We need to be satisfied that the support will help you to do activities, which make it easier for you to participate socially and economically.
Social participation means doing things you enjoy, like going out with friends, playing sport or going on holiday. It also means doing the things you need to do, like going to school or medical appointments.
Economic participation usually means being involved in things that help you work towards getting and keeping a job. This might be things like volunteering, study, learning new skills or trying work experience. Research tells us that work can lead to health benefits and improve our quality of life. Learn more about the Health benefits of good work .
Social and economic participation are important to most people. They are critical to living an ordinary life.
To work out if a support meets this requirement, we look at the purpose of the support and how it will help you.
We fund reasonable and necessary supports that reduce the barriers that prevent you from undertaking activities. This will help you increase your social and economic participation.
Some supports help economic and social participation directly. There are lots of supports we can fund to directly help with social and economic participation. Learn more about Social and recreation supports and Work and study supports.
Other supports help you to undertake activities like self-care, which indirectly help your economic and social participation.
Example
Sue is going to university next year. She has a vision impairment, and has been working with her Guide Dog Mobility Instructor to decide if a dog guide is right for her. A dog guide can help her leave her home safely and independently, and travel to and from university.
A dog guide could also help her go out with friends and join in other community activities. As long as it meets the other funding criteria, we could fund a dog guide for Sue. It will help her to undertake activities of daily living.
As a result, it’ll increase her social and economic participation. For example, the support will help her get to her university so she can study, and will help her social life.