Financial Assistance Available
​School Saving Bonus Information
You may have seen the recent announcements of the School Saving Bonus, as part of the Victorian Budget 2024/25.  We are sharing the information we know about when and how families will be able to access this support.
 
Eligibility
The School Saving Bonus is available to parents and carers of every child enrolled in a government school. It is a one-off support of $400 to assist with school costs.
If your child attends a government school, you do not need to apply or do anything to receive the School Saving Bonus; the funds will be provided to your child’s school.
If you are a parent or carer of more than one child, you will receive the $400 School Saving Bonus credit for each child.
It will be available to families in 2025 and will be in addition to existing and continuing means-tested supports for camps, sports, excursions and uniforms (CSEF and State Schools Relief).
 
How families will receive the School Saving Bonus
Cash will not be paid directly to individuals or families (or paid in cash to families from schools), it will be received as a credit on their school family account to help meet the cost of activities and uniforms.
The Department of Education is working on the implementation of the school saving bonus and further information and guidance will be provided to schools and families soon, ahead of the implementation in 2025.
Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)
The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund is to assist eligible families, so that a family’s financial circumstance is not a barrier to student participation.
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Eligibility
General –
The applicant must be one of the following on the first day of Term 1 (29 January 2024) or Term 2 (15 April 2024):
  • a parent or carer who is the beneficiary of a financially means-tested card. for example, a Health Care Card.
    For full list of eligible cards please refer to the below link.
  • a temporary foster carer
 
Special consideration –
A special consideration category exists for families on a bridging visa, temporary protection visa and asylum seeker families please contact school Business Manager, Naomi Di Pasquale for further information.
Permanent care arrangements such as permanent visas and permanent foster care do not meet the criteria for special consideration.

Payment Amounts
Payments amounts are:
  • $150 per year for eligible primary school students
  • $250 per year for eligible secondary school students.

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

Use of funds
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.

How to apply
New applicants should contact the school office to obtain a CSEF application form or download below.

https://content.sdp.education.vic.gov.au/media/csef-application-form-2879

Schools can rollover/copy the previous year’s application on the CSEF system to the current school year, once the eligible family provides a copy of the current years card.

If there's shared custody
The CSEF system only allows one application per student. Where there are parents/carers in shared custody situations (who both hold a concession card) the parent/carer who submits the eligible card first will be the parent/carer who is to receive the payment.
State Schools Relief
State Schools' Relief (SSR) is an autonomous, charitable organisation that assists Victorian government school students who are experiencing financial disadvantage because of short-term crisis or long-term chronic need.

SSR is supported by the department to help with uniforms and other essential items for students who need assistance to continue their education.

Short-term crisis and long-term chronic need are the primary qualifying criteria for support from SSR, including refugee status, homelessness, family violence, house fire, natural disaster, financial hardship, illness and emergency.

SSR assistance will be provided by either direct supply of uniform items or uniform vouchers for redemption from school uniform suppliers.
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Schools need to make a needs-based assessment for individual students using the eligibility criteria determined by SSR
Please contact the schools Business Manager or Wellbeing Leader if you require assistance.