Supported Independent Living (SIL): A Guide for NDIS Providers

What is supported independent living?

The NDIS describes SIL this way:

Supported independent living (SIL) is funding for a support worker to help or supervise participants for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

SIL is funding for support, not for the home. The guidance says "SIL doesn't include day-to-day living costs that aren't related to disability support needs", such as groceries, rent, utilities and vehicle costs. Where a provider also provides the housing, that is a separate arrangement (see agreements below).

The NDIS also explains when SIL is usually used:

SIL is usually claimed when participants live with housemates who also have NDIS funding and they share NDIS supports.

Only one support can be claimed for each period of time:

While a participant may be receiving funding for other NDIS supports, only one support can be claimed for each period of time.

That matters for records. If a participant is out in the community, that time may be covered under a different support, so the shift record needs to show what was delivered and when.

What SIL providers have to do

Be registered and follow the standards

A SIL provider is responsible for helping participants with day-to-day activities within their home, and "must be a registered provider". The NDIS and the NDIS Commission also publish transitional arrangements for providers who are applying to register, so read their pages for how registration applies to you. On the Practice Standards the guidance says: "These are a requirement of your registration." Registered SIL providers work to the core NDIS Practice Standards and the SIL module. See our guide to the four SIL Practice Standards, and the NDIS Commission's mandatory registration page for SIL for who must register and when.

Agree a service agreement

You should create a service agreement with a participant to agree on how you will work together and your services as a SIL provider.

Keep tenancy separate from support

You need to create a tenancy agreement if you and the participant have a housing arrangement.

The tenancy agreement explains how housing arrangements are different from SIL supports. The SIL Practice Standards also require tenancy and support arrangements to be clearly separate.

Roster of care

A roster of care is the weekly breakdown of the supports a participant needs and how they are delivered. The NDIS provider guidance is clear that it is optional:

A roster of care isn't a requirement and you don't need to submit it to us.

It is a working tool for the provider and participant, and the guidance says how the funding is claimed should be agreed:

You and your participants should agree on the roster of care and how the plan funding will be claimed.

Pricing and payment

The NDIS says there are two sets of hourly prices for supports including SIL, standard and high intensity, based on the participant's needs. Payment arrangements are for you and the participant to settle:

Payment arrangements need to be discussed and agreed to by you and your participants.

How you are paid depends on the plan:

Getting paid as a SIL provider depends on the type of NDIS plan your participant has.

Do not assume how a participant's SIL is claimed. Check the NDIS page on how to claim SIL supports and the current pricing arrangements, which change.

The daily records a SIL house needs

For each participant and each shift, a SIL provider will typically need to record:

• Shift notes: what support was provided and how the participant presented
• Medication given, refused or missed
• Meals, personal care, sleep and fluid intake where relevant to the participant
• Incidents and behaviour episodes, and what was done about them
• Follow-up actions, and handover to the next worker

Houses with several participants and shifts generate a lot of records, and paper or spreadsheets make them hard to keep consistent and hard to find at audit. Start from what the Practice Standards say evidence should show, then choose a system that keeps those records in one place.

What a care management system can help with

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. It records each scheduled dose as given, refused or missed, with missed-dose alerts. These help a provider keep records in one place. They do not make a provider compliant: that depends on the support actually delivered and how the house is governed, and your organisation remains responsible. See SIL software.

Frequently asked questions

How is a SIL provider paid?

It depends on the plan. The NDIS guidance says "Getting paid as a SIL provider depends on the type of NDIS plan your participant has." Check the NDIS page on how to claim for SIL supports for the current rules.

Do I have to submit a roster of care to the NDIA?

The NDIS provider guidance says "A roster of care isn't a requirement and you don't need to submit it to us." It is a tool to agree the weekly supports with the participant. Guidance can change, so read the current NDIS page.

Is SIL the same as housing?

No. SIL is funding for support, and it does not include costs such as rent. Where a provider also provides the housing, the NDIS guidance says a tenancy agreement is needed that is separate from the service agreement.

Who can deliver SIL?

A SIL provider "must be a registered provider", and registered SIL providers follow the NDIS Practice Standards and the SIL Practice Standards. The NDIS Commission's mandatory registration page sets out who must register, the transitional arrangements and when.

What records does a SIL house need?

The records that show how each participant is supported each shift: shift notes, medication records, meals, personal care, sleep, incidents and follow-up. The NDIS Practice Standards and SIL Practice Standards say what evidence is expected, so start from those.