What STA funding includes
STA is a bundled support: for the length of the stay, the funding covers accommodation, support staff (including overnight), meals, and the activities you do while you're there. You don't pay rent or board for an STA stay the way you would in ongoing accommodation — it's an all-inclusive short stay.
Stays are short by design — commonly a weekend up to a fortnight at a time. Many plans work out to roughly four weeks of STA across a year, used flexibly: some families book a regular weekend each month; others save it for a longer block over school holidays or when the usual carer is away or unwell.
Who respite is really for
Both people in the caring relationship. For participants, a good respite stay is not 'being minded' — it's a holiday with the right support: activities you choose, time with peers, and practice at daily living away from the family routine. For carers, it's the difference between running on empty and being able to keep caring well. The NDIS funds STA precisely because sustaining informal supports — the family and friends who provide most care — keeps participants living at home longer and better.
STA also has a quieter, strategic use: it's the safest way to trial living away from home. Before any move toward Supported Independent Living or an ILO arrangement, a few successful STA stays tell everyone — participant, family and the NDIS — a great deal about what support out-of-home life actually requires.
What a good STA stay looks like
Quality varies across the sector, so it's worth knowing what good looks like:
- Support matched to the person — staffing levels, clinical needs and behaviour support in place before the stay, not worked out on arrival
- Real activities the participant chose — not television and a couch
- Familiar faces where possible — the same provider's staff across stays builds trust
- Clear handover both ways — routines, medication and communication preferences in; a proper summary of the stay back out
- Clinical backup — access to nursing advice and an on-call escalation path, especially for participants with health needs
Getting respite into a plan — and using it
STA sits in the Core budget, and the strongest case for it is honest evidence about the caring situation: who provides informal support, how sustainable that is, and what happens without a break. Carer statements genuinely matter here — planners read them. If respite isn't in the current plan and the need is real, raise it at the next plan reassessment, or earlier if circumstances have changed significantly.
Care Alliance provides Short Term Accommodation and respite stays across the Hunter with Registered Nurse oversight and our 24/7 on-call team behind every stay — so participants get a great few days and families get a break they can actually relax into.
Common questions
Is respite the same as STA?
Mostly, in NDIS language. STA (Short Term Accommodation) is the funded support that covers planned short stays away from home, including what most families call respite. People also use 'respite' more broadly to include in-home breaks, which are funded as regular Core support hours instead.
How much STA can I get in a plan?
It depends on your circumstances, but stays are commonly funded up to 14 days at a time and many plans support around 28 days across a year, used flexibly. Your plan is the source of truth — and if the caring situation needs more, that's evidence for a plan review.
Can respite be used in an emergency?
STA is designed as planned respite. In a genuine crisis — a carer suddenly hospitalised, for example — contact your support coordinator and the NDIA immediately; short-notice STA can sometimes be arranged, and other emergency supports may apply. It's far better to have planned stays in place before a crisis forces the issue.
Does the participant get a say in where they stay?
Absolutely — choice and control apply to respite like everything else in the NDIS. Visit beforehand, meet the staff, and treat the first stay as a trial both ways.
This guide is general information about the NDIS, not advice about your individual situation, and scheme rules change over time. For decisions about your plan, check the current guidance at ndis.gov.au or talk to your support coordinator, planner — or call us on 1300 206 309.