  3. Go to ‘Manually allocate CSEF Receipts’ and allocate the CSEF funds to the new invoice that was just created.
  4. Create a Family Credit Note — DF31021 for the same amount as in step 1, using the same Fee Code. Apart from the amount do not change any other details.
  5. This credit will stay on the family account until the family advises the school what they want this to be allocated to.

For further CASES21 related scenarios that school administrators may encounter, refer to CSEF Help for CASES21 Family Finances (staff login required). This document provides step-by-step guidance to resolve or address potential issues.

For any additional assistance or variation to this scenario log a call with the department service desk on 1800 641 943.

Students changing schools

The school that the student is enrolled at and attending on the 29 February census date is the school that must process and receive the CSEF payment.

If a student transfers to another Victorian school (either government or non-government), including where a student is transitioning to secondary school:

• unspent CSEF amounts should be transferred to the student’s new school. A funds transfer would typically require the initiating school to create a CASES21 Family Payment and then arrange for the unspent portion to be transferred to the new school via a bank transfer or cheque payment. For more information, see the CASES21 Business Process Guide – refer to Section 1
• if the unspent amount is minimal, the schools may agree that the funds are not transferred as long as the new school commits to providing the student with assistance to the value of the unspent amount.

Students completing year 12 or leaving the school system

For students completing Year 12 or otherwise leaving the school system:

• schools may allocate unspent funds to the student's siblings attending the same school once the student leaves school – this is the only time at which CSEF payments can be used for siblings
• remaining CSEF funds that are not used by siblings will stay with the school and may be used to assist any students in need with school-incurred costs for camps, sports activities and excursions.