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 administers the CSEF to help eligible families with the costs of camps, sporting activities and excursions.
- Schools must communicate to families the availability of the CSEF.
- Schools must process applications for a CSEF payment by 28 June 2024. To access the 2024 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 and excursions.
Payments are made directly to an eligible student’s school. Schools must use a CSEF payment only for the eligible student and not for that student’s siblings or any other student (except where the eligible student leaves the Victorian education system and there are remaining and unspent funds).
Some common examples of school-organised programs for which a CSEF payment may be used include:
- school camps/trips
- swimming and other school-organised sporting programs
- outdoor education programs
- excursions/incursions
- graduations.
The CSEF payment cannot be used towards:
- books
- stationery
- school uniforms
- before/after school care
- music lessons
- locker hire
- classroom and homework materials
- formals or debutant balls
- other expenses unrelated to camps, sports or excursions.
Schools
Schools are responsible for:
- communicating to families the availability of CSEF to eligible students
- accepting application forms from families by 28 June 2024
- entering all applications onto the CSEF (staff login required) for processing by 28 June 2024
- ensuring any monies received from the CSEF are used for the cost of camps, sport or excursions for the benefit of the eligible student
- communicating to an eligible student’s parent/carer as to how the school intends to allocate the CSEF payment to help the student
- checking all the details on the application are correct, and the completed forms are clear.
Processing applications
Schools must process applications for CSEF payments as set out in the guidance by 28 June 2024.
Multiple students can be listed in the one application form.
Before processing a new application through the CSEF , schools must sight the parent/carer’s concession card to ensure that the name and Centrelink Reference Number (CRN) in the CSEF application form matches the Centrelink concession card.
Special consideration is given to newly arrived refugee and asylum seeker families who arrive into the county in the current year. Schools are able to accept applications from newly arrived refugee and asylum seeker students who enrol in Terms 3 and 4. For these applications documentation confirming refugee/asylum seeker status, visa grant notice, ImmiCard or a welfare letter is required to be attached to the application form and a scanned copy emailed to csef@education.vic.gov.au for processing before the end of Term 4.
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 make sure families are aware that applications for CSEF payments must be submitted by 28 June 2024.
Schools will need an agreement with parents/carers before allocating CSEF and 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 form 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 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 provided by the department to schools for the purpose of paying costs of camps, sport and excursions for an eligible student.
Related policies
Reviewed 08 February 2024