Advanced Supported Independent Living (SIL) Strategies: Get More from Your NDIS Plan

Updated on November 19, 2025

Supported Independent Living (SIL) funds the day-to-day support a person needs to live as independently as possible in a shared or individual living arrangement. SIL does not cover the cost of housing itself (which may be SDA or rental accommodation). Still, it does fund staff support, rostering, and day-to-day assistance with tasks such as personal care, household chores, medication support, and supervision required for safety. The NDIA publishes operational guidance and participant information on SIL, such as the Supported Independent Living Information pack. That explains how SIL rosters and funding decisions are made; this is where planners and providers look for what’s reasonable and necessary. 

This guide shows you how to prepare for SIL funding strategically, choose the right living and support model, present persuasive evidence, and negotiate more effectively during plan review, so SIL funding translates into greater independence, safety, and long-term value for the participant.

Important distinctions to keep in mind:

• SDA (Specialist Disability Accommodation) covers the housing design and capital aspects; SIL covers the ongoing, staffed supports. 
• SIL is tailored: funding reflects an agreed-upon roster of care that matches the assessed needs and preferences of the person with a disability. It is not a “one size fits all.” 

How SIL funding decisions are made 

NDIA planners make SIL funding decisions by considering the participant’s functional needs, the proposed roster of care (including the number of staff, their skill level, and the schedule), and whether the supports are reasonable and necessary to pursue the participant’s goals. The NDIA’s operational guideline for SIL and the published pricing arrangements are the authoritative references for assessors, providers and participants. 

Key inputs to NDIA decisions:

• Functional evidence (allied health reports, ADL assessments, behaviour support plans). Planners expect objective evidence showing why SIL, rather than other supports, is required.

• Roster of care: a detailed breakdown of required staff hours (sleepovers, waking nights, day supports, shared staff across housemates), and justification for each hour claimed. The NDIA examines whether rosters show efficient use of supports.

• Quality and safety needs: Positive behaviour support plans, risk management, and evidence of restrictive practices (if applicable) inform the intensity and type of support needed. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission requires appropriate behaviour support and oversight. 

Common pitfalls that reduce plan value:

• Vague or aspirational goals that don’t show why SIL is needed.
• Patchy or out-of-date allied health evidence.
• No clear roster or rationale for claimed hours.

Design goals that attract the right SIL funding

Goal writing is one of the first and important steps for funding. The NDIA funds are tied to functional goals that are measurable and clearly linked to support. Goals should state the functional outcome (what the participant will be able to do) and the context (where and how), and, when possible, include a measurable target and timeframe. However, setting a goal doesn’t mean you’ll get funding. 

According to NDIS policy, setting a goal does not obligate the Agency to provide financing for that pursuit. The scale and number of your goals do not equate to a larger funded package. Funding for any specific type or amount of support must meet the NDIS’ Reasonable and Necessary’ criteria, regardless of its inclusion in your goals.”

How to write effective SIL-aligned goals

• Start with the function: “Increase ability to prepare simple meals independently” is better than “be more independent.” Example: “Within 12 months, [Name] will be able to prepare a simple two-ingredient meal each evening on 5/7 days, with only supervision for safety.”

• Link to daily living and community participation: SIL funding often depends on demonstrating that assistance is required for daily home routines or safety. Tie goals to ADLs (personal care, meal prep, medication management) and community access where appropriate.

• Show progression: A good SIL goal includes a capacity-building angle, allowing planners to see how supports will decrease over time (or change in type). Example: “Reduce staffed prompting for showering from daily to 3x/week over 12 months through skill training.”

• Be specific about support types: If behaviour support or specialised health supports are needed in the home, name them, e.g., “ongoing positive behaviour support implementation in the home to reduce incidents and increase safety.” This flags the need for higher-intensity staffing or specialist oversight. 

This works because planners review goals to see whether the requested roster and support are necessary to achieve them. Clear, measurable goals make it easier to match funding to outcomes rather than vague descriptions that planners can’t map to a roster.

Build a persuasive evidence pack 

NDIA assessors rely heavily on robust, current evidence. The stronger and better-organised your documentation, the more persuasive your SIL funding request will be.

What to collect:

• Allied health reports (OT, physio, speech, psychologist) that include functional assessment in the home environment, not only clinical therapy notes. NDIA guidance stresses functional, outcome-focused reporting. 
• Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) plans and incident records are used when behaviour affects staffing needs. The NDIS Commission expects high-quality PBS and clear plans to reduce restrictive practices.
• Daily support logs/progress reports from current providers showing actual support provided, changes over time, and any safety incidents. The NDIA values regular progress documentation. 
• Medication and health summaries from GPs if health complexity affects staffing or monitoring needs.
• Living skills assessments (ADL/IADL) reveal capacity gaps in home tasks, such as cooking, cleaning, personal care, and shopping.

How to package evidence

1. Executive summary (1–2 pages): A short, plain-English summary that states the request (e.g., “SIL funding for roster of care of X hours per week”), lists the goals, and briefly describes the evidence enclosed. Planners appreciate concise summaries. 
2. Tabulated evidence index: Table of documents with dates and authors so reviewers can quickly see currency and relevance.
3. Highlight functional findings: In each allied health report, extract the lines that indicate functional limitations and suggested supports, and include these in the executive summary with page references.
4. Roster justification: Include a roster of care showing the number of staff, skill mix, and times — and under each row, a one-line justification linking it to a goal or risk.

Timing: begin collecting reports well before the plan review; many allied health providers recommend preparing plan reassessment reports that explicitly demonstrate progress and ongoing need. 

Pitfalls to avoid:

• Outdated reports (older than 12–18 months).
• Reports that describe impairment but don’t connect it to daily home needs.
• Missing dates, unclear authorship, or inconsistent information across documents.

Choose the right SIL model and provider 

SIL is delivered in several models: shared houses (multiple participants), individual SIL, micro-SIL (very small shared arrangements), or supported roommate models. Each has its pros and cons in terms of independence, social fit, and funding structure.

How to match the model to the needs

• Shared houses can spread staffing costs across participants but require compatible routines, behaviour support strategies, and clear rostering to avoid “over-claiming” or inefficient staff use.
• Individual SIL offers maximum personalised support and privacy, but is usually more resource-intensive. Select this option when tailored staffing or medical/behavioural needs require dedicated staff.

• Micro-SIL/Supported rooming models may be appropriate where independence is high, but minimal shared staffing is still required.

Assessing providers checklist

• Active Support approach: Does the provider demonstrate capacity-building practices that increase independence rather than doing tasks for the person? Ask for training records and examples. 

• Incident and safety management: What are their incident rates, response procedures, and staff supervision structures? Ask for non-identifying summaries. Good providers will have transparent systems. 

• Staff continuity and training: High turnover undermines progress. Ask about staff retention, mandatory training (first aid, positive behaviour support), and induction processes.

• Cultural fit and clinical links: Does the provider work with your allied health team and the behaviour supports? Can they implement PBS plans appropriately? 

• Roster transparency: Can the provider provide a clear and justifiable roster of care? Are “sleepover” arrangements, wake-up checks and awake night staffing clearly defined? The NDIA and audit expectations are strict on rosters.

Interview questions to ask providers:

• “How will you implement [participant] ‘s PBS plan and measure progress?”
• “How do you balance task-based care with capacity building?”
• “Show me an anonymised example of your roster for a house like this and explain why those hours are necessary.”
• “How do you manage staff training, supervision, and turnover?”

Choosing the right provider and model will directly impact how the NDIA views the reasonableness of your roster and whether the SIL money buys independence and outcomes, or pays for supervision.

Optimise the funding mix: plan management, support mix and tech tools

Getting more value from SIL funding often means mixing supports cleverly, combining plan management choices, capacity-building supports and assistive technology alongside core SIL hours.

Plan management: pick the right management option

• NDIA (Agency)-managed: providers claim directly from NDIA. Less admin for participants, but less pricing flexibility.
• Plan-managed: a plan manager can pay invoices and give participants the flexibility of self-management without the admin burden; plan managers can also negotiate with providers and process invoices that NDIA doesn’t directly pay. 
• Self-managed: maximal choice and potential cost savings, but requires admin capability and understanding of price limits and compliance.

Why it matters: Plan management affects how quickly you can engage certain providers (e.g., a specialist not set up to claim from NDIA) and whether you can negotiate pricing or use assistive technology that might otherwise be difficult to fund. If control and flexibility are important for optimising SIL delivery, plan management is often worth the fee.

Mixing supports for capacity building

• Blend Core SIL hours with Capacity-Building supports (e.g., group/community access, household tasks training in the capacity building category). The goal is to reduce reliance on staffed prompts over time while building functional independence. Planners respond well to clear plans that show how capacity building will impact the roster.

• Time-limited intensive supports: sometimes a short period of intensive support to teach skills (e.g., an 8–12 week program) reduces long-term rostering needs. Document expected outcomes and measures.

Use of technology and assistive equipment

• Assistive technology (such as smart home devices, reminders, and monitoring technology) can safely replace some paid hours when appropriate. Request funding for technology that reduces ongoing staffing demand or increases community access. The NDIS pricing arrangements and assistive technology guidance outline how such requests can be justified. 

Tips to Optimise Your Budget

• Negotiate roster flexibility: where safe and appropriate, plan for a mix of awake and sleepover arrangements that reflect true needs. Clear PBS or clinical justification helps.
• Use plan management to compare and negotiate pricing: plan managers can pay providers more quickly and sometimes negotiate better rates or payment terms, thereby improving access to high-quality providers.

Support coordination, behaviour support and quality oversight 

Skilled support coordination is frequently the linchpin that turns plan dollars into outcomes. A proactive support coordinator can:

• Ensure the roster and provider model are evidence-based.
• Liaise between allied health, PBS teams and providers to make plans implementable.
• Prepare succinct, evidence-based submissions for plan reviews or appeals.

What to expect from good support coordination

• Active plan implementation — not passive referral. A coordinator should help set timelines, measurable milestones, and review points.
• Provider performance monitoring — they should check progress against goals and adjust support if a provider isn’t delivering.
• Assistance at plan review — helping compile evidence, produce summary reports and represent the participant in meetings.

Behaviour support and restrictive practices

• Suppose behaviours of concern affect safety or staffing intensity. In that case, a high-quality PBS plan developed by accredited behaviour practitioners is essential. The NDIS Commission expects plans to prioritise positive strategies and, where possible, reduce or eliminate restrictive practices. PBS plans are a direct input into the justification for higher-intensity SIL funding.

Quality oversight and complaints

• Understand the role of the NDIS Quality & Safeguards Commission: complaints, restrictive practice oversight, provider registration and incident reporting. If you suspect a provider is not meeting obligations (safety, training, misuse of rosters), escalate through the provider’s complaints process, your support coordinator, and, if unresolved, notify the Commission.

Negotiate plan reviews and, when needed, appeals

Plan reviews are your main opportunity to change SIL funding. To make them work for you, be strategic.

Before the meeting:

• Prepare the evidence pack (executive summary + indexed documents). Provide it in advance if possible. Include recent progress reports and the roster of care with justifications. 
• Bring allies, such as a support coordinator, allied health practitioner, or advocate, to articulate clinical arguments and practical implications.
• Practice your pitch: open with the participant’s goals, current functional status, and explain why the current roster is insufficient (or why a new roster is necessary), followed by the specific change requested.

During the meeting:

• Focus on function & safety, not emotion. Use clear examples (“since March, X incidents requiring staff intervention have occurred Y times per month”). Reference the evidence pack pages.

• Ask clarifying questions if the planner proposes alternatives, ask the planner to explain how an alternative would meet the goals and what evidence they would need to agree to the requested support.

If the internal review fails

• Internal review: Request it in writing and include any new evidence that supports your claim. The NDIA has a formal internal review process; follow their guidance.

• Administrative Review Tribunal (AAT): for complex denials, legal avenues exist, but they are time-consuming and may need legal/advocacy support. Use appeals as a last resort and seek specialist advocacy help as early as possible.

Practical language for submissions

• “This request is necessary to achieve Goal X because [functional reason]. Evidence attached: OT functional report (date), PBS plan (date) — these documents show [key lines].

• Use concise, evidence-linked sentences rather than long narratives.

Practical checklist

Pre-review checklist (documents to prepare):

• Executive summary of request (1–2 pages).
• Latest allied health reports (OT, physio, psychologist) with functional recommendations.
• PBS plan and incident history (if behaviour is a factor). 

• Roster of care with itemised justification for each staff type/time.
• Progress reports from current provider(s).
• Assistive technology quotes and justification (where requested).

Questions to ask providers before signing:

• How will you implement the PBS and measure outcomes?
• Please provide a sample roster and explain each item on it.
• What training do staff receive for positive support and duty of care?
• How do you handle staff turnover and continuity of support?

Top 3 actions to promptly take:

1. Request a current functional assessment (OT) focused on home ADLs.
2. Start a simple log of daily supports and incidents (date, time, nature) to show real-world needs. 
3. Meet with your support coordinator to map an evidence pack and timeline for plan review.

Risk, compliance and quality 

Safety, restrictive practices and provider quality are non-negotiable. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission regulates behaviour support and monitors providers. If you observe:

• Unsafe practice, unexplained increases in rostered hours without explanation, or misuse of funds — escalate through the provider’s complaint process and notify the Commission if unresolved. 

Be aware that restrictive practices must be justified, monitored, and time-limited, as outlined in a PBS plan. The Commission and NDIA take these issues seriously; high-quality PBS that aims to reduce restrictive practices strengthens your case for appropriate SIL funding.

How Centre Disability Support can help 

At Centre Disability Support, our services include evidence-based SIL planning, support coordination, plan management and assistance compiling strong plan review submissions. We work with allied health professionals to produce functional reassessment reports and PBS practitioners to ensure behaviour supports are safe and effective. If you’d like help preparing an evidence pack, reviewing provider rosters, or mapping a capacity-building pathway that reduces long-term roster dependency, contact our team. We’ll help you translate these strategies into practical next steps.

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