Supported Independent Living (SIL) is a package of NDIS supports designed to help a person with a disability with more complex needs and who requires a significant amount of assistance throughout the day. SIL is a specific type of support that helps individuals perform daily living tasks as independently as possible while also building their skills.

1. Benefits of Supported Independent Living:
2. Freedom and independence.
3. More choice and control over the daily schedule and activities.
4. Sharing supports with other people.
5. Not having to live with one’s family.
6. Reducing costs like rent and electricity by sharing with others.
7. Choice to live with people of the same age or with similar interests.
8. Learning new skills.

Supported Independent Living (SIL) can be used to get assistance from support workers to help with daily tasks. This can include household tasks such as cooking or personal care tasks such as bathing. The support worker can also assist individuals in learning new skills so that they can perform routine tasks with minimal help. Supported Independent Living covers:

1. Personal care such as showering, getting into or out of bed, and getting dressed.
2. Meal preparation and training.
3. Assistance with household tasks including cleaning and laundry.
4. Tasks associated with running a household and grocery shopping.
5. Assistance with gardening.
6. Help getting around.
7. Travel and transport assistance to visit friends and family.
8. Assistance with daily skills training.
9. Planning and traveling to social activities.
10. Medication management.
11. Support for managing challenging behaviors.
12. 24/7 and overnight care.

SIL funding does not cover expenses such as rent, electricity, phone, internet, food, household supplies, or day-to-day expenses like taxi fares or toiletries. The amount of SIL funding included in an NDIS Plan depends on the level of support needed to live independently in the housing option of the individual’s choice. SIL funding can be obtained for individuals living in:

1. A rental property.
2. Own home or a home the family has purchased for them to live in.
3. Government or community housing.
4. Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA).
5. Provider-managed accommodation.

SIL may be used in shared living environments with between 2 and 7 people, with costs shared between several NDIS participants. Supported Independent Living and the NDIS Supported Independent Living is referred to as Assistance with Daily Living in the NDIS Core Budget. The amount of funding approved for the SIL arrangement is based on several factors including:

1. The number of people in the shared living arrangement.
2. The time of day and day of the week on which the supports are delivered.

Once an SIL package is approved, participants are unable to use any other NDIS budgets to pay for items covered by SIL. For this reason, it’s essential that the SIL application includes all the supports you need. SIL funding is not flexible, so it can only be used for the purpose of Supported Independent Living. There are three levels of SIL funding available:

1. Lower needs: regular support for living arrangements where 24/7 care is not required.
2. Standard needs: where more active, 24-hour assistance is required. This includes assistance with and supervision of more tasks and overnight sleepovers by a support worker.
3. Higher needs: where continual, complex active assistance is required. Also includes help with managing frequent challenging behaviors.

How to get Supported Independent Living in your NDIS Plan:
SIL is most likely to be included in an NDIS Plan where the participants set a goal to live independently and have been working towards this goal for some time. It is often helpful for participants to set Living Independently as a “medium” to “long-term” goal and include that in the NDIS Plan. Then set some short-term goals that can help reach the objectives, such as:

1. “I want to prepare my food so I can be less dependent on others.”
2. “I want to acquire and improve my self-care skills.”

Affection Disability Care has a team of dedicated individuals who are committed to helping people with complex needs achieve their goals and objectives while maintaining their independence. We can also work with our valuable participants to set the goal of their lives and set the target to achieve the agreed outcomes. We help our participants find their special place in life, where they feel comfortable, respected, and valued to provide supported independent living.
So, if you or your loved ones need this specialized service, we are all ears.

For more info, please contact us.