Short-Term Accommodation (STA), often known as respite, should be more than simply spending a few nights somewhere different.
For a participant, time away from their usual care arrangement can provide a change of environment, new experiences, greater choice and an opportunity to feel comfortable receiving support outside their normal routine.
For families and carers, it can provide something equally important: time to rest, attend to other responsibilities and recharge so they can continue providing informal support.
The NDIS now describes short-term accommodation as short-term respite, reflecting its primary purpose: giving participants time apart from their usual care arrangements while their primary informal supports take a short break.
But that does not mean the participant’s experience should simply be about “being looked after”.
A well-planned short stay can still be meaningful, enjoyable, and centred around the participant.
Short-Term Respite Is Not Simply a Holiday
This distinction is important.
Current NDIS guidance explains that short-term accommodation funding is designed to provide disability-related support while a participant is temporarily apart from their usual care arrangements. It is not intended to pay for holidays, holiday packages, airfares, entertainment or ordinary travel expenses.
The purpose should therefore begin with the participant’s support needs.
For example:
- Their family may provide significant daily disability-related support and need a short break.
- The participant may need overnight assistance while their usual informal support is temporarily unavailable.
- A regular respite arrangement may help sustain the participant’s existing home and family support arrangement.
- The participant may need a supported environment where their regular personal care and daily living needs can continue safely.
Once that purpose is clear, the question becomes:
How can the short stay also be made positive and meaningful for the participant?
1. Becoming Comfortable Away From the Usual Routine
For some participants, staying away from home can initially feel unfamiliar.
They may be used to:
- the same bedroom;
- the same family members;
- familiar support routines;
- particular meal times;
- predictable morning and evening routines;
- familiar communication styles.
A short respite stay can help someone become more comfortable receiving support in another environment without expecting them to suddenly manage everything differently.
The first successful stay may simply mean:
“I stayed somewhere different, my needs were understood, and I felt safe.”
That can be a significant achievement.
For participants who rely heavily on family support, gradually becoming comfortable with trusted support workers can also reduce anxiety around future changes.
2. Practising Everyday Choices
Being away from the usual family routine can create natural opportunities for a participant to make more everyday decisions.
These may appear to be small choices.
But meaningful independence often begins with ordinary decisions.
The support worker’s role should not be to create an entirely new schedule and expect the participant to follow it. The participant should remain involved in decisions about their own stay.
3. Maintaining and Sometimes Practising Daily Living Skills
Current NDIS guidance states that short-term accommodation funding can cover disability supports for everyday activities such as showering, cooking and toileting, depending on the participant’s needs.
These activities should not automatically become things that workers completely take over.
Where appropriate, a participant might remain involved by:
- selecting clothing;
- helping prepare part of a meal;
- organising personal belongings;
- following their usual morning routine;
- making their bed;
- preparing items needed for an outing;
- completing parts of their personal care routine.
The goal is not to turn respite into constant training.
If someone needs full assistance, they should receive it.
But where a participant can and wants to participate, support workers should avoid removing those opportunities simply because doing everything themselves would be faster.
4. Trying Something Different in a Supported Way
A different environment may also give participants opportunities to enjoy experiences outside their everyday routine.
The important word is choice.
A respite stay should not be filled with activities simply because the provider has decided everyone should participate.
One participant may enjoy a busy weekend.
Another may prefer quiet activities, familiar routines and plenty of personal space.
Good respite support adapts to the person rather than expecting the person to adapt to the service.
5. Building Confidence with Different Support Workers
Many participants are primarily supported by parents, partners, siblings, or another close family member.
It can therefore take time to build trust with someone new.
A well-managed short stay can allow a participant to learn:
- who their support workers are;
- how to communicate their preferences;
- how to ask for help;
- how their routines will continue;
- who to approach when something feels wrong;
- how to express when they want space or a change.
This should happen gradually.
A participant who is anxious about respite may benefit from meeting workers beforehand, seeing the accommodation, discussing routines and having familiar information carried over from home.
The goal should never be to force separation.
It should be to build enough trust that the participant feels safe and understood.
6. Supporting Social Connection, If the Participant Wants It
Some respite arrangements may involve shared settings or opportunities to interact with other people. Current NDIS guidance allows participants to use short-term accommodation in their own home, individual accommodation or shared settings, depending on their situation and funding.
For participants who enjoy social interaction, this may provide an opportunity to:
- meet new people;
- practise conversation;
- join shared activities;
- eat together;
- play games;
- spend time with people outside their immediate family.
But social participation should never be forced.
Someone who needs quiet time, finds group environments overwhelming or simply prefers individual activities should have those preferences respected.
A good respite experience is not measured by how many activities someone completes.
It is measured by whether the support fits the participant.
7. Giving Families Time to Recharge
Short-term respite also has an important family purpose.
The NDIS specifically describes it as support that gives primary informal carers a temporary break so they can continue in their caring role.
For a parent, partner or family carer providing substantial daily support, a short break may allow time to:
This does not mean the participant is a burden.
Strong informal support relationships also need to be sustainable.
When families know the participant is safe, respected, and receiving appropriate care, they may be able to take that break with greater peace of mind.
What Should a Good Short Stay Look Like?
Quality respite should begin before the participant arrives.
The provider should understand:
- personal care requirements;
- communication preferences;
- medication and health needs;
- mobility requirements;
- food preferences and dietary needs;
- sensory needs;
- behavioural support strategies where relevant;
- important routines;
- interests and preferred activities;
- triggers or situations that may cause distress;
- emergency contacts;
- what helps the participant feel safe.
The participant should also know, as far as possible:
- where they are staying;
- who will support them;
- how long they will stay;
- what they should bring;
- What activities may be available?
- when they will return home.
Preparation can make the difference between simply arranging accommodation and creating a positive respite experience.
What Can NDIS Short-Term Accommodation Funding Cover?
Under current NDIS guidance, short-term accommodation funding may be used for disability-related everyday supports such as showering, cooking and toileting, along with standard accommodation such as respite accommodation, a short-stay rental, cabin, cottage, hotel, motel or hostel. Support may also sometimes be provided in the participant’s own home or through a homestay arrangement where overnight support is normally required.
If funded, short-term accommodation is usually available for up to 28 days per year and can generally be used flexibly—for example, one weekend each month or blocks of up to 14 days. Participants must still use the funding according to their individual plan.
Importantly, current rules exclude costs such as:
- holiday packages;
- airfares;
- cruises;
- passports and visas;
- theme parks and entertainment;
- travel expenses for family members;
- food and meals.
Participants should always check their current NDIS plan and clarify costs with their provider, plan manager, support coordinator or NDIS contact before booking.
Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Respite Provider
Participants and families may want to ask:
- Who will be supporting the participant?
- Can we meet the workers beforehand?
- How will personal routines be maintained?
- How are communication needs documented?
- Can the participant choose their activities?
- What happens if they become anxious or want to go home?
- How are medications managed?
- What level of overnight support is available?
- How are incidents or health concerns communicated?
- What costs are included?
- How will the provider communicate with the family?
- Can the support be personalised around the participant’s preferences?
The accommodation itself matters.
But the quality of support inside that accommodation matters more.
Victor Care’s Approach to Short-Term Accommodation and Respite
At Victor Care, we believe respite should provide reassurance for families while ensuring the participant remains at the centre of the experience.
Our approach focuses on understanding:
- the participant’s daily support needs;
- personal routines and preferences;
- communication style;
- health and safety requirements;
- interests;
- comfort with unfamiliar environments;
- level of independence;
- goals and individual choices.
Some participants may want an active stay with community outings and activities.
Others may prefer a calm environment, familiar routines, and time to relax.
Both can represent successful respite.
The aim is to create a safe, respectful, and supportive experience where participants continue receiving the assistance they need while families have confidence that their loved one is being genuinely supported.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is short-term accommodation the same as respite?
The NDIS announced in October 2025 that it was changing the way it describes short-term accommodation to short-term respite, emphasising the purpose of giving participants time apart from their usual care arrangements while informal supports take a break.
Is STA an NDIS-funded holiday?
No. Current NDIS guidance specifically excludes holidays, holiday packages, airfares and various entertainment and travel expenses from short-term accommodation funding.
Can a participant choose what they do during respite?
Their preferences and support needs should be central to the stay. Activities should be discussed with the participant rather than automatically chosen for them.
Does every NDIS participant receive respite funding?
No. Eligibility depends on individual disability-related support needs and the participant’s NDIS plan. Current guidance identifies particular circumstances where short-term accommodation funding may be considered.
Can respite happen in the participant’s own home?
Current NDIS guidance states that short-term accommodation funding may, in some circumstances, support a participant in their own home or a homestay arrangement, as well as individual or shared accommodation settings.
