Supported Independent Living (SIL) is a fundamental category of support within the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) designed to help people with significant disabilities live as independently as possible. It is a highly personalised support model that focuses on providing the day-to-day assistance needed to manage a household, build life skills, and safely participate in the community.
1. What Exactly is Supported Independent Living?
In the simplest terms, SIL is the funding for the staff support you receive in your home.
It is not funding for the house itself (which is often covered by rent or Specialist Disability Accommodation—SDA), but rather for the human support needed to carry out daily life tasks.
The primary goals of SIL are:
-
Promote Independence: To support participants in having choice and control over their lives and routines.
-
Capacity Building: To develop the skills necessary for participants to become more independent over time (e.g., cooking, budgeting, self-care).
-
Safety and Security: To ensure participants with high support needs can live safely at home, often with 24/7 or active overnight support.
2. Who is Eligible for SIL?
SIL is a specialised support that is not for every NDIS participant. It is typically designed for individuals with higher support needs who require significant, ongoing assistance.
Key Eligibility Criteria:
-
NDIS Participant: You must be an approved NDIS participant.
-
High Support Needs: You must have a permanent and significant disability that substantially affects your ability to perform daily self-care and domestic tasks without frequent support.
-
Need for Regular Assistance: You must demonstrate a need for ongoing support, often throughout the day, seven days a week, and potentially including overnight support (active or passive).
-
Reasonable and Necessary: The NDIS must determine that SIL is the most "reasonable and necessary" support to help you achieve your goals, compared to less intensive options.
If you only need a few hours of assistance each week (e.g., occasional help with cleaning or shopping), other supports like Assistance with Daily Life (ADL) or Individualised Living Options (ILO) may be considered a more appropriate and less restrictive option than SIL.
3. Services Covered by SIL
SIL covers the costs associated with support staff providing assistance with a range of daily tasks. The supports include, but are not limited to:
| Category | Description of Assistance |
| Personal Care | Assistance with activities of daily living, such as showering, dressing, and assistance in using a toilet. |
| Household Tasks | Help with the responsibilities of running a household, including cleaning, laundry, vacuuming, and general maintenance. |
| Meal Preparation | Support in planning and preparing meals, as well as assistance with grocery shopping. |
| Medication Management | Monitoring, reconciling, and ensuring patients receive the required medications for desired outcomes. |
| Help with Day-to-Day Tasks | General support around the house for managing household tasks. |
| Support for Challenging Behaviours | Assistance and strategies for managing challenging behaviours. |
| Around-the-Clock Care | Provision of 24/7 and overnight care for participants with high support needs. |
| Getting Around | Help with getting into or out of bed and getting around the house. |
Getting Started
Ready to start your journey to employment? Whether you're just beginning or need help maintaining your current role, Horizon Harmony is here to walk with you. We’re committed to helping you build the confidence and skills needed to thrive in the workforce.
Speak with our friendly team to find out how we can support your employment goals through the NDIS.
Phone: +61 451 037 914 or +61 449 847 889
Email: admin@horizonharmony.com.au
Office Hours: Monday to Friday – 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Your journey to meaningful employment begins here — with Horizon Harmony by your side.
We take pride in everything we do and strive to do our best always, taking personal responsibility for quality, innovation and excellence.
We treat our clients and each other with the highest degree of dignity, equality and respect, recognising the important contribution that diversity makes to the quality of operations and communities.
We encourage communication, working together with enthusiasm and appreciation, sharing information and supporting one another to create a positive environment for all.
FAQ's about Supported
Assistance in Travel
You will be asked how you want to manage your funds and supports in your NDIS planning
meeting.
Your options for Plan Management are:
- Manage your funding yourself - the NDIS will provide you with the funding to pay directly to the people and organisations that support you. This is called self-managed.
- You can nominate a trusted person to manage your funding, called a ‘plan nominee’
- Use a registered Plan Management provider
- Ask the NDIA to manage your funding for you, which is called agency managed.
Make an Enquiry
At Horizon Harmony, we believe everyone deserves to live life with dignity, connection, and choice - no matter their circumstances or stage of life. As a proudly registered NDIS provider, we're here to offer more than just care. We offer partnership, compassion, and the kind of tailored support that uplifts individuals and families.
Quick Links
Contact Info
- 📞 +61451037914
- 📞 +61449847889
- ✉️ admin@horizonharmony.com.au
- 📍 Canberra, Australian Capital
- 📍 Sydney, New South wales
- 📍 Melbourne, Victoria
Horizon Harmony acknowledges and pays respect to the traditional custodians of the lands on which we live and work throughout Australia. We recognise the enduring connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to their cultures, languages, and traditions.
Copyright © All rights reserved to Horizon Harmony NDIS Service Provider