If you are registered to provide supported independent living (SIL), the NDIS Commission's SIL module sets four standards on top of the core NDIS Practice Standards. The module says: "These NDIS Practice Standards apply to NDIS providers who are registered to provide Supported Independent Living to NDIS participants."
These NDIS Practice Standards apply to NDIS providers who are registered to provide Supported Independent Living to NDIS participants.
This guide summarises what each of the four standards is for, quotes the Commission's own words for each one, and suggests what records a provider could keep to show the standard is being met. It does not replace the Commission's text. Who must register as a SIL provider, under which registration group, and by when, is set out on the Commission's mandatory registration page for SIL, and the standards themselves are in the Commission's supplementary module for supported independent living and its NDIS Practice Standards pages. Read both before you rely on anything here.
| Standard | What it is about |
|---|---|
| Supported Decision-Making | Participants make their own decisions about their home and daily life, with support |
| Safeguarding | Participants are safe in their home, including from harm between people who live there |
| Practice Governance | Workers and leaders deliver consistent, rights-based practice in the participant's home |
| Agreements about tenancy, housing and support arrangements | Tenancy and support are kept separate and are clear to the participant |
The Commission describes the purpose this way:
The Supported Decision-Making SIL Practice Standard sets out how providers should use supported decision-making to support participants that need assistance with making decisions, ensuring that participant's decisions are made by them and not for them.
The provider's side of the outcome includes this commitment:
We ensure the integrity of supported decision-making by upholding the will, preference and rights of the participant, even when this conflicts with the preference of the provider or decision supporter.
Records that could show it. How each participant prefers to communicate and be given information; examples of decisions the participant made about their home, routine and who supports them; how a worker supported a decision rather than making it; and policies and training records on supported decision-making.
The Safeguarding Standard sets out how providers should ensure participants living in SIL environments are safe from violence, abuse, neglect and harm while being supported to have choice and dignity of risk.
The outcome statement is explicit about evidence:
Providers and workers should evidence the steps taken to manage risks in the home, including between those living in the house, and demonstrate that all workers are trained in de-escalation, trauma informed practice and positive behaviour support to safeguard all participants living in the home.
Records that could show it. A risk assessment for the home and for relationships between housemates, reviewed when something changes; incident reports and what was done about them; worker training records for de-escalation, trauma-informed practice and positive behaviour support; and house-level incident management policy.
The Practice Governance Standard sets out how providers should create and maintain safe living environments through good governance and practice leadership that upholds a participant's rights, dignity and freedoms in the home.
The expectation is about what happens in the home, not only what is written down:
Providers and workers should demonstrate their workforce management systems translate into consistent, observable practice in the participant's home, ensuring support meets the participant's individual needs, preferences, communication style and cultural considerations.
Records that could show it. Worker training and competency assessments; how team leaders observe practice and give feedback; shift handover so the next worker knows each participant's needs; and how feedback and incident data are used to improve practice.
The Agreements about tenancy, housing and support arrangements Standard sets out that providers should ensure participants have clear, accessible and transparent agreements that distinguish between tenancy or housing arrangements and the SIL support provided.
For a provider that is also the participant's landlord, the commitment is direct:
We ensure tenancy and support arrangements are clearly separate.
Records that could show it. Separate service and tenancy agreements; how each was explained to the participant in a way that suits their communication preferences; how a participant can review, change or end their service arrangements; and how conflicts of interest are managed.
Whatever system you use, the standards ask for evidence of practice in the home. Records kept as the work happens, such as shift checklists, handover notes and incident reports, are easier to produce for an audit than records rebuilt afterwards. CareIQ offers shift checklists with ready-made sections (personal care, sleep, meals, observations, cleaning, bowel chart, fluid intake), per-participant section choices, custom sections, a completion dashboard and PDF export, and handover with acknowledgement. These help you keep records. They do not make a provider compliant: that depends on the support actually delivered, how workers are trained and how the home is governed, and your organisation remains responsible for meeting the standards.
Related guides: supported independent living guide, SIL rostering complexity, SIL house funds and SIL daily forms.
The Standards say they apply "to NDIS providers who are registered to provide Supported Independent Living to NDIS participants". Who must register, and when, is set out on the NDIS Commission's mandatory registration page, which is the source to check.
Four: Supported Decision-Making, Safeguarding, Practice Governance, and Agreements about tenancy, housing and support arrangements. Registered SIL providers also work to the core module of the NDIS Practice Standards.
No. The Commission describes the SIL standards as a supplementary module. SIL providers comply with the core module and the SIL module, and certification is by audit.
No. Software can help keep records in one place, but meeting the standards depends on how a provider actually supports participants, trains workers and governs the home. Your organisation is responsible for meeting them.
On the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission website: the SIL Practice Standards module and the mandatory registration page for supported independent living. Always read the current official text, because the Commission may update it.
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