Governments must do more to stop young burns victims from developing serious psychological problems, an injury prevention group says.

The Kids Foundation, which also supports children recovering from serious injuries including burns, says not enough money is being spent on warding off mental health problems.

Founder Susie O'Neill says young burns victims in particular need more support to deal with the physical scars they carry, and to reintegrate into their school environments.

She says burns victims can often face bullying and isolation when that sort of support is not provided.

'When other children don't understand the story, the child often feels ostracised,' Ms O'Neill told AAP on Wednesday.

'If preparation is done properly and early enough (students) are often very supportive.'

The Kids Foundation supports burns victims by going into their schools before they return to the classroom.

But Ms O'Neill says recent financial pressures have forced key mining sponsor Xstrata to scale back its support, which is affecting the foundation's scope to help.

She called on governments across Australia to understand the value of investing early in the psychological wellbeing of recovering victims.

Anthea Flint was 15 when she suffered serious burns on a school camping trip.

Flames engulfed her when another student tried to top up a canister of methylated spirits that fuelled their camp cooker.

'The flame came straight at me, up my legs, arms, then up my neck and onto my face,' she told AAP.

The now 22-year-old, who endured a painful physical recovery, said reintegration into her school was extremely difficult.

The reaction of her fellow students to the way she looked was very difficult to deal with, she said.

'People stared and didn't know how to act around me.

'Mentally and socially it was really hard to readjust.'

She said help was also needed to guide burns victims through the moment when they first saw the extent of their injuries.

She recalls the moment she first looked in the mirror, and for a few moments believed she was looking at another patient in her hospital ward.

'It took a few moments to register the mangled face I was looking at was mine,' she said.

Some work is being done to assess the benefits of cosmetic camouflage for burns victims - a kind of second skin that can improve the outward appearance of scarred tissue.

Jessica Maskell, a senior social worker at the Brisbane Royal Children's Hospital, is trialling the use of the camouflage as a way to help victims adjust.

'It has been found children and adolescents with burn scars have lower quality of life' Ms Maskell said.

Early results suggested young victims who'd trialled the camouflage product reported feeling happier and more confident.

But it does have some downsides.

It must be applied daily, like make-up, it's costly and is not covered under Medicare or subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

The effect of the camouflage - on body image and social integration - will form part of Ms Maskell's PhD studies on the long-term adjustment of young burn victims.