Guide: Supported Independent Living (SIL)
This guide about Supported Independent Living (SIL) is for people with disability and their family members. It covers:
- What SIL is and how it works
- Who SIL may be right for
- What SIL funding can and can’t be used for
- Common misunderstandings about SIL
- How to get SIL funding in your NDIS Plan
SIL?
Supported Independent Living – usually just called SIL – is personal support that is funded through your NDIS Plan.
SIL supports are intended to assist you to live as independently as possible in your own home, while getting the level of support you need for everyday life. This can include support or supervision with daily tasks and personal care, as well as support overnight.
SIL may be funded for NDIS participants who:
- Need more than 8 hours of paid support each day, and
- Need some form of overnight support, and
- Have high or more complex support needs
SIL is about your supports – not the home you live in
SIL funding is for support workers, not for the home itself. It is funding for the support you need to live well.
When describing a home where people receive SIL support, you may hear people talk about a “SIL home”. This expression is used a lot, but it isn’t quite accurate.
SIL does not describe a type of house or apartment. It describes the supports provided to you in your home.
You can receive SIL supports in many different living situations, including:
- A home you live in on your own
- A home you share with other people
- A private rental
- A home that also has Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) funding
So it’s more accurate to say “group home” or “shared home” instead of “SIL home” – even if the SIL provider owns or leases the home.
What makes something “SIL” is the paid support you receive, not the building itself.
What kinds of support does SIL cover?
SIL funding is used to pay for workers to support or supervise you with daily living. This can look different for different people, depending on your needs and goals.
SIL supports may include assistance with:
- Personal care, such as showering, dressing, or using the bathroom
- Preparing meals and eating
- Taking medication
- Daily household tasks
- Getting ready for the day or getting ready for bed
- Managing the way you respond to things
- Building skills to increase your independence
- Staying safe at home
- Overnight support, such as a sleepover or awake (‘active’) overnight support
- For community access that isn’t something you do often
The amount of SIL funding in your NDIS Plan will depend on how much support you need, based on the evidence you gave to the NDIS.
What SIL funding can’t be used for
SIL funding is only for paid support workers. It can’t be used to cover everyday living costs or other types of supports.
You can’t use SIL funding to pay for:
- Rent or mortgage repayments
- Utilities such as electricity, gas, water, or internet
- Groceries or household items
- Assistive technology or equipment
- Transport or vehicle costs
- Activity fees, holidays, or social events
You have to pay for most of these things from your own money. Assistive technology and other things directly related to your disability may be funded by the NDIS, but you can’t use your SIL funding to pay for them.
Do I have to live with other people to get SIL?
No. You do not have to live with other people to get SIL funding.
Many people who receive SIL supports live on their own. Others choose to share their home with people they know, or with people they are happy to live with.
Where and how you live should be based on:
- Your lifestyle and what’s important to you
- Your support needs
- What works best for your safety, wellbeing, and independence
Once SIL funding is in your plan, you can choose how your supports are delivered within the options that are reasonable and necessary for you.
SIL funding ratios
When people talk about SIL funding, you’ll often hear the term ‘ratio’. A ratio describes how many support workers are funded to support how many people at the same time.
For example:
- 1:1 – means 1 support worker supporting 1 person
- 1:3 – means 1 support worker supporting 3 people
- 2:1 – means 2 support workers supporting 1 person, which may be the case if the person’s needs are higher
SIL ratios are not fixed and they are not the same for everyone. They are based on:
- Your individual support needs
- Whether support is shared with others
- The time of day (for example, daytime or overnight)
- Safety and supervision requirements
Ratios are worked out as part of how your SIL supports are delivered, within the funding in your plan. Your NDIS plan may not list specific ratios.
If you share a home, some supports may be shared and others may be provided just for you. Any shared arrangements should still meet your needs and support your safety, independence, and wellbeing.
If you’re not sure how ratios work in your situation, it’s okay to ask questions and get advice about the SIL funding in your plan, or before agreeing to any support arrangements.
How is SIL different from SDA and ILO?
SIL is often talked about alongside other home and living supports. This can be confusing. Here’s how SIL is different:
SIL and Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)
- SIL is funding for supports (the people who support you).
- SDA is funding that pays for the home you live in, such as a modified or purpose-built property.
You may have one, both, or neither in your NDIS plan. You can learn more about SDA here.
SIL and Individualised Living Options (ILO)
- SIL pays for a roster of paid support workers. SIL providers must be registered with the NDIS.
- ILO are more flexible support arrangements that often include both paid and unpaid supports.
You can learn more about ILO here.
What SIL can look like
These two case studies show what SIL can look like in practice:
Common myths about SIL
Choosing a SIL provider
If you have SIL funding in your plan, you have the right to choose who supports you.
You may want help from family members or your support coordinator to:
- Learn about different SIL providers
- Ask questions about how supports are delivered
- Understand service agreements
Some people choose to use a SIL provider, who organises the roster of support workers for you, and finds replacement workers when your usual workers are away or unwell. Other people prefer to manage all of this on their own, often using an online tool like HireUp, Mable, Kynd or Careseekers.
If you share supports with other people in your home, you may need to work together to choose a provider for the supports you share.
Solving problems with your SIL supports
If you’re unhappy with your SIL provider or the quality of support you’re receiving, talk to your provider to see if they can make the changes you need. If the support provider isn’t listening to you or trying to fix your problems, you can change providers. This usually involves giving notice and following the process set out in your service agreement.
If you share supports with other people in your home, it can be useful to talk with your housemates to see if they are having the same problems. You may need to work together to choose a new provider.
How to get SIL funding in your NDIS Plan
To get SIL funded in your plan, you need to show the NDIS that:
- You need a lot of person-to-person support (usually 8 or more hours every day).
- You need some form of support overnight.
You will need to give the NDIS evidence showing that SIL funding is reasonable and necessary for you. The evidence you give them needs to show:
- The impact of your disability on daily living
- What things you need support with and how much support you need each day
- The level of support you need at night
- Why a particular living situation – for example, living on your own – is important to you, and important to achieving the goals in your NDIS Plan.
- Why SIL is a reasonable and necessary way to support you at home
This video shows the process for getting SDA funding in your plan, but getting SIL funding involves the same steps.
If you are funded for SIL, your NDIS Plan will usually include a total budget amount for SIL supports for the length of your plan. Your plan generally won’t show the tasks you will be supported with, rosters, or hours of support. Those details are worked out later with your SIL provider, based on your needs and goals, and within the funding in your plan.
If you think SIL may be right for you, it can help to:
- talk with your support coordinator, if you have one
- explain your daily and overnight support needs clearly during planning
- get advice before or during your planning meeting
Next steps…
If you want to know more about SIL, or other NDIS-funded home and living options, get in touch with the Housing Hub’s Housing Advice Line – phone 1300 61 64 63 or email housingoptions@housinghub.org.au
If you need support to get SIL funding in your plan, our Home & Living Support Coordination Service can assist you to:
- Work out whether SIL may be right for you
- Gather the evidence you need to apply for SIL funding
- Prepare or review the information you give to the NDIS
Phone 1300 322 013 or email specialists@housinghub.org.au
