What is Supported Independent Living?

The short answer

Supported Independent Living is NDIS funding for help with the everyday tasks of living in a home, for people who need a substantial amount of that help. In practice it pays for support workers to be there, whether that is a few hours a day or around the clock.

The word independent throws people. It does not mean living without support. It means the support exists so that you run your own life, in your own home, rather than living somewhere that runs you.

What SIL actually pays for

SIL covers the support workers who help with daily living inside the home. Typically that includes:

• Personal care such as showering, dressing and getting ready in the morning
• Help with meals, from planning and shopping through to cooking
• Household tasks like cleaning, laundry and keeping on top of the place
• Medication prompting or assistance, where that is part of your plan
• Overnight support, either active or sleepover depending on what you need
• Building skills so you need less help over time, not more
• Help getting to appointments and staying on top of the week

The intensity varies enormously. Two people can both have SIL and one has a worker present twenty four hours while the other has a few hours in the morning and evening.

What SIL does not pay for

This is where people get caught out, so it is worth being blunt.

You pay your own rent and living costs out of your own income, the same as anyone else. A common and reasonable rule of thumb is that the NDIS pays for the disability related support, and you pay for the ordinary costs of being alive.

Where SDA fits in

SIL funds the people who support you. Specialist Disability Accommodation funds a dwelling that has been built or modified for very high support needs. They are separate funding lines, and most people who have SIL do not have SDA. If you are trying to work out which one you are actually asking about, read SIL, SDA and ILO explained.

Who SIL is usually for

SIL is generally for people who need a significant amount of help with daily living, often every day and frequently overnight. It is not usually the right funding for someone who needs a few hours of help a week, and asking for it in that situation tends to produce a slow no rather than a fast yes.

If your needs are lighter, the supports you are probably looking for are assistance with daily life, personal care or household tasks delivered on an hourly basis. That is a different, simpler conversation and it does not require the evidence trail SIL does.

How the funding gets worked out

SIL funding is not a flat rate. It is built from a document called a roster of care, which sets out the support you need across a typical week, hour by hour, including overnights and whether support is shared with other people in the house.

Because the roster drives the money, it needs to describe your actual bad days rather than your best ones. People routinely undersell what they need in these documents out of pride or habit, and then live with the consequences for the length of the plan.

Shared or on your own

SIL is often delivered in a home shared with one, two or three other residents, because sharing support across several people is how overnight and active night hours become affordable. It is not a requirement, though. SIL can be delivered where you already live, including in a family home in some circumstances.

If you are considering a shared arrangement, who you live with matters as much as the provider does. Ask how the provider handles it when residents do not get on, because they will not always, and the answer tells you a lot.

Questions worth asking a SIL provider

There is a fuller list in eight questions worth asking any NDIS provider. And if you already have a SIL provider and it is not working, changing providers is your right and does not require anyone’s permission.

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